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activities to be conducted by the
applicant over a 5-year period.
Multiple Applicants
The following applicants each request
a permit to import the sport-hunted
trophy of one male bontebok
(Damaliscus pygargus pygargus) culled
from a captive herd maintained under
the management program of the
Republic of South Africa, for the
purpose of enhancement of the survival
of the species.
Applicant: John Klein, Amarillo, TX;
PRT–72213B
Applicant: Steven Smith, Montgomery,
TX; PRT–71735B
Applicant: William Chaney, Flower
Mound, TX; PRT–72289B
Brenda Tapia,
Program Analyst/Data Administrator, Branch
of Permits, Division of Management
Authority.
[FR Doc. 2015–19511 Filed 8–7–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Geological Survey
[GX15GC009PLSG00]

Agency Information Collection
Activity; National Cooperative
Geologic Mapping Program (EDMAP
and STATEMAP)
United States Geological
Survey (USGS), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of extension of a
currently approved collection.
AGENCY:

We (the U.S. Geological
Survey) will ask the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) to
approve the information collection (IC)
described below. As required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of
1995, and as part of our continuing
efforts to reduce paperwork and
respondent burden, we invite the
general public and other Federal
agencies to take this opportunity to
comment on this IC. This collection is
scheduled to expire on October 31,
2015.

SUMMARY:

To ensure that your comments
are considered, we must receive them
on or before September 9, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Please submit written
comments on this information
collection directly to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB), Office
of Information and Regulatory Affairs,
Attention: Desk Officer for the
Department of the Interior, via email:

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DATES:

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([email protected]); or
by fax (202) 395–5806; and identify your
submission with ‘Information Collection
1028–0088, National Cooperative
Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP—
EDMAP and STATEMAP)’ in all
correspondence. Please also forward a
copy of your comments and suggestions
on this information collection to the
Information Collection Clearance
Officer, U.S. Geological Survey, 12201
Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 807, Reston,
VA 20192 (mail); (703) 648–7195 (fax);
or [email protected] (email).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Douglas A. Howard, Associate Program
Coordinator NCGMP (STATEMAP and
EDMAP), U.S. Geological Survey, 12201
Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 908, 20192
(mail); at 703–648–6978 (telephone); or
[email protected] (email).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
EDMAP is the educational component
of the NCGMP that is intended to train
the next generation of geologic mappers.
The primary objective of the
STATEMAP component of the NCGMP
is to establish the geologic framework of
areas that are vital to the welfare of
individual States.
The NCGMP EDMAP program
allocates funds to colleges and
universities in the United States and
Puerto Rico through an annual
competitive cooperative agreement
process. Every federal dollar that is
awarded is matched with university
funds. Geology professors, who are
skilled in geologic mapping, request
EDMAP funding to support
undergraduate and graduate students at
their college or university in a one-year
mentored geologic mapping project that
focuses on a specific geographic area.
Only State Geological Surveys are
eligible to apply to the STATEMAP
component of the National Cooperative
Geologic Mapping Program pursuant to
the National Geologic Mapping Act
(Pub. L. 106–148). Since many State
Geological Surveys are organized under
a State university system, such
universities may submit a proposal on
behalf of the State Geological Survey.
Each fall, the program announcements
are posted to the Grants.gov Web site
and respondents are required to submit
applications (comprising of Standard
Form 424, 424A, 424B, Proposal
Summary Sheet, the Proposal, and
Budget Sheets. Additionally, EDMAP
proposal must include a Negotiated Rate
Agreement, and a Support letter from a
State Geologist or USGS Project Chief).
Since 1996, more than $5 million
from the NCGMP has supported

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geologic mapping efforts of more than
1,000 students working with more than
244 professors at 148 universities in 44
states, the District of Columbia, and
Puerto Rico. Funds for graduate projects
are limited to $17,500 and
undergraduate project funds limited to
$10,000. These funds are used to cover
field expenses and student salaries, but
not faculty salaries or tuition. The
authority for both programs is listed in
the National Geologic Mapping Act
(Pub. L. 106–148).
We will protect information from
respondents considered proprietary
under the Freedom of Information Act
(5 U.S.C. 552) and its implementing
regulations (43 CFR part 2), and under
regulations at 30 CFR 250.197, ‘‘Data
and information to be made available to
the public or for limited inspection.’’
Responses are voluntary. No questions
of a ‘‘sensitive’’ nature are asked.
II. Data
OMB Control Number: 1028–0088.
Form Number: NA.
Title: National Cooperative Geologic
Mapping Program (EDMAP and
STATEMAP).
Type of Request: Renewal without
change.
Affected Public: University or College
faculty and State Geological Surveys.
Respondent’s Obligation: None.
Required to receive funding.
Frequency of Collections: Annually.
Estimated Total Number of Annual
Responses: Approximately 50
University or College faculty and
approximately 45 State Geological
Survey responses.
Estimated Time per Response: 36
hours.
Estimated Annual Burden Hours:
5,220 hours total. We expect to receive
approximately 50 applications for
EDMAP and 45 applications for
STATEMAP each year which takes each
applicant approximately 36 hours to
complete, totaling 3,420 hours. This
includes the time for project conception
and development, proposal writing and
reviewing, and submitting a project
narrative through Grants.gov. We expect
to issue 45 EDMAP and 45 STATEMAP
grants per year. The grant recipients are
also required to submit a final technical
report which takes each grant recipient
approximately 20 hours to complete,
totaling 1,800 hours.
Estimated Reporting and
Recordkeeping ‘‘Non-Hour Cost’’
Burden: There are no ‘‘non-hour cost’’
burdens associated with this IC.
Public Disclosure Statement: The PRA
(44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.) provides that an
agency may not conduct or sponsor and
you are not required to respond to a

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 153 / Monday, August 10, 2015 / Notices
collection of information unless it
displays a currently valid OMB control
number and current expiration date.
III. Request for Comments
To comply with the public
consultation process, on March 25,
2015, we published a Federal Register
notice (80 FR 15808) announcing our
intent to submit this information
collection to OMB for approval. In that
notice we solicited public comments for
60 days, ending on May 26, 2015. The
USGS did not receive any comments.
Therefore, we have not changed this
collection.
We again invite comments concerning
this IC on: (a) Whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the agency to perform its duties,
including whether the information is
useful; (b) the accuracy of the agency’s
estimate of the burden of the proposed
collection of information; (c) ways to
enhance the quality, usefulness, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden on the respondents, including
the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information
technology. Please note that any
comments submitted in response to this
notice are a matter of public record.
Before including your address, phone
number, email address or other personal
identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment including your
personal identifying information, may
be made publically available at any
time. While you can ask OMB in your
comment to withhold your personal
identifying information from public
review, we cannot guarantee that will be
done.
Douglas A. Howard,
Associate Program Coordinator, National
Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program.
BILLING CODE 4311–AM–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Indian Affairs
[156A2100DD/AAKC001030/
A0A501010.999900 253G]

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HEARTH Act Approval of Seminole
Tribe of Florida Regulations
Bureau of Indian Affairs,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:

On January 8, 2015, the
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) approved
the Seminole Tribe of Florida leasing
regulations under the HEARTH Act.

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I. Summary of the HEARTH Act
The HEARTH (Helping Expedite and
Advance Responsible Tribal
Homeownership) Act of 2012 (the Act)
makes a voluntary, alternative land
leasing process available to tribes, by
amending the Indian Long-Term Leasing
Act of 1955, 25 U.S.C. 415. The Act
authorizes tribes to negotiate and enter
into agricultural and business leases of
tribal trust lands with a primary term of
25 years, and up to two renewal terms
of 25 years each, without the approval
of the Secretary of the Interior. The Act
also authorizes tribes to enter into leases
for residential, recreational, religious or
educational purposes for a primary term
of up to 75 years without the approval
of the Secretary. Participating tribes
develop tribal leasing regulations,
including an environmental review
process, and then must obtain the
Secretary’s approval of those regulations
prior to entering into leases. The Act
requires the Secretary to approve tribal
regulations if the tribal regulations are
consistent with the Department’s leasing
regulations at 25 CFR part 162 and
provide for an environmental review
process that meets requirements set
forth in the Act. This notice announces
that the Secretary, through the Assistant
Secretary—Indian Affairs, has approved
the tribal regulations for the Seminole
Tribe of Florida.
II. Federal Preemption of State and
Local Taxes

[FR Doc. 2015–19503 Filed 8–7–15; 8:45 am]

SUMMARY:

With this approval, the Tribe is
authorized to enter into the following
type of leases without BIA approval:
Business and residential ordinances.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Cynthia Morales, Office of Trust
Services—Division of Realty, Bureau of
Indian Affairs; Telephone (202) 768–
4166; Email [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Department’s regulations
governing the surface leasing of trust
and restricted Indian lands specify that,
subject to applicable Federal law,
permanent improvements on leased
land, leasehold or possessory interests,
and activities under the lease are not
subject to State and local taxation and
may be subject to taxation by the Indian
tribe with jurisdiction. See 25 CFR
162.017. As explained further in the
preamble to the final regulations, the
Federal government has a strong interest
in promoting economic development,
self-determination, and tribal
sovereignty. 77 FR 72,440, 72447–48
(December 5, 2012). The principles
supporting the Federal preemption of
State law in the field of Indian leasing

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47949

and the taxation of lease-related
interests and activities applies with
equal force to leases entered into under
tribal leasing regulations approved by
the Federal government pursuant to the
HEARTH Act.
Section 5 of the Indian Reorganization
Act, 25 U.S.C 465, preempts State and
local taxation of permanent
improvements on trust land.
Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis
Reservation v. Thurston County, 724
F.3d 1153, 1157 (9th Cir. 2013) (citing
Mescalero Apache Tribe v. Jones, 411
U.S. 145 (1973)). In addition, as
explained in the preamble to the revised
leasing regulations at 25 CFR part 162,
Federal courts have applied a balancing
test to determine whether State and
local taxation of non-Indians on the
reservation is preempted. White
Mountain Apache Tribe v. Bracker, 448
U.S. 136, 143 (1980). The Bracker
balancing test, which is conducted
against a backdrop of ‘‘traditional
notions of Indian self-government,’’
requires a particularized examination of
the relevant State, Federal, and tribal
interests. We hereby adopt the Bracker
analysis from the preamble to the
surface leasing regulations, 77 FR at
72,447–48, as supplemented by the
analysis below.
The strong Federal and tribal interests
against State and local taxation of
improvements, leaseholds, and
activities on land leased under the
Department’s leasing regulations apply
equally to improvements, leaseholds,
and activities on land leased pursuant to
tribal leasing regulations approved
under the HEARTH Act. Congress’s
overarching intent was to ‘‘allow tribes
to exercise greater control over their
own land, support self-determination,
and eliminate bureaucratic delays that
stand in the way of homeownership and
economic development in tribal
communities.’’ 158 Cong. Rec. H. 2682
(May 15, 2012). The HEARTH Act was
intended to afford tribes ‘‘flexibility to
adapt lease terms to suit [their] business
and cultural needs’’ and to ‘‘enable
[tribes] to approve leases quickly and
efficiently.’’ Id. at 5–6.
Assessment of State and local taxes
would obstruct these express Federal
policies supporting tribal economic
development and self-determination,
and also threaten substantial tribal
interests in effective tribal government,
economic self-sufficiency, and territorial
autonomy. See Michigan v. Bay Mills
Indian Community, 134 S. Ct. 2024,
2043 (2014) (Sotomayor, J., concurring)
(determining that ‘‘[a] key goal of the
Federal Government is to render Tribes
more self-sufficient, and better
positioned to fund their own sovereign

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