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(b) The accuracy of the agency’s Total Annual Burden to Respondents: benefits and environmental risks among estimate of the burden (hours and cost) 26. regions.’’ Such lines will more of the collection of information, Dated: December 22, 2005. accurately define the necessary ‘‘ ’’ including the validity of the Michael D. Olsen assumptions of what are regions ; and methodology and assumptions used; 6. Helping define appropriate (c) Ways we could enhance the Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary— Indian Affairs. consultation and information sharing quality, utility and clarity of the with States. For example, section 19(e) [FR Doc. E5–8198 Filed 12–30–05; 8:45 am] information to be collected; and authorizes cooperative agreement with (d) Ways we could minimize the BILLING CODE 4310–6W–P affected States for such activities as burden of the collection of the information sharing, joint planning, information on the respondents, such as DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR review of plans, and environmental through the use of automated collection monitoring. This is even more important techniques or other forms of information Minerals Management Service with the recent passage of the Energy technology. Policy Act of 2005 which gave the MMS Please note that an agency may not Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) the authority to permit alternative and sponsor or request, and an individual Administrative Boundaries Extending renewable energy projects on the OCS. need not respond to, a collection of from the Submerged Lands Act Many of these projects will be located information unless it has a valid OMB Boundary seaward to the Limit of the in areas in which the MMS has not Control Number. United States Outer Continental Shelf recently been active. It is our policy to make all comments FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: available to the public for review at the AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior. Renee Orr, Chief, Leasing Division, location listed in the ADDRESSES section, telephone 703–787–1215. room 3609, during the hours of 8 a.m. ACTION: Setting Federal OCS offshore SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: to 4:30 p.m., EST Monday through administrative boundaries beyond State Friday except for legal holidays. If you submerged lands for Department of the Background wish to have your name and/or address Interior planning, coordination, and administrative purposes. The MMS undertook this task in light withheld, you must state this of the increasing number and type of prominently at the beginning of your SUMMARY: This notice informs the public both traditional and non-traditional comments. We will honor your request that the MMS has developed offshore energy, alternative energy-related, and according to the requirements of the administrative lines from each adjoining other activities on the OCS. Such law. All comments from organizations coastal state as described below. Having activities include sand and gravel or representatives will be available for these lines in place provides various dredging; liquefied natural gas handling review. We may withhold comments benefits, including: facilities; wind, wave, and current from review for other reasons. 1. Enhancing the Secretary’s ability to energy generation projects; and Information Collection Abstract ensure that the ‘‘4–C’s’’— mariculture, as well as other innovative OMB Control Number: 1076–0105. communication, consultation and uses of the sea, seabed, existing oil and Type of review: Renewal. cooperation, all in support of gas operations, and OCS oil and gas Title: Tribal Colleges and Universities conservation—are considered as she infrastructure that may be pursued in Annual Report Form. engages in efforts to identify which the future. Therefore, the MMS believes Brief Description of collection: The State has the most interest in the that it is appropriate to delineate information is mandatory by Public Law extended area offshore from its coastline offshore administrative lines at this 95–471 for the respondent to receive or because of the increasing number of time. maintain a benefit, specifically grants commercial activities on the Federal Methodology for students. OCS, such as permits for liquefied Respondents: Tribal College and natural gas facilities, wind power, and Over the past two years, the MMS, University administrators. wave energy; National Ocean Service, and Number of Respondents: 26. 2. Providing the basis for more Department of State have been updating Estimated Time per Response: 3 accurate delineation of OCS planning the National Baseline which provides hours. areas; the basis for developing international Frequency of Response: Annually. 3. Assisting in ‘‘affected State’’ status jurisdictions, such as the Territorial Sea, Total Annual Burden to Respondents: under the Coastal Zone Management Contiguous Zone, and Exclusive 78. Act and the OCS Lands Act. For Economic Zone, as well as a basis for example, section 18 of the OCS Lands the proposed boundaries seaward of the Information Collection Abstract Act requires the Secretary to consider Submerged Lands Act state waters. We OMB Control Number: 1076–0105. the ‘‘laws, goals, and policies of affected have used, to the extent practicable, the Type of review: Renewal. States.’’ Similarly, section 19 analysis updated National Baseline to derive Title: Tribal Colleges and Universities requires the Secretary to balance offshore administrative boundaries in Application for Grants Form. national interests with the ‘‘well-being compliance with accepted cartographic Brief Description of collection: The of the citizens of the affected State’’; practice. The MMS has used the information is mandatory by Public Law 4. Providing a more accurate basis for computational software known as 95–471 for the respondent to receive or the Secretary to consider support for, or CARIS LOTS ‘‘Limits and Boundaries.’’ maintain a benefit, i.e., grants for objections to, a State’s request to One of the many features of this students. analyze leasing off its shores. Without software is that it takes a predetermined Respondents: Tribal College and such administrative lines, it is difficult baseline and determines boundaries for University administrators. to define these areas accurately; states with an equidistant line for states Number of Respondents: 26. 5. Assisting in the section 18 that are adjacent or a median line for Estimated Time per Response: 1 hour. comparative analysis to determine ‘‘an opposite states, based on geodetic Frequency of Response: Annually. equitable sharing of developmental calculations. This software was

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specifically designed to meet States whose coasts are opposite each other, Committee in 1970 to resolve Federal international standards for calculating the boundary of the continental shelf baseline points from which to establish marine boundaries, including United appertaining to such States shall be various jurisdictional and boundary Nations Convention on the Law of the determined by agreement between them. In issues, such as Federal/State boundary the absence of agreement, and unless another Sea (UNCLOS) requirements. points and the extent of the territorial boundary line is justified by special For this purpose, we applied the circumstances, the boundary is the median sea. The Committee has directed the widely accepted and long standing line, every point of which is equidistant from Department of the Interior and all other principle of equidistance. An the nearest points of the baselines from agencies to apply this standard in equidistance line is one for which every which the breadth of the territorial sea of dealings with coastal states and for point on the line is equidistant from the each State is measured. international purposes. nearest points on the baselines being Following U.S. ratification of the 1958 The utilization of the equidistance used. The equidistance principle is a Geneva Convention, the Supreme Court principle to draw administrative methodology that has been endorsed by has used equidistance to resolve boundaries within areas that are in the UNCLOS treaty, but predates the disputes between states. In Texas v. purely Federal waters is the best means treaty and has been used by the Louisiana, the Court established a of achieving accurate, fair, and equitable Supreme Court of the United States, lateral boundary between Texas and boundary lines extending from states. states, and nations to equitably establish Louisiana through the adoption of an These lines will help the Secretary and boundaries. equidistant line. MMS in a variety of internal planning Early in its history, the U.S. used More recently, Congress has and extended (4C’s) coordination equidistance in the Act of 11 February recognized the equidistance principle in purposes. 1805, 2 Stat. 313, that divided public ratifying a maritime boundary between lands by measurements as close as The extended equidistant lines the U.S. and Mexico for an area in the extending from adjoining State baselines possible to ‘‘equidistant from those two Gulf of Mexico over 200 miles from each corners which stand on the same line.’’ are depicted on the three maps that country known as the Western Gap. follow. More detailed information is International law often refers to This was the third treaty between these equidistance. Article 6 of the 1958 available at the following Web site: countries based on the equidistance www.mms.gov/ld/lateral.htm. Geneva Convention on the Continental principle. Shelf, ratified by the U.S. Senate on The U.S. Baseline Committee has Dated: December 22, 2005. December 4, 1961, states: firmly established equidistance as the Johnnie Burton, Where the same continental shelf is principle for domestic and international Director, Minerals Management Service. adjacent to the territories of two or more boundaries. The President formed the BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P

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[FR Doc. 05–24659 Filed 12–30–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–MR–C

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