Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 221 / Monday, November 17, 1997 / Notices
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61344 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 221 / Monday, November 17, 1997 / Notices When completed, the interim operations outside the current boundaries. In the DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE plan will supersede the annual interim Reclamation entered into a operations plans/advisories and will series of annual water service contracts [AG Order No. 2129±97] guide Project operations until with WID so irrigation of lands outside completion of the adjudication. At that of the district boundaries with federally Interim Guidance on Verficiation of time, the interim plan will be revised as supplied water could continue while Citizenship, Qualified Alien Status and necessary and additional NEPA issues surrounding the boundary Eligibility Under Title IV of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity documentation may be required. expansion were resolved. Reconciliation Act of 1996 Dated: November 5, 1997. Reclamation and the Natural John F. Davis, Resources Department of the AGENCY: Department of Justice. Acting Regional Director. Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla ACTION: Notice of interim guidance with [FR Doc. 97±30096 Filed 11±14±97; 8:45 am] Indian Reservation (CTUIR) held public request for comments. BILLING CODE 4310±94±P meetings on November 4 and December 17, 1993, to gather comments from the SUMMARY: Title IV of the Personal public concerning the ``Proposed Responsibility and Work Opportunity DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Reconciliation Act of 1996 Boundary Changes for Irrigation (``PRWORA'') requires the Attorney Districts in the Umatilla Project, Bureau of Reclamation General, by February 1998, to Oregon.'' Key issues identified in the promulgate regulations requiring Westland Irrigation District Boundary scoping effort included Umatilla River verification that an applicant for federal Adjustment, Hermiston, OR hydrology and passage conditions for public benefits is a qualified alien AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, anadromous fish, Native American trust eligible to receive federal public benefits Interior. resources, and continued viability of under the Act. Amendments to the ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an irrigated agriculture. Based on the PRWORA by the Illegal Immigration environmental impact statement. complex and often controversial nature Reform and Immigrant Responsibility of the issues involved, the high level of Act of 1996 also require the Attorney SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National public and agency interest, and General, within the same time period, to Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of Reclamation's Native American trust establish fair and nondiscriminatory 1969, as amended, the Bureau of responsibilities, Reclamation concluded procedures for applicants to provide Reclamation (Reclamation) intends to that an EIS should be prepared. Since proof of citizenship. Amendments to the prepare an environmental impact then, a hydrologic model of the Umatilla PRWORA by the Balanced Budget Act of statement (EIS) for a proposed boundary basin, necessary to complete the 1997 require the Attorney General, by adjustment to include additional lands assessment of the proposed boundary November 3, 1997, to issue interim into the Westland Irrigation District. adjustment, has been developed. verification guidance that sets forth Westland Irrigation District (WID) Completion of the hydrologic model is procedures that benefit providers can proposes the addition of 21,100 acres, of anticipated for February 1998. use to verify citizenship, qualified alien which 9,912 acres are currently status, and eligibility under Title IV of irrigated, into their boundaries. Four alternatives are proposed, the PRWORA prior to issuance of the The NEPA process was initiated in including the no action alternative. final regulations. In accordance with late 1993 and, as a result of comments Under the no action alternative all this last statutory requirement, the received then, has been on hold until deliveries of federally supplied water by Attorney General, in consultation with additional information was obtained. WID to lands outside of the current federal benefit-granting agencies, has This notice is to inform the public of the district boundaries would cease. Under developed this interim guidance. resumption of the NEPA process and the the action alternatives some, or all, of preparation of an EIS. DATES: This Interim Guidance is these deliveries could continue. The effective October 29, 1997. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. draft EIS is expected to be completed in ADDRESSES: Comments should be John Tiedeman, UCA±1607, Upper March of 1999. Columbia Area Office, Bureau of submitted to: John E. Nahan, Reclamation, PO Box 1749, Yakima WA At this time, no additional scoping Immigration and Naturalization Service, 98907±1749; Telephone (509) 575±5848 meetings are planned. A summary of 425 I St., N.W., ULLICO Building, 4th extension 238. scoping issues identified through Floor, Washington, D.C. 20536, (202) previous meetings is available upon SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: WID is 514±2317. one of several districts in the Umatilla request. Anyone interested in more FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: basin either served by federally owned information concerning the proposed John E. Nahan, Immigration and facilities or receiving federally action or who has information Naturalization Service, 425 I St., N.W., controlled water. A Federal repayment concerning significant environmental ULLICO Building, 4th Floor, contract with WID requires that changes issues, should contact Mr. Tiedeman as Washington, D.C. 20536, (202) 514± to district boundaries must be approved provided under the FOR FURTHER 2317. by the Secretary of the Interior. During INFORMATION CONTACT section. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: By the studies undertaken to implement the Dated: October 17, 1997. authority vested in me as Attorney Umatilla Basin Project Act, it became John W. Keys, III, General by law, including section 432(a) apparent that WID was providing of the Personal Responsibility and Work federally supplied water to lands Regional Director, Pacific Northwest Region. Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 outside of the district boundaries. In [FR Doc. 97±30062 Filed 11±14±97; 8:45 am] (as amended), I hereby issue the 1993, to address this problem, WID BILLING CODE 4310±94±M following Interim Guidance on requested that Reclamation allow a Verification of Citizenship, Qualified change in their boundaries so that they Alien Status and Eligibility Under Title may provide irrigation water to lands IV of the Personal Responsibility and Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 221 / Monday, November 17, 1997 / Notices 61345 Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of benefits under the Act. If at any step you administered by the Department of 1996. determine that you are not required to Housing and Urban Development) Dated: October 29, 1997. verify (or further verify) immigration already require, absent a waiver, Janet Reno, status, you should not go on to the verification of the immigration status of following step(s). If you have any noncitizens applying for benefits Attorney General. questions regarding verification of through the Systematic Alien Interim Guidance on Verification of immigration status pursuant to this Verification for Entitlements (``SAVE'') Citizenship, Qualified Alien Status and Guidance, contact the local office of the system. SAVE is an intergovernmental Eligibility Under Title IV of the Immigration and Naturalization Service information-sharing program that is Personal Responsibility and Work (``INS'') serving your geographic area. A available to benefit-granting agencies Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 list of local INS offices is set forth in that need to determine an alien's Attachment 1. Attachment 1 also immigration status. With one exception, Introduction includes a copy of INS Form G±845 and nothing in the Act changes preexisting A. Summary the Supplement thereto to be used to legal requirements regarding use of the Title IV of the Personal Responsibility verify immigration status pursuant to SAVE system or relieves the and Work Opportunity Reconciliation this Guidance. administrators of statutorily mandated This Guidance applies only to federal Act of 1996 (the ``Act'') provides that, programs of their obligations to comply public benefits, and does not directly with the SAVE program (including the with certain exceptions, only United address the citizenship and immigration terms of any waiver of SAVE program States citizens, United States non- requirements that Title IV of the Act requirements received from the citizen nationals and ``qualified aliens'' imposes on the provision of state and appropriate federal agency); section 840 (and sometimes only particular local public benefits. To the extent that of the Act, however, did remove the categories of qualified aliens) are you are required to verify that an requirement that a state agency use the eligible for federal, state and local applicant is a U.S. citizen, U.S. non- SAVE system to verify eligibility for public benefits. The Act, as amended by citizen national or qualified alien when Food Stamps. You should note that the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, determining eligibility for a state or SAVE does not provide all of the requires the Attorney General, by local program, however, the Attorney information that may now be necessary November 3, 1997, to issue interim General will be promulgating to determine an individual's eligibility guidance on the verification of regulations that set forth procedures by under