Section 365 Pilot Office Workshop Pilot Project to Improve Federal Permit Coordination Denver, Colorado November 15-17, 2006

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
http://www.blm.gov

October 23, 2006

In Reply Refer To:
3100/3160 (WO-300) P

EMS TRANSMISSION 10/25/2006
Information Bulletin No. 2007-002

To: State Directors, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming

From: Director

Subject: Section 365 Pilot Office Workshop – “Pilot Project to Improve Federal Permit Coordination” – Denver, Colorado – November 15-17, 2006

This is to encourage you and your staff to participate in the Section 365 Pilot Office Workshop in Denver on November 15-17, 2006.

It has been just over 1 year since the Energy Policy Act of 2005 was signed and we began to implement Section 365 the Pilot Project to Improve Federal Permit Coordination. Together we have made significant progress toward establishing the interagency framework called for by the Act. It is time to bring together staff members from the seven Pilot Offices and our interagency partners to discuss the progress we have made, and to set the stage for the additional innovations we seek to put in place in the coming years.

The goals of the workshop include:

Sharing successes and lessons learned between the Pilot Offices and other Federal and state partners;
Developing relationships, building links, and encouraging contacts between Pilot Office staffs so that a strong informal flow of information is maintained and enhanced;
Promoting active interagency dialogue and process improvement; and
Identifying issues and seeking solutions to our shared problems.

Participants will include staff from the BLM, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Forest Service, and Environmental Protection Agency.

State agencies who are participating in the Pilot Project also need to be included. Please extend your personal invitation to this workshop to the agencies in your state that participate in the Pilot Project.

An initial draft of the agenda is attached. Our theme is “Leading Through Innovation.” The Pilot Project Workshop will begin at 8:00 am on November 15, 2006, and end at noon on November 17, 2006.

Additionally, we will hold two public listening sessions on November 14, 2006. The purpose of these sessions is to give a brief report to the public on our progress and listen to any suggestions or comments from the public at that time. The sessions will be held from 2:00 to 4:00 and 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Renaissance Denver Hotel.

The workshop will be held at the Renaissance Denver Hotel, 3801 Quebec Street, Denver, Colorado 80207. A block of rooms has been reserved under the name BLM Pilot Project Workshop at the rate of $127.00 per night plus tax. This rate includes a complimentary breakfast buffet.

Attendees must call 1-888-238-6762 or 303-399-7500 to confirm individual sleeping room reservations with a Government charge card no later than Monday, October 30, 2006. You must reference “BLM Pilot Project Workshop” to get the appropriate rate. After October 30, 2006, the hotel will release unconfirmed rooms from the block and will base any further reservations on availability with higher rates applying.

Please confirm your plans to attend by emailing Terri Trevino, Workshop Logistics Coordinator, at Terri Trevino@blm.gov.

Please contact Alan Kesterke at 307-775-6001 or Terri Trevino at 307-775-6020 if you have any questions or need additional information. We look forward to seeing you in Denver.

Signed by:
Authenticated by:
Bob Anderson
Robert M. Williams
Acting, Director
Division of IRM Governance,WO-560

2 Attachments
1 -Workshop Agenda (3 pp)
2 - Renaissance Denver Hotel and Shuttle Schedule (1 p)