2010 Resource Advisory Council Call for Nominations; DD: 06/18/2010

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENTWASHINGTON, DC  20240http://www.blm.govMarch 30, 2010In Reply Refer To:1784 (600) PEMS TRANSMISSION 03/31/2010Information Bulletin No. 2010-057To: All State Directors (except ESO, NM, and WY)From: DirectorSubject:  2010 Resource Advisory Council Call for Nominations    DD: 06/18/2010All of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Resource Advisory Councils (RAC) have members whose terms of appointment expire in August or September of this year.  This Information Bulletin provides detailed instructions for submission of recommendations of persons to fill expired terms to the Washington Office by State Offices to ensure a timely nomination and selection process.As you know, the RACs are extraordinarily effective partners in resolving public land issues that affect the West’s quality of life.  The nominees that we put forward for the Secretary’s consideration must be of the highest caliber to ensure continuity and quality collaboration on each of the RACs.  Nomination materials submitted in previous years through a RAC Information Book will now be submitted electronically directly into a SharePoint database.  All State Offices are requested to provide Allison Sandoval, WO RAC Lead (WO-600 Congressional, International and Advisory Committee Office), the name of both a primary and alternate user who will be responsible for uploading state-approved nomination materials for each RAC into the SharePoint database.  New MembersRecruitment of new members to fill expired terms is essential.  Public outreach efforts by BLM State Directors are critical to attract new nominees with fresh ideas and viewpoints.  For each vacancy, each office must submit a minimum of two qualified candidates.  RAC membership shall remain balanced among the following three categories:    Category 1—Persons who:                 a.    Hold Federal grazing permits or leases within the area for which the council is organized;         b.    Represent interests associated with transportation or rights-of-way;         c.    Represent developed outdoor recreation, off-highway vehicle users, or commercial recreation activities;         d.    Represent the commercial timber industry; or         e.    Represent energy and mineral development.     Category 2—Persons representing:                a.    Nationally or regionally recognized environmental organizations;         b.    Dispersed recreational activities;         c.    Archeological and historical interests; or         d.    Nationally or regionally recognized wild horse and burro interest groups.     Category 3—Persons who:        a.    Hold state, county, or local elected office;         b.    Are employed by a state agency responsible for management of natural resources, land, or water;         c.    Represent Indian tribes within or adjacent to the area for which the council is organized;         d.    Are employed as academicians in natural resource management or the natural sciences; or         e.    Represent the affected public-at-large. It is important that we continue to have a balanced representation of the various interests and users of the public lands.Call for NominationsThe Washington Office will publish a BLM-wide call for public nominations in the Federal Register for all RACs.  The Federal Register notice will provide general information about the RACs, including their purpose, composition, and the procedures for submitting nominations.  It will provide the names of BLM State Office contacts responsible for providing specific information about RAC vacancies and for receiving nominations (see Attachment 1).  Your office also should issue media announcements and actively recruit to fill RAC vacancies at open houses or other appropriate forums.  The nomination period will be open for 45 days from the publication date of the Federal Register notice.Citizens may nominate themselves or others; all nominees must be residents of the geographic area within the RAC’s jurisdiction.  In addition:

• At least one member of each RAC must be an elected official of general purpose government serving the people within the geographic area a RAC represents;
• All nominations must be accompanied by letters of reference from interest groups organizations represented; 
• Each nominee must submit a completed Background Information Nomination Form; and
• All nominees should have demonstrated a commitment to collaborative resource decision-making.

You should evaluate each nominee based on his or her education, training, and experience and knowledge of the issues and the geographical area of the RAC.  Under the provisions of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Secretary of the Interior is the designated official for appointing RAC members.  State Directors should fully consider all nominees and to advance only those you consider most qualified for selection as RAC members.  Outreach and Coordination with GovernorsState Directors should initiate coordination with the governor’s office early in the nomination process.  Additionally, you will be asked to provide documentation of your coordination with the governor, as well as other individuals during the selection process.  Outreach during the 45-day nomination period is essential to maximize the number of applicants for each vacancy.  Reappointments (if submitted) will require a detailed justification of why the reappointment of that candidate is recommended, and the scope of the outreach performed to solicit additional applicants.Submission of Nomination MaterialsThe RAC SharePoint site will serve as the location for consolidating all BLM state office information about RAC nominees and for facilitating Washington Office review.  Each RAC will have its own library within the SharePoint site.  Primary and alternate users will be granted access and receive a link to the site.  The following materials will be uploaded into folders within each library:

1. A transmittal memo from the State Director containing recommendations for Fiscal Year 2010 RAC appointments (see Attachment 2) will be uploaded into the “State Transmittal Memo” folder located within each RAC’s library.
2. A new form, “BLM Recommendations for Appointment to Resource Advisory Council,” has been provided within the “FY 2010 Recommendations” folder within each RAC library (see Attachment 3).  This form replaces many of the individual items contained within the RAC Information Book in previous years.  The goal of the form is to provide uniform formatting for recommendations, and to reduce errors that have caused delay during review within the Washington Office in past years.  One form should be completed for each RAC.
3. Another form, “Individual Summary Sheet,” is contained within the “Individual Summary Sheet” folder within each RAC library (see Attachment 4).  Using the “Save As” function in Word, please save within the folder a separate form for each primary and alternate nominee recommended for the RAC, using the naming convention “[Surname of Nominee] Summary Sheet,” e.g., “Smith Summary Sheet.”
4. Each Background Information Nomination Form (submitted by candidates) is to be converted into a .pdf document and placed within the “Nominations” folder within each RAC library (see Attachment 5).  The naming convention should be “[Surname of Nominee] Nomination,” e.g., “Smith Nomination.”  Please note this year’s form has an additional element requiring certification that the individual is not a registered lobbyist.  In addition to the nominee’s self-certification, a list of registered lobbyists can be found at http://lobbyingdisclosure.house.gov/ and http://senate.gov/legislative/Public_Disclosure/ LDA_reports.htm.
5. Users should create a separate folder for each candidate within the “Support Materials” folder within each RAC library.  The naming convention should be “[surname of nominee] Support Materials.”  Additional letters of reference and other support materials should be converted into a .pdf document and placed within the individual candidate folders.  The naming convention for each document should be “[Surname of Nominee] Support [add sequential numbers if more than one for an individual],” e.g., “Smith Support 1,” “Smith Support 2,” etc.
6. The Briefing for the White House Liaison (Attachment 6) is contained within the “White House Liaison” folder within each RAC library.  Using the “Save As” function in Word, please save within the folder a separate form for each vacancy on the RAC, using the naming convention “Cat [1, 2, or 3] Vac [1 through the maximum number of vacancies available in this category on this RAC]” e.g. “Cat 1 Vac 1, Cat 1 Vac 2, Cat 2 Vac 1, Cat 2 Vac 2, Cat 2 Vac 3, Cat 3 Vac 1.”
7.  

Timetable for RAC Nominations To ensure timely review and action on the 2010 RAC nominations at all levels, the following timetable is established:March 26    The BLM-wide call for public nominations published in the Federal Register, with a 45-day period for submitting nominations.  State Directors issue media announcements, providing specifics about RAC positions to be filled.April 30    Provide the BLM Advisory Committee Lead the names of primary and alternate users who will be responsible for uploading all State Office nomination materials into the RAC SharePoint site.May 10    Nomination period closes, as announced in the Federal Register on March 26.June 18    Last day to upload nomination materials into the individual RAC SharePoint library and transmit State Director’s letter of recommendation.  Notify WO RAC Lead by email when this has been completed.For additional information, please contact Allison Sandoval, BLM Advisory Committee Lead, WO-600 Correspondence, International, and Advisory Committee Office, (202) 912-7434.Signed by:                           Authenticated by:Mike Pool                            Robert M. WilliamsActing, Director                   Division of IRM Governance,WO-5606 Attachments1 – Federal Register Notice of Resource Advisory Council Call for Nominations (2 pp)2 – Sample State Director Transmittal Memo (1 pp)3 – BLM Recommendations for Appointment to Resource Advisory Council (7 pp)4 – Individual Summary Sheet (2 pp)5 – Background Information Nomination Form (3 pp)6 – Briefing for White House Liaison (3 pp)