2016 Resource Advisory Council Call for Nominations
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, DC 20240
March 4, 2016
In Reply Refer To:
1784 (600) P
EMS TRANSMISSION 03/22/2016
Instruction Memorandum No. 2016-057
To: All Washington Office and Field Office Officials
From: Acting Assistant Director for Communications
Subject: 2016 Resource Advisory Council Call for Nominations
Program Area: Communications
Purpose: This Instruction Memorandum (IM) provides detailed instructions for the submission of Resource Advisory Council (RAC) nomination packages for review to the Washington Office (WO). Adherence to the policies and processes contained in this IM will help ensure a timely approval process.
Policy/Action:
New Members -
The recruitment of new members to fill expired terms is highly encouraged to ensure the robust and timely discussion of topics and issues pertinent to the geographic jurisdiction of the RAC. All reappointments will require a detailed justification explaining why the reappointment is recommended, and the scope of the outreach performed to solicit new nominees. Public outreach efforts by Bureau of Land Management (BLM) State Directors are important for attracting new nominees with fresh ideas and viewpoints. For each RAC vacancy, BLM offices must submit a minimum of two qualified candidates. RAC membership must remain balanced among the following three categories:
Category One - Holders of Federal grazing permits and representatives of organizations associated with energy and mineral development, timber industry, transportation or rights-of-way, developed outdoor recreation, off-highway vehicle use, and commercial recreation;
Category Two - Representatives of nationally or regionally recognized environmental organizations; archaeological and historic organizations; dispersed recreation activities; and wild horse and burro organizations; and
Category Three - Representatives of state, county, or local elected office; employees of a state agency responsible for management of natural resources; representatives of Indian tribes within or adjacent to the area for which the council is organized; representatives of academia who are employed in natural sciences; and the public-at-large.
It is important that the BLM continue to have a balanced representation of the various interests and users of the public lands.
Call for Nominations -
The WO will publish in the Federal Register a BLM-wide call for nominations for RACs. The Federal Register notice will provide general information about the RACs, including their purpose, composition, and the procedures for submitting nominations. The notice will also provide the names of the BLM State Office contacts who are responsible for providing specific information about the RAC vacancies and a description of the personal information that is required to be submitted by all RAC nominees.
BLM offices should actively recruit to fill all RAC vacancies by issuing media announcements, holding open houses, and using other public or media forums, as needed. The BLM offices are encouraged to use social media to recruit for new members. Nomination periods are open for 45 days from the publication date of the Federal Register notice. The RAC application form was updated this year to include a new control number, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act.
Citizens may nominate themselves or others. All nominees must be residents of one of the States within the geographic jurisdiction of the RAC. In addition:
- At least one member of each RAC must be an elected official of general purpose government service the people within the geographic region of the RAC;
- All nominations must be accompanied by letters of reference from interest groups or organizations represented;
- Each nominee must submit a completed Resource Advisory Council application; and
- All nominees should have demonstrated a commitment to collaborative resource decision-making.
Each nominee should be evaluated based on their education, training, experience and knowledge of the issues and the geographical jurisdiction of the RAC. Under the provisions of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Secretary is the designated official for appointing RAC members. State Directors should fully consider all nominees and advance only those nominees considered the most qualified.
Outreach and Coordination with Governors -
BLM State Directors must consult with their governor’s office about RAC nominations. The BLM State Director memo, included in all RAC nomination packages, confirms that the BLM State Director consulted with their governor’s office. Outreach with governors’ offices during the 45-day nomination period is essential to maximize the number of applicants for each vacancy.
Submission of Nomination Materials -
The BLM RAC SharePoint is the official BLM repository for all application materials associated with each BLM RAC. Each RAC has its own library within the SharePoint site. Primary and alternate users will be granted access and receive a link to the site. In order to finalize the RAC nomination process, the following forms or templates must be completed and uploaded into state folders located within the 2016 individual RAC libraries:
a. A transmittal memo from the State Director to the BLM Director for Fiscal Year 2016 RAC appointments will be uploaded into the “State Transmittal Memo” folder (Attachment 2).
b. A “BLM Recommendations for Appointment to Resource Advisory Council” form will be uploaded into the “FY 2016 Recommendations” folder (Attachment 3). One form should be completed for each RAC. Do not use forms from previous years.
c. An “Individual Summary Sheet” form will be uploaded into the “Individual Summary Sheet” folder within each RAC library (Attachment 4). Using the “Save As” function in Word, please save the form in the folder as a separate document for each primary and alternate nominee recommended for the RAC, using the naming convention “[Surname of Nominee] Summary Sheet,” e.g., “Smith Summary Sheet.” Do not use forms from previous years.
d. All Resource Advisory Council Application Forms that are submitted by the candidates should be converted into a .pdf document and saved in the “Nominations” folder (Attachment 5). The naming convention should be “[Surname of Nominee] Nomination,” e.g., “Smith Nomination.”
e. Users should create a separate folder for each candidate in the “Support Materials” folder. Additional letters of reference and other supporting materials should be converted into a .pdf document and saved in 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.
f. The Briefing for the White House Liaison (Attachment 6) is in the “White House Liaison” folder in each RAC library. Using the “Save As” function in Word, please save 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.”
g. Per direction from the Department of the Interior (DOI), Office of the Solicitor, primary and alternate candidates’ dates of birth must be provided to the WO RAC Lead.
Timetable for RAC Nominations -
The WO will publish a call for nominations in the Federal Register which begins a 45-day nomination period. At that time, State Directors will issue media announcements that provide specific details about the RAC positions to be filled. Once the nomination period closes, the BLM State Office contact will have 5 weeks to upload nomination materials into the individual RAC SharePoint library and transmit the State Director’s Recommendation Memo. The BLM State Office contact will notify the WO National Advisory Committee Coordinator by email when this process is complete.
Timeframe: This IM is effective immediately.
Budget Impact: The budget impact of this IM is expected to be minimal.
Background: The BLM RACs are important tools for improving local stakeholder outreach and improving the decisions of the Bureau on important issues impacting the management of the public lands and their resources. The BLM RACs are chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and provide advice to the BLM on the management of public lands and resources. The BLM has 39 RACs covering various units and jurisdictions of the public lands, including full states, districts, and individual units of the National Conservation Lands. Each RAC consists of 10-15 members from local communities who have diverse interests and represent one of three focal areas: (1) commercial or commodity interest; (2) environmental or historical groups; or (3) state and local government, tribes, and the public-at-large. The BLM relies on RACs to advise the Bureau on the broad range of its responsibilities, including travel management, oil and gas development, transmission planning, renewable energy development, recreation planning, and management of conservation areas.
Contacts: Direct all inquiries regarding this IM to Twinkle Thompson at 202-208-7301.
Signed by: Authenticated by:
Craig Leff Catherine Emmett
Acting Assistant Director, Communications Division of IT Policy and Planning,WO-870
6 Attachments
1 – 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 – Resource Advisory Council Application Form (5 pp)
6 – Briefing for White House Liaison (3 pp)