Revised Directives Policy - Permanent Instruction Memoranda
EMAIL TRANSMISSION – 10/21/16
Instruction Memorandum No. MT-2017-004
Expires: 9/30/2020
To: All Montana/Dakotas Employees
From: Deputy State Director, Division of Support Services
Subject: Revised Directives Policy - Permanent Instruction Memoranda Program Area: Directives Management.
Purpose: The purpose of this Instruction Memorandum (IM) is to notify employees of a new addition to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Directives System - Permanent IMs.
Policy/Action: Bureau of Land Management permanent directives contain material having continuing application to BLM programs. Permanent IMs may be used to provide continuing guidance that is intended to remain in use for 5 years or more. Permanent IMs are intended to be shorter in scope than manuals and handbooks, but not a replacement for manuals and handbooks. The manual section, corresponding handbooks, and permanent IMs must not conflict; they combine to form a complete set of instructions.
Permanent IMs remain in effect until superseded or cancelled, and do not expire. Consequently, permanent IMs will not be extended.
Permanent IMs must adhere to the following guidelines:
1. A permanent IM must identify any affected chapters and pages of related manuals, handbooks, and supplements. The Directives Program will post notice of
the permanent IM on all affected pages of related manuals, handbooks, and supplements posted on the National Directives website.
2. The numbering system for permanent IMs must include the issuing office abbreviation, followed by P-IM, the fiscal year, and a sequential number (starting
with 001 for the first permanent IM issued at the beginning of a fiscal year; e.g., MT-P-IM 2017-001). Instruction Memoranda numbers must be issued by
the Directives staff. The Directives staff includes the following positions: Secretary for Division of Support Services, Secretary for Division of Resources,
State Records Manager, and State Records Administrator.
3. Permanent IMs are not a substitute for manuals and handbooks. Programs are responsible for ensuring all active directives are consistent and current.
Subject matter experts (SME) who author directives are responsible for:
• Creating directives within their program areas that are consistent with existing bureauwide or higher level directives and established policy;
• Coordinating with the Directives staff to ensure content and format are in conformance with the standards outlined in Attachment 1, Manual Section 1221 –
BLM Directives, and Attachment 2, Permanent IM Template. The template can be located at ilmmtso3fp1\Websters\Records\letterhead\Montana State
Office\MSO_im_permanent.;
• Coordinating with programs affected by the new directive and including affected programs in the surnaming process;
• Addressing directives to appropriate Bureau personnel;
• Ensuring that their directives contain correct and relevant information;
• Presenting information clearly, accurately, and concisely;
• Ensuring adequate coordination and clearance by officials concerned;
• Revalidating and certifying that their directives are current; and
• Incorporating applicable permanent/temporary directives into appropriate State manual and handbooks.
As a reminder, it is the responsibility of the SME who authors a directive to assign the correct letter designation (P, I, or R for Public, Internal, or Restricted content) to indicate who may view a directive. One of the following letter designations is required on all directives:
Public (P): Use “P” on directives when the content of the directive is a policy or practice that directly affects a member of the public and when information contained in the directive is not prohibited from release under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Directives with a “P” designation must be posted on the BLM FOIA Electronic Reading Room and the Montana State Office (MSO) Directives intranet page.
Internal (I): Use “I” on directives when the content of the directive contains any information that is prohibited from release without review under the FOIA and/or when the content is strictly internal BLM policy or practices that do not affect the public. Directives with an “I” designation must be posted on the MSO Directives intranet page only. Restricted (R): Use “R” on directives when the content of the directive is administratively sensitive and viewing is restricted to limited BLM personnel who have “a need to know.” Directives with an “R” designation will not be posted on the BLM FOIA Electronic Reading Room site. They will be identified on the MSO Directives intranet page, but not linked.
Timeframe: This IM is effective immediately.
Budget Impact: None.
Background: The Washington Office has recognized the need for permanent policy documents that are shorter in scope than manuals and handbooks. Permanent IMs have been added to the Directives System to respond to this need.
Manual/Handbook Sections Affected: Manual Section 1221 – BLM Directives
Coordination: This IM has been coordinated with the Branch of Records and Information Services and the Montana State Office Directives Staff.
Contact: If you have any questions concerning this IM or the process described above, please contact Lynnell Cellmer, State Records Manager, at (406) 896-5381 or Debbie DeBock, State Records Administrator, at (406) 896-5157.
Signed by: Authenticated by:
Stephen R. Thompson Lynnell Cellmer
Deputy State Director Records Management Specialist Division of Support Services
Attachments
1-Manual Section 1221 – BLM Directives (21 pp)
2-Permanent IM Template (1 p)