2015 Resource Advisory Council Call for Nominations

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENTWASHINGTON, D.C. 20240-0036http://www.blm.govDecember 12, 2014In Reply Refer To:1784 (600) PEMS TRANSMISSION 02/11/2015Information Bulletin No. 2015-026To:                   All State Directors (except ESO)From:               Deputy DirectorSubject:           2015 Resource Advisory Council Call for Nominations                 Most of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Resource Advisory Councils (RAC) have members whose terms of appointment expire this year.  This Information Bulletin provides detailed instructions for the submission of recommendations of persons to fill expired terms to the Washington Office (WO) by State Offices to ensure a timely nomination and selection process.As you know, the RACs are effective partners in advising the BLM on public land management issues.  The nominees that the BLM recommends for the Secretary of the Interior’s (Secretary) consideration must be of the highest caliber to ensure continuity and quality collaboration on each of the RACs. New MembersRecruitment of new members to fill expired terms is encouraged.  All reappointments 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.  Public outreach efforts by BLM State Directors are important for attracting new nominees with fresh ideas and viewpoints.  For each vacancy, each office 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; andCategory 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 we continue to have a balanced representation of the various interests and users of the public lands.Call for NominationsThe WO will publish in the Federal Register a BLM-wide call for public nominations for the applicable 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 the BLM State Office contacts responsible for providing specific information about RAC vacancies and for receiving nominations (see Attachment 1). Your office 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 State Offices are encouraged to use social media to recruit new members.  The new Resource Advisory Council Application form posted on BLM’s RAC website replaces the Background Information Nomination form. 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 one of the States within the geographic jurisdiction of the RACs.  In addition:

• At least one member of each RAC must be an elected official of general purpose government serving the people within the geographic jurisdiction a RAC represents;
• 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.

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 is the designated official for appointing RAC members.  State Directors should fully consider all nominees and advance only those you consider most qualified for selection as RAC members.Outreach and Coordination with GovernorsState Directors should initiate coordination with their 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. 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 WO 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:            a.  A transmittal memo from the State Director containing recommendations for Fiscal Year 2015 RAC appointments (see Attachment 2) will be uploaded into the “State Transmittal Memo” folder located within each RAC’s library.            b.  A “BLM Recommendations for Appointment to Resource Advisory Council” form is in the “FY 2015 Recommendations” folder within each RAC library (see Attachment 3).  One form should be completed for each RAC.  Do not use forms from previous years.            c.  The “Individual Summary Sheet” form is in 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.”  Do not use forms from previous years.            d.  Each Resource Advisory Council Application 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.”              e.  Users should create a separate folder for each candidate in 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.            f.  The Briefing for the White House Liaison (Attachment 6) is in 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.”            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 via telephone to facilitate DOI White House Liaison background checks.  No written record of this information may be retained by either the BLM or DOI, and it will be destroyed by the BLM and DOI White House Liaison following completion of the background checks. Timetable for RAC NominationsThe WO will publish a call for nominations in the Federal Register, beginning a 45-day period for submitting nominations.  At that time, State Directors will issue media announcements, providing specifics about 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 has been completed.For additional information, please contact Chandra Little, BLM National Advisory Committee Coordinator, WO-630, Division of Regulatory Affairs (202) 912-7403.Signed by:                                                                 Authenticated by:Steven A. Ellis                                                            Robert M. WilliamsDeputy Director, Operations                                      Division of IRM Governance, WO-860  6 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 – Resource Advisory Council Application form (5 pp)6 – Briefing for White House Liaison (3 pp)