[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 33 (Thursday, February 17, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 9358]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-3605]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey


Notice of an Open Meeting of the Advisory Committee on Water 
Information (ACWI)

AGENCY: United States Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of an open meeting.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of a meeting of the ACWI, to be held 
March 1, 2011, via teleconference and web-based presentations. This 
ACWI meeting will serve a dual purpose:
    (1) During the morning, the Federal water agencies will have an 
opportunity to brief ACWI about the proposed 2012 budget. Each 
organization will have no more than five minutes to report, so we can 
ensure adequate time for discussion and for feedback from the non-
Federal ACWI member organizations.
    (2) During the afternoon, some or all of the seven USGS science 
strategic planning teams (SSPTs) will present information about their 
activities and solicit ACWI feedback. The USGS SSPTs are part of a new 
science planning effort that Dr. Marcia McNutt, Director of the USGS, 
started within the bureau. The USGS 10-year strategic science plan 
(http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2007/1309/), which was released in 2007, 
identified six thematic areas upon which the USGS would concentrate. 
USGS has received much positive feedback on this plan and the efforts 
to move it forward. Director McNutt has commissioned seven SSPTs, one 
for each of the areas identified in the 2007 plan plus one additional 
team for Core Science Systems. These teams will work from the present 
through October 2011 to develop a more targeted 10-year science plan 
for each of their respective areas:
     Core Science Systems
     Ecosystems
     Energy and Minerals
     Environmental Health
     Global Change
     Natural Hazards
     Water
    These teams will work over the next 10 months to develop a 
strategic plan for each area and to carefully examine how efforts need 
to be integrated across all seven areas. It is also of the utmost 
importance to everyone at the USGS to have your input into this 
process, and that process will begin at the ACWI WebEx meeting on March 
1.
    The ACWI was established under the authority of the Office of 
Management and Budget Memorandum M-92-01 and the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act. The purpose of the ACWI is to provide a forum for water 
information users and professionals to advise the Federal Government on 
activities and plans that may improve the effectiveness of meeting the 
Nation's water information needs. Member organizations help to foster 
communications between the Federal and non-Federal sectors on sharing 
water information.
    Membership, limited to 35 organizations, represents a wide range of 
water resources interests and functions. Representation on the ACWI 
includes all levels of government, academia, private industry, and 
professional and technical societies. For more information on the ACWI, 
its membership, subgroups, meetings and activities, please see the Web 
site at: http://ACWI.gov.

DATES: The formal meeting will convene at 10 a.m. and adjourn at 5 p.m. 
on March 1, 2011.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be a WebEx, accessible by telephone and by 
logging on to the meeting Web site to view the presentations online. 
Telephone and log-in information will be available the week prior to 
the meeting on the ACWI Web site (http://ACWI.gov) and can also be 
obtained by calling Wendy Norton at 703-648-6910. Those who wish to 
attend the meeting in person can do so at U.S. Geological Survey 
Headquarters, located at 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA, Room 
5A217.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Wendy E. Norton, ACWI Executive 
Secretary and Chief, Water Information Coordination Program, U.S. 
Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 417, Reston, VA 
20192. Telephone: 703-648-6810; Fax: 703-648-5644; e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This meeting is open to the public. There 
will not be a public comment period, due to time constraints for this 
particular meeting, but any member of the public may submit written 
information and (or) comments to Ms. Norton for distribution at the 
ACWI meeting or immediately following the meeting.

    Dated: February 11, 2011.
Katherine Lins,
Chief, Office of Water Information.
[FR Doc. 2011-3605 Filed 2-16-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4311-AM-P