NAGPRA Notice, Sonoma State University Repatriates Sacred Objects
Summary
The National Park Service published a NAGPRA notice announcing Sonoma State University's intended repatriation of 6 cultural items (2 dance wands, 4 dance shakers) to lineal descendants or culturally affiliated Indian tribes. The notice initiates a 30-day waiting period before repatriation may occur. Affected parties have until May 11, 2026 to file claims before items are transferred.
What changed
Sonoma State University published a NAGPRA Notice of Intended Repatriation for 6 cultural items: 2 dance wands and 4 dance shakers. The items were acquired through university collections and are subject to NAGPRA repatriation requirements. The notice initiates a 30-day waiting period; repatriation may occur on or after May 11, 2026.
Universities and museums holding Native American cultural items must maintain NAGPRA compliance, monitor Federal Register notices for affiliated items, and process any claims filed within the regulatory waiting period. Lineal descendants and culturally affiliated Indian tribes have standing to file claims before repatriation proceeds.
What to do next
- Monitor NAGPRA notices for affiliated cultural items
- File repatriation claims within 30 days of notice if applicable
- Update inventory records upon repatriation completion
Archived snapshot
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Legal Status
Notice
Notice of Intended Repatriation: Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA
A Notice by the National Park Service on 04/09/2026
- 1.
1.
Document Details Published Content - Document Details Agencies Department of the Interior National Park Service Agency/Docket Numbers N7070 NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042563 PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000 Document Citation 91 FR 18001 Document Number 2026-06825 Document Type Notice Pages 18001-18002
(2 pages) Publication Date 04/09/2026 Published Content - Document DetailsPDF Official Content
- View printed version (PDF) Official Content
Document Details Published Content - Document Details Agencies Department of the Interior National Park Service Agency/Docket Numbers N7070 NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042563 PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000 Document Citation 91 FR 18001 Document Number 2026-06825 Document Type Notice Pages 18001-18002
(2 pages) Publication Date 04/09/2026 Published Content - Document DetailsDocument Dates Published Content - Document Dates Dates Text Repatriation of the cultural items in this notice may occur on or after May 11, 2026. Published Content - Document Dates
Table of Contents Enhanced Content - Table of Contents This table of contents is a navigational tool, processed from the
headings within the legal text of Federal Register documents.
This repetition of headings to form internal navigation links
has no substantive legal effect.- AGENCY:
- ACTION:
- SUMMARY:
- DATES:
- ADDRESSES:
- SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
- Abstract of Information Available
- Determinations
- Requests for Repatriation Enhanced Content - Table of Contents
Related Documents Enhanced Content - Related Documents FederalRegister.gov uses the agency dockets published with the document to display related documents.
| PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000
(4109 Documents) | | | |
| --- | | | |
| Date | | Action | Title |
| | 2026-04-09 | Notice. | Notice of Intended Repatriation: Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA |
| | 2023-06-22 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| | 2023-06-22 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, Fallon, NV |
| | 2023-06-16 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: California State University, Sacramento, Sacramento, CA |
| | 2023-06-16 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: California State University, Sacramento, Sacramento, CA |
| | 2023-06-16 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL |
| | 2023-06-08 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI |
| | 2023-06-08 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Kansas City Museum, Kansas City, MO |
| | 2023-06-08 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Kansas City Museum, Kansas City, MO |
| | 2023-06-08 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Denver, CO |
| | 2023-06-08 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, and University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA |
| | 2023-06-08 | Notice. | Notice of Intent to Repatriate Cultural Items: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA |
| | 2023-06-08 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: Museum of Us, San Diego, CA |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, CA |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, St. Paul, MN |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: University of California, Davis, Davis, CA |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: Museum of Us, San Diego, CA |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Vancouver, WA |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, San Juan Island National Historical Park, Friday Harbor, WA |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice; amendment. | Notice of Inventory Completion Amendment: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, San Juan Island National Historical Park, Friday Harbor, WA |
| | 2023-06-01 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, CA |
| | 2023-05-24 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, Stanton, ND |
| | 2023-05-24 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Tennessee, Department of Anthropology, Knoxville, TN |
| | 2023-05-24 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| | 2023-05-24 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA |
| | 2023-05-24 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA |
| | 2023-05-24 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Appalachian State University, Boone, NC |
| | 2023-05-24 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Lincoln National Forest, Alamogordo, NM |
| | 2023-05-24 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville District, Nashville, TN and the University of Tennessee, Department of Anthropology, Knoxville, TN |
| | 2023-05-24 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Warren County Cultural & Heritage Affairs, Shippen Manor Museum, Oxford, NJ |
| | 2023-05-24 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Nashville, TN |
| | 2023-05-18 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Wasco County/Dalles City Museum Commission, The Dalles, OR |
| | 2023-05-18 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum, The Dalles, OR |
| | 2023-05-18 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI |
| | 2023-05-18 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK |
| | 2023-05-18 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, MT |
| | 2023-05-18 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: Yuba County Water Agency, Marysville, CA |
| | 2023-05-18 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI |
| | 2023-05-11 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, KY |
| | 2023-05-11 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Tennessee, Department of Anthropology, Knoxville, TN |
| | 2023-05-10 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| | 2023-05-10 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| | 2023-05-10 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| | 2023-05-10 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| | 2023-05-10 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| | 2023-05-10 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| | 2023-05-10 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| | 2023-05-09 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: Museum of Us, San Diego, CA |
| | 2023-05-09 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Alabama Department of Transportation, Montgomery, AL |
| | 2023-05-09 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Maine State Museum, Augusta, ME |
| | 2023-05-09 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Maine State Museum, Augusta, ME |
| | 2023-05-09 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Karshner Museum and Center for Culture & Arts, Puyallup, WA |
| | 2023-05-09 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA |
| | 2023-05-09 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Mercyhurst University, Erie, PA |
| | 2023-05-09 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bismarck Field Office, Bismarck, ND |
| | 2023-05-05 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Office of the State Archaeologist, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA |
| | 2023-05-05 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Office of the State Archaeologist, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA |
| | 2023-05-05 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Office of the State Archaeologist, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA |
| | 2023-05-05 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Mobile, AL |
| | 2023-05-05 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Mobile, AL |
| | 2023-05-05 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Mobile, AL |
| | 2023-05-05 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Mobile, AL |
| | 2023-05-05 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL |
| | 2023-05-04 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Illinois State Museum, Springfield, IL |
| | 2023-05-04 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Wyoming Human Remains Repository, Laramie, WY |
| | 2023-05-04 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, FL |
| | 2023-05-04 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Oklahoma-Texas Area Office, Oklahoma City, OK |
| | 2023-05-04 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Illinois State Museum, Springfield, IL |
| | 2023-05-04 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, Savannah, GA |
| | 2023-05-04 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, Savannah, GA |
| | 2023-05-04 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-27 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY |
| | 2023-04-26 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Mobile, AL |
| | 2023-04-26 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI |
| | 2023-04-26 | Notice; amendment. | Notice of Inventory Completion Amendment: Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA |
| | 2023-04-26 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Mobile, AL |
| | 2023-04-26 | Notice. | Notice of Intent To Repatriate Cultural Items: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Mobile, AL |
| | 2023-04-20 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: United States Space Force, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Space Launch Delta 45, Brevard County, FL |
| | 2023-04-20 | Notice. | Notice of Inventory Completion: The Fort Ticonderoga Association, Ticonderoga, NY |
| View More Docket Documents | | | |
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Department of the Interior
National Park Service
- [N7070; NPS-WASO-NAGPRA-NPS0042563; PPWOCRADN0-PCU00RP14.R50000]
AGENCY:
National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY:
In accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Sonoma State University intends to repatriate certain cultural items that meet the definition of unassociated funerary objects, sacred objects, and/or objects of cultural patrimony and that have a cultural affiliation with the Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations in this notice.
DATES:
Repatriation of the cultural items in this notice may occur on or after May 11, 2026.
ADDRESSES:
Send additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural items in this notice to Kirsten Twork, Sonoma State University, 1801 E Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park, CA 94928, email tworkk@sonoma.edu.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
This notice is published as part of the National Park Service's administrative responsibilities under NAGPRA. The determinations in this notice are the sole responsibility of Sonoma State University, and additional information on the determinations in this notice, including the results of consultation, can be found in the summary or related records. The National Park Service is not responsible for the determinations in this notice.
Abstract of Information Available
A total of 1,672 lots of cultural items have been requested for repatriation. Of the cultural items being requested 1,485 lots are unassociated funerary objects and 187 lots are sacred objects.
A total of one lot of sacred objects was removed from CA-MRN-216 in Marin county, California. Information as to how and why the cultural material ended up as Sonoma State University is not available. The items include modified obsidian. Notes suggest that the cultural material has been at the university since at least 1997.
A total of 870 lots of unassociated funerary objects were removed from CA-SON-906 in Graton, California in Sonoma county. This previously unrecorded site was recorded during vegetation clearing for the creation of the Russian River Marin Water project creating an aqueduct connecting Sonoma and Marin counties. The items include flaked stone debitage, flaked stone tools, ground stone tools, fire cracked rock, unmodified faunal bone, historic material, and unmodified shell. The cultural items have been at Sonoma State University since 1976.
A total of 13 lots of sacred objects were removed from Graton, California in Sonoma county. The cultural material was removed during the Storm Engineering/Graton Survey. The items include flaked stone debitage. The cultural items have been at Sonoma State University since 1976.
A total of eight lots of sacred objects were removed from CA-SON-914 in Graton, California in Sonoma county. The cultural material was removed from the surface during an archaeological survey. The items include modified stone tools and flaked stone debitage. The cultural items have been at Sonoma State University since 1977.
A total of 27 lots of sacred objects were removed from the McBail Property in Petaluma, California in Sonoma County. Information as to how and why the cultural material ended up as Sonoma State University is not known. The items include modified obsidian, modified stone, historics, unmodified shell, and unmodified faunal bone. The cultural items have been at Sonoma State University since 1980.
A total of 576 lots of unassociated funerary objects were removed from CA-SON-377 in Petaluma, California in Sonoma County. A portion of the items from CA-SON-377 were brought to Sonoma State University in 1985 under unknown circumstances. The items have resided at Sonoma State University since that time. In 1986 a surface archaeological investigation took place at the site due to planned development. The items removed have resided at Sonoma State University since that time. The items include groundstone, modified stone tools, flaked stone debitage, unmodified shell, unmodified faunal bone, charcoal, clay, fire affected rock, ochre, petrified wood, unmodified stone, organics, and historics.
A total of 28 lots of sacred objects were removed from CA-SON-199 in Petaluma, California in Sonoma County. Information as to how and why the cultural material ended up as Sonoma State University is not known. The items include modified obsidian, flaked stone debitage, unmodified faunal bone, and unmodified shell. The cultural items have been at Sonoma State University since 1987.
A total of three lots of sacred objects were removed from CA-SON-400 in Petaluma, California in Sonoma County. The cultural material appears to have been accepted by the university in 1974 and according to records was the result of an excavation done in 1968. The items were loaned to the Petaluma Museum and returned in 1985. Following the return of the items they were reaccessioned under a different number. The items include petrified wood sticks.
A total of 33 lots of sacred objects were removed from the Two Rock Survey area, which includes CA-SON-1027, CA-SON-1028, and CA-SON-1031H, in Petaluma, California in Sonoma County. The cultural material was removed during a survey of the area. The items include modified obsidian, flaked stone debitage, and historics. The cultural items have been at Sonoma State University since 1977.
A total of two lots of sacred objects were removed from the Lori Lane Survey area in Petaluma, California in Sonoma County. The cultural material was removed during a survey of the area. The items include flaked stone debitage. The cultural items have been at Sonoma State University since 1977.
A total of eight lots of sacred objects were removed from CA-SON-399 in Petaluma, California in Sonoma County. Information as to how and why the cultural material ended up as Sonoma State University is not known. The items include modified stone tools and flaked stone debitage. The cultural items have been at Sonoma State University since 1980.
A total of eight lots of unassociated funerary objects were removed from CA-SON-1314 in Petaluma, California in Sonoma County. The cultural material was removed during a survey at Frates Ranch in 1980. The items include groundstone, modified stone tools, and modified obsidian. The cultural items have been at Sonoma State University since 1981.
A total of two lots of sacred objects were removed from CA-SON-1380/H in Petaluma, California in Sonoma County. The cultural material was removed ( printed page 18002) during a survey at the site. The items include flaked stone debitage and historics. The cultural items have been at Sonoma State University since 1980.
A total of 10 lots of sacred objects were removed from CA-SON-1382 in Petaluma, California in Sonoma County. The cultural material was removed during a survey on the Silvia Property in 1981 and accessioned in 1982. The items include modified obsidian and flaked stone debitage. The cultural items have been at Sonoma State University since 1982.
A total of 31 lots of unassociated funerary objects were removed from CA-SON-1395 in Petaluma, California in Sonoma County. The cultural material was removed during a survey at the site. The items include groundstone, modified obsidian, flaked stone debitage, and unmodified shell. The cultural items have been at Sonoma State University since 1982.
A total of one lot of sacred objects were removed from CA-SON-1396 in Petaluma, California in Sonoma County. The cultural material was removed during a survey at the site. The items include modified stone. The cultural items have been at Sonoma State University since 1982.
A total of 41 lots of sacred objects were removed from CA-SON-1445 in Petaluma, California in Sonoma County. The cultural material was removed during a survey of Sonoma Mountain Road. The items include modified obsidian. The cultural items have been at Sonoma State University since 1984.
A total of 10 lots of sacred objects were removed from CA-SON-1865 in Petaluma, California in Sonoma County. Information as to how and why the cultural material ended up as Sonoma State University is not known. The items include flaked stone debitage. The cultural items have been at Sonoma State University since 1990.
In the case of missing cultural items, any additional items when located will also be repatriated from the collections discussed above. Based on records concerning the cultural items and the institution in which they are housed, there is no evidence of the items being treated with hazardous substances.
Determinations
Sonoma State University has determined that:
- The 1,485 unassociated funerary objects described in this notice are reasonably believed to have been placed intentionally with or near human remains, and are connected, either at the time of death or later as part of the death rite or ceremony of a Native American culture according to the Native American traditional knowledge of a lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization. The unassociated funerary objects have been identified by a preponderance of the evidence as related to human remains, specific individuals, or families, or removed from a specific burial site or burial area of an individual or individuals with cultural affiliation to an Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization.
- The 187 sacred objects described in this notice are specific ceremonial objects needed by a traditional Native American religious leader for present-day adherents to practice traditional Native American religion, according to the Native American traditional knowledge of a lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization.
- There is a connection between the cultural items described in this notice and the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, California.
Requests for Repatriation
Additional, written requests for repatriation of the cultural items in this notice must be sent to the authorized representative identified in this notice under ADDRESSES. Requests for repatriation may be submitted by any lineal descendant, Indian Tribe, or Native Hawaiian organization not identified in this notice who shows, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the requestor is a lineal descendant or a culturally affiliated Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization.
Repatriation of the cultural items in this notice to a requestor may occur on or after May 11, 2026. If competing requests for repatriation are received, Sonoma State University must determine the most appropriate requestor prior to repatriation. Requests for joint repatriation of the cultural items are considered a single request and not competing requests. The Sonoma State University is responsible for sending a copy of this notice to the Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations identified in this notice and to any other consulting parties.
Authority: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 25 U.S.C. 3004 and the implementing regulations, 43 CFR 10.9.
Dated: April 1, 2026.
Melanie O'Brien,
Manager, National NAGPRA Program.
[FR Doc. 2026-06825 Filed 4-8-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
Published Document: 2026-06825 (91 FR 18001)
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