Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee; Announcement of Public Meeting, 18238-18239 [2011-7788]
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 63 / Friday, April 1, 2011 / Notices
of data to be prepared during and
shortly after the field program, and will
facilitate transfer of the data to
statistical, graphical, or other programs
for additional processing and archiving.
Results from the vessel-based
observations will provide: (1) A basis for
real-time mitigation; (2) information
needed to estimate the number of
northern sea otters that are determined
to have been harassed; (3) data on the
occurrence, distribution, and activities
of marine mammals in the area where
hovercraft operations are conducted;
and (4) data on the behavior and
movement patterns of northern sea
otters seen at times with and without
hovercraft activity.
b. Baseline Skiff Surveys
The Applicants will conduct baseline
skiff surveys in April during each
construction year to document
distribution and abundance of sea otters
in the project area. A minimum of three
skiff-based line transect surveys will be
conducted during each survey event.
Additionally, a survey event will be
conducted in April after construction is
completed to document distribution and
abundance. Surveys will be conducted
from a skiff or vessel and will
encompass marine waters from a depth
of 40 meters to mean high tide.
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c. Reporting
Reports on vessel- and land-based
activities during construction and
vessel-based monitoring will be faxed or
e-mailed to the Service on a regular
basis. Reports will describe hovercraft
operations and construction activities,
and northern sea otter monitoring
activities during the reporting period.
Frequency and specific content of
reports will be determined based on
consultation with the Service.
Endangered Species Act
The proposed activity will occur
within the range of the southwest
Alaska DPS of the northern sea otter,
which is presently listed as threatened
under the ESA, as amended. The FAA
and the Service’s Anchorage Fish and
Wildlife Field Office in Anchorage,
Alaska, had consulted under Section 7
of the ESA, and concluded that the
proposed activity would not jeopardize
the southwest Alaska DPS of the
northern sea otter. However, at the time
the consultation occurred, critical
habitat had not been designated.
Therefore, we reinitiated consultation
with the Applicants to take into
consideration rescheduled project dates
and potential impacts to critical habitat.
As a result of that reinitiation, we
concluded that the proposed activity
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would not jeopardize the continued
existence of the southwest Alaska DPS
of northern sea otter and would not
result in the destruction or adverse
modification of designated critical
habitat. We have reinitiated Section 7
consultation with the Applicants to take
into consideration the rescheduled dates
and modifications of this project. We
will also complete intra-Service section
7 consultation prior to finalization of
the IHA, which will include these
considerations as well as potential
impacts to critical habitat.
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA)
The Applicants provided a Final EA
on the project in 2007 and the Service
found that the Final EA met NEPA
standards for analyzing the effects of the
issuance of the IHA. The Applicants
have prepared a Supplemental EA for
the modifications to the proposed
action. Subsequent to closure of the
comment period for this IHA, we make
an equivalent finding on the
Supplemental EA. To obtain a copy of
the Final and Supplemental EAs,
contact the individual identified in the
section FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
Government-to-Government Relations
With Native American Tribal
Governments
In accordance with the President’s
memorandum of April 29, 1994,
‘‘Government-to-Government Relations
with Native American Tribal
Governments’’ (59 FR 22951), Executive
Order 13175, Secretarial Order 3225,
and the Department of the Interior’s
manual at 512 DM 2, we readily
acknowledge our responsibility to
communicate meaningfully with
federally recognized Tribes on a
Government-to-Government basis. On
July 24, 2008, and February 7, 2011, we
contacted the Native Village of Akutan
to offer Government-to-Government
consultation on this project. The Tribal
Administrator declined the offer, stating
that their Tribe fully supports the
development of an airport on Akun
Island.
Proposed Authorization
The Service proposes to issue an IHA
for small numbers of northern sea otters
harassed incidentally by the Applicants
while conducting the Akutan Airport,
Alaska, Airport Construction and
Hovercraft Operation. The final IHA
would specify the starting date and
ending date (1 year later) for the
authorization. Authorization for
incidental take beyond the period
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specified in the final IHA will require a
request for renewal.
The final IHA would also incorporate
the mitigation, monitoring, and
reporting requirements discussed in this
proposal. The Applicants will be
responsible for following those
requirements. These authorizations do
not allow the intentional taking of
northern sea otters.
If the level of activity exceeds that
described by the Applicants, or the level
or nature of take exceeds those projected
here, the Service will reevaluate its
findings. The Secretary may modify,
suspend, or revoke an authorization if
the findings are not accurate or the
conditions described herein are not
being met.
Request for Public Comments
The Service requests interested
persons to submit comments and
information concerning this proposed
IHA. Consistent with section
101(a)(5)(D)(iii) of the MMPA, we are
opening the comment period on this
proposed authorization for 30 days (see
ADDRESSES).
Before including your address, phone
number, e-mail address, or other
personal identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment—including your
personal identifying information—may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Dated: March 22, 2011.
Geoffrey L. Haskett,
Regional Director, Alaska Region.
[FR Doc. 2011–7764 Filed 3–31–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R9–FHC–2011–N061; 94300–1122–
0000–Z2]
Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory
Committee; Announcement of Public
Meeting
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service), will host a
Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory
Committee (Committee) meeting on
April 27, 2011. The meeting is open to
the public. The meeting agenda will
include a presentation and discussion of
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 63 / Friday, April 1, 2011 / Notices
the Service’s Draft Land-Based Wind
Energy Guidelines.
DATES: The meeting will take place on
April 27, 2011, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Eastern Time. If you are a member of the
public wishing to attend, you must
register online no later than April 20,
2011 (see ‘‘Meeting Participation
Information’’ under SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION).
ADDRESSES: Meeting Location: U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax
Drive, Room 530, Arlington, VA 22203
(see ‘‘Meeting Location Information’’
under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Rachel London, Division of Habitat and
Resource Conservation, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the
Interior, (703) 358–2161.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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Background
On March 13, 2007, the Department of
the Interior published a notice of
establishment of the Committee in the
Federal Register (72 FR 11373). The
Committee’s purpose is to provide
advice and recommendations to the
Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) on
developing effective measures to avoid
or minimize impacts to wildlife and
their habitats related to land-based wind
energy facilities. All Committee
members serve without compensation.
In accordance with the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C.
App.), a copy of the Committee’s charter
is filed with the Committee
Management Secretariat, General
Services Administration; Committee on
Environment and Public Works, U.S.
Senate; Committee on Natural
Resources, U.S. House of
Representatives; and the Library of
Congress. The Secretary appointed 22
individuals to the Committee on
October 24, 2007, representing the
varied interests associated with wind
energy development and its potential
impacts to wildlife species and their
habitats. The Committee provided its
recommendations to the Secretary on
March 4, 2010.
Draft Land-Based Wind Energy
Guidelines
The Draft Land-Based Wind Energy
Guidelines were made available for
public comment on February 18, 2011,
with a comment-period ending date of
May 19, 2011. The draft Guidelines are
available for comment at https://
www.fws.gov/windenergy/docs/Wind_
Energy_Guidelines_2_15_
2011FINAL.pdf. We will publish the
final Guidelines for public use after
consideration of any comments
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20:09 Mar 31, 2011
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received. The purpose of the Guidelines,
once finalized, will be to provide
recommendations on measures to avoid,
minimize, and compensate for effects to
fish, wildlife, and their habitats. For
more information, including how to
comment on the draft Guidelines, see
our Federal Register notice of February
18, 2011 (76 FR 9590).
Meeting Location Information
Please note that the meeting location
is accessible to wheelchair users. If you
require additional accommodations,
please notify us at least 1 week in
advance of the meeting.
Meeting Participation Information
All Committee meetings are open to
the public. The public has an
opportunity to comment at all
Committee meetings.
We require that all persons planning
to attend the meeting register at https://
www.fws.gov/windenergy no later than
April 20, 2011. We will give preference
to registrants based on date and time of
registration. Limited standing room at
the meeting may be available if all seats
are filled.
Dated: March 29, 2011.
Rachel London,
Alternate Designated Federal Officer, Wind
Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee.
[FR Doc. 2011–7788 Filed 3–31–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R9–IA–2011–N069; 96300–1671–
0000–P5]
Endangered Species; Marine
Mammals; Receipt of Applications for
Permit
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of receipt of applications
for permit.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, invite the public to
comment on the following applications
to conduct certain activities with
endangered species, marine mammals,
or both. With some exceptions, the
Endangered Species Act (ESA) and
Marine Mammal Protection Act
(MMPA) prohibits activities with listed
species unless a Federal permit is issued
that allows such activities. Both laws
require that we invite public comment
before issuing these permits.
DATES: We must receive comments or
requests for documents on or before
May 2, 2011. We must receive requests
SUMMARY:
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18239
for marine mammal permit public
hearings, in writing, at the address
shown in the ADDRESSES section by May
2, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Brenda Tapia, Division of
Management Authority, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax
Drive, Room 212, Arlington, VA 22203;
fax (703) 358–2280; or e-mail
DMAFR@fws.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brenda Tapia, (703) 358–2104
(telephone); (703) 358–2280 (fax);
DMAFR@fws.gov (e-mail).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Public Comment Procedures
A. How do I request copies of
applications or comment on submitted
applications?
Send your request for copies of
applications or comments and materials
concerning any of the applications to
the contact listed under ADDRESSES.
Please include the Federal Register
notice publication date, the PRTnumber, and the name of the applicant
in your request or submission. We will
not consider requests or comments sent
to an e-mail or address not listed under
ADDRESSES. If you provide an email
address in your request for copies of
applications, we will attempt to respond
to your request electronically.
Please make your requests or
comments as specific as possible. Please
confine your comments to issues for
which we seek comments in this notice,
and explain the basis for your
comments. Include sufficient
information with your comments to
allow us to authenticate any scientific or
commercial data you include.
The comments and recommendations
that will be most useful and likely to
influence agency decisions are: (1)
Those supported by quantitative
information or studies; and (2) Those
that include citations to, and analyses
of, the applicable laws and regulations.
We will not consider or include in our
administrative record comments we
receive after the close of the comment
period (see DATES) or comments
delivered to an address other than those
listed above (SEE ADDRESSES).
B. May I review comments submitted by
others?
Comments, including names and
street addresses of respondents, will be
available for public review at the
address listed under ADDRESSES. The
public may review documents and other
information applicants have sent in
support of the application unless our
allowing viewing would violate the
Privacy Act or Freedom of Information
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 63 (Friday, April 1, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18238-18239]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-7788]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R9-FHC-2011-N061; 94300-1122-0000-Z2]
Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee; Announcement of
Public Meeting
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), will host a
Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory Committee (Committee) meeting on April
27, 2011. The meeting is open to the public. The meeting agenda will
include a presentation and discussion of
[[Page 18239]]
the Service's Draft Land-Based Wind Energy Guidelines.
DATES: The meeting will take place on April 27, 2011, from 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. Eastern Time. If you are a member of the public wishing to attend,
you must register online no later than April 20, 2011 (see ``Meeting
Participation Information'' under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION).
ADDRESSES: Meeting Location: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N.
Fairfax Drive, Room 530, Arlington, VA 22203 (see ``Meeting Location
Information'' under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rachel London, Division of Habitat and
Resource Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department
of the Interior, (703) 358-2161.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On March 13, 2007, the Department of the Interior published a
notice of establishment of the Committee in the Federal Register (72 FR
11373). The Committee's purpose is to provide advice and
recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) on
developing effective measures to avoid or minimize impacts to wildlife
and their habitats related to land-based wind energy facilities. All
Committee members serve without compensation. In accordance with the
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), a copy of the
Committee's charter is filed with the Committee Management Secretariat,
General Services Administration; Committee on Environment and Public
Works, U.S. Senate; Committee on Natural Resources, U.S. House of
Representatives; and the Library of Congress. The Secretary appointed
22 individuals to the Committee on October 24, 2007, representing the
varied interests associated with wind energy development and its
potential impacts to wildlife species and their habitats. The Committee
provided its recommendations to the Secretary on March 4, 2010.
Draft Land-Based Wind Energy Guidelines
The Draft Land-Based Wind Energy Guidelines were made available for
public comment on February 18, 2011, with a comment-period ending date
of May 19, 2011. The draft Guidelines are available for comment at
https://www.fws.gov/windenergy/docs/Wind_Energy_Guidelines_2_15_2011FINAL.pdf. We will publish the final Guidelines for public use
after consideration of any comments received. The purpose of the
Guidelines, once finalized, will be to provide recommendations on
measures to avoid, minimize, and compensate for effects to fish,
wildlife, and their habitats. For more information, including how to
comment on the draft Guidelines, see our Federal Register notice of
February 18, 2011 (76 FR 9590).
Meeting Location Information
Please note that the meeting location is accessible to wheelchair
users. If you require additional accommodations, please notify us at
least 1 week in advance of the meeting.
Meeting Participation Information
All Committee meetings are open to the public. The public has an
opportunity to comment at all Committee meetings.
We require that all persons planning to attend the meeting register
at https://www.fws.gov/windenergy no later than April 20, 2011. We will
give preference to registrants based on date and time of registration.
Limited standing room at the meeting may be available if all seats are
filled.
Dated: March 29, 2011.
Rachel London,
Alternate Designated Federal Officer, Wind Turbine Guidelines Advisory
Committee.
[FR Doc. 2011-7788 Filed 3-31-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P