Draft Environmental Assessment and Draft Habitat Conservation Plan for TransCanada Keystone Pipeline's Gulf Coast Project in Oklahoma, 49824-49825 [2012-20349]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 160 / Friday, August 17, 2012 / Notices
call the toll-free Title V information line
at 1–800–927–7588.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
accordance with 24 CFR part 581 and
section 501 of the Stewart B. McKinney
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11411), as amended, HUD publishes a
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published in order to comply with the
December 12, 1988 Court Order in
National Coalition for the Homeless v.
Veterans Administration, No. 88–2503–
OG (D.D.C.).
Dated: August 9, 2012.
Ann Marie Oliva,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Needs
(Acting).
[FR Doc. 2012–20191 Filed 8–16–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210–67–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R2–ES–2012–N184;
FXES11120200000F2–123–FF02ENEH00]
Draft Environmental Assessment and
Draft Habitat Conservation Plan for
TransCanada Keystone Pipeline’s Gulf
Coast Project in Oklahoma
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for comment.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, announce the
availability of the draft Environmental
Assessment and draft Habitat
Conservation Plan for TransCanada
Keystone Pipeline’s (Keystone) Gulf
Coast Project in Oklahoma, under the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969. Keystone has applied for an
incidental take permit under the
Endangered Species Act, that would
authorize incidental take of the
American burying beetle.
DATES: To ensure consideration of your
written comments, we must receive
them on or before close of business (4:30
p.m. CST) on September 17, 2012.
ADDRESSES: To obtain documents for
review, see Reviewing Documents in
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
erowe on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Aug 16, 2012
Jkt 226001
Comments concerning the
application, the draft Environmental
Assessment (DEA), or the draft Habitat
Conservation Plan (DHCP) should be
submitted in writing, by one of the
following methods:
Email: Keystone_HCP_OK@fws.gov; or
U.S. mail: Field Supervisor,
Oklahoma Ecological Services Field
Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
9014 E. 21st St., Tulsa, OK 74129.
Please refer to Permit number
TE80492A–0 when submitting
comments. Please specify if comments
are in reference to the DEA, DHCP, or
both.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.
Dixie Porter, at the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Oklahoma Ecological
Services Field Office, 9014 E. 21st St.,
Tulsa, OK 74129, or by phone at 918–
581–7458.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), we advise the public that:
1. We have gathered the information
necessary to determine impacts and
formulate alternatives for the DEA
related to the potential issuance of an
incidental take permit (ITP) to
TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, LP
(applicant, Keystone); and
2. The applicant has developed a
DHCP as part of the application for an
ITP (TE80492A–0), which describes the
measures Keystone has agreed to
undertake to minimize and mitigate the
effects of incidental take of the federally
listed American burying beetle
(Nicrophorus americanus; ABB) to the
maximum extent practicable, pursuant
to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act).
The requested ITP, which would be in
effect for a period of 50 years if granted,
would authorize incidental take of the
ABB (covered species) resulting from
activities associated with construction,
maintenance, operation, and repair
(both routine and emergency) of
Keystone’s Gulf Coast Project and
associated activities (covered activities).
As described in the DHCP, the proposed
incidental take would occur within the
ABB’s range in Oklahoma as identified
by the Service, which includes portions
of Creek, Okfuskee, Seminole, Hughes,
Coal, Atoka, and Bryan Counties,
Oklahoma (permit area). The DEA
considers the direct, indirect, and
cumulative effects of the proposed
action of permit issuance, including the
measures that would be implemented to
minimize and mitigate such impacts to
the maximum extent practicable.
Background
The Keystone XL Pipeline Project was
previously proposed by TransCanada,
PO 00000
Frm 00051
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
with a request for a Presidential Permit.
The U.S. Department of State (DOS)
published a notice of intent (NOI) to
prepare an environmental impact
statement in the Federal Register on
January 28, 2009 (74 FR 5019), and
public scoping meetings were
conducted in connection with the
applicant’s requested Presidential
Permit. The proposed Keystone XL
Pipeline Project extended from Canada
to the Gulf Coast. A draft environmental
impact statement was prepared by the
DOS [EIS No. 20110290, Final EIS, DOS]
for the Keystone XL Pipeline Project.
The Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) published a notice of availability
of the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement on April 20, 2010 (75 FR
51458). On August 26, 2011, the DOS
published a notice of availability (76 FR
53525) of the final EIS and announced
public meetings to solicit comments for
the Secretary of State’s (or her designee)
consideration of the Keystone XL
Pipeline with a notice that no decision
would be made until the completion of
a thorough review process. The EPA
published its notice of availability of the
final EIS in the Federal Register on
September 2, 2011 (76 FR 54767). A
Presidential Memorandum dated
February 1, 2012, directed the
Department of State to issue a denial of
the Keystone XL Pipeline Presidential
Permit application (77 FR 5614;
February 3, 2012).
Keystone continued to develop the
Gulf Coast portion of the project,
including working with the Service
towards the development of an HCP for
the ABB. The Gulf Coast Project in this
HCP follows the same route as the
previously proposed Keystone XL’s Gulf
Coast Segment. Because the majority of
impacts were previously analyzed in the
final EIS developed for the Keystone XL
pipeline project, a DEA, that includes
the analysis from that EIS by reference,
has been prepared in response to the
application for an ITP for the ABB.
Proposed Action
The proposed action involves the
issuance of an ITP by the Service for
incidental take of the ABB associated
with the construction, maintenance,
operation, and repair of the pipeline and
associated facilities occurring within the
permit area. To meet the requirements
of a section 10(a)(1)(B) ITP, the
applicant has developed and proposes
to implement its DHCP, which describes
the conservation measures TransCanada
has agreed to undertake to minimize
and mitigate for the impacts of the
proposed incidental take of the covered
species to the maximum extent
practicable, and ensures that incidental
E:\FR\FM\17AUN1.SGM
17AUN1
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 160 / Friday, August 17, 2012 / Notices
take will not appreciably reduce the
likelihood of the survival and recovery
of the ABB in the wild.
Other Alternatives Considered
Our proposed action is approving the
applicant’s DHCP and issuance of an
ITP for take associated with the
applicant’s covered activities. As
required by NEPA, the DEA considers
the consequences to the human
environmental of the proposed HCP and
two alternatives; the No Action
Alternative and a Reduced Permit
Duration Alternative. Under the No
Action Alternative, Keystone would not
apply for and we would not issue an
ITP. The No-Action Alternative does not
meet Keystone’s need for take
authorization and would not provide
any conservation benefits for the ABB.
Under the Reduced Permit Duration
Alternative, the applicant would
employ the same avoidance and
minimization measures described under
the Proposed Alternative, but they
would pursue an ITP only for
construction and restoration activities,
not to exceed 5 years. This alternative
would not meet Keystone’s need for
incidental take authorization for
operation and maintenance activities
post-construction. Additionally, this
alternative provides less conservation
benefit for the covered species than
would the Proposed Action.
1306, Room 6034, Albuquerque, NM
87103.
Persons wishing to review the Keystone
XL Pipeline Project final EIS may obtain
a copy from the Department of State’s
Web site at: https://keystonepipeline-xl.
state.gov/archive/dos_docs/feis/index.
htm.
Public Availability of Comments
All comments we receive become part
of the public record. Requests for copies
of comments will be handled in
accordance with the Freedom of
Information Act, NEPA, and Service and
Department of the Interior policies and
procedures. Before including your
address, phone number, email 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 to withhold your
personal identifying information from
public review, we cannot guarantee we
will be able to do so. We will not
consider anonymous comments. All
submissions from organizations or
businesses, and from individuals
identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of
organizations or businesses, will be
made available for public disclosure in
their entirety.
erowe on DSK2VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Reviewing Documents
Authority
You may obtain copies of the DEA
and DHCP on the Service’s Web site at
https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/
Oklahoma/.
Alternatively, you may obtain CD–
ROMs with electronic copies of these
documents by writing to Dr. Dixie
Porter, Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, 9014 E. 21st St., Tulsa,
OK 74129; calling 918–581–7458; or
faxing 918–581–7467. A limited number
of printed copies of the DEA and DHCP
are also available, by request, from Dr.
Porter. Copies of the DEA and DHCP are
also available for public inspection and
review by appointment only, during
normal business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. CST) at the following locations:
• Department of the Interior, Natural
Resources Library, 1849 C. St. NW.,
Washington, DC 20240;
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 500
Gold Avenue SW., Room 6034,
Albuquerque, NM 87102; and
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
9014 E. 21st St., Tulsa, OK 74129.
Persons wishing to review the
application may obtain a copy by
writing to the Regional Director, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box
We provide this notice under section
10(c) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)
and its implementing regulations (50
CFR 17.22 and 17.32), and the National
Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C.
4371 et seq.) and its implementing
regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:13 Aug 16, 2012
Jkt 226001
Joy E. Nicholopoulos,
Acting Regional Director, Southwest Region,
Albuquerque, New Mexico.
[FR Doc. 2012–20349 Filed 8–16–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLWYD03000.L51100000.
GN0000.LVEMK10CW580–WYW–166318]
Notice of Availability of the Final
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Lost Creek Uranium In Situ
Recovery Project in Sweetwater
County, WY
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
PO 00000
Frm 00052
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
49825
In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended, and the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act of 1976, as
amended, the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) has prepared a
Final Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for the Lost Creek Uranium In Situ
Recovery (ISR) Project and by this
notice is announcing its availability.
DATES: The BLM will not issue a final
decision on the proposal for a minimum
of 30 days from the date that the
Environmental Protection Agency
publishes this notice in the Federal
Register.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Lost Creek
Uranium ISR Project Final EIS are
available for public inspection at:
• Bureau of Land Management,
Wyoming State Office, 5353
Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, Wyoming
82009;
• Bureau of Land Management, High
Desert District Office, 280 Highway 191
North, Rock Springs, Wyoming 82901;
• Bureau of Land Management,
Rawlins Field Office, 1300 N. Third
Street, Rawlins, Wyoming 82301; and
• Bureau of Land Management,
Lander Field Office, 1335 Main Street,
Lander, Wyoming 82520.
Interested persons may also review
the Final EIS on the Internet at:
https://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/
NEPA/documents/rfo/lostcreek.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John
Russell, Project Manager, telephone:
307–328–4252; address: Bureau of Land
Management, Rawlins Field Office, 1300
N. Third Street, P.O. Box 2407, Rawlins,
Wyoming 82301; email:
Lost_Crk_Mine_WY@blm.gov. Persons
who use a telecommunications device
for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–
800–877–8339 to contact the above
individual during normal business
hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week, to leave a message
or question with the above-named
individual. You will receive a reply
during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Development of Federal locatable
minerals by private industry is part of
the BLM’s mineral program under the
authority of 43 CFR 3800. The
applicant, Lost Creek ISR, LLC (Lost
Creek), has filed a plan of operations
pursuant to the 43 CFR 3809 regulations
to construct a uranium ore recovery
plant, an access road to the site, and a
pipeline system for the flow of oxidizing
leach solution to injection wells and the
return of fluids from recovery wells to
the recovery plant site; to drill injection,
recovery and monitoring wells; and to
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\17AUN1.SGM
17AUN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 160 (Friday, August 17, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49824-49825]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-20349]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R2-ES-2012-N184; FXES11120200000F2-123-FF02ENEH00]
Draft Environmental Assessment and Draft Habitat Conservation
Plan for TransCanada Keystone Pipeline's Gulf Coast Project in Oklahoma
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the
availability of the draft Environmental Assessment and draft Habitat
Conservation Plan for TransCanada Keystone Pipeline's (Keystone) Gulf
Coast Project in Oklahoma, under the National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969. Keystone has applied for an incidental take permit under the
Endangered Species Act, that would authorize incidental take of the
American burying beetle.
DATES: To ensure consideration of your written comments, we must
receive them on or before close of business (4:30 p.m. CST) on
September 17, 2012.
ADDRESSES: To obtain documents for review, see Reviewing Documents in
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
Comments concerning the application, the draft Environmental
Assessment (DEA), or the draft Habitat Conservation Plan (DHCP) should
be submitted in writing, by one of the following methods:
Email: Keystone_HCP_OK@fws.gov; or
U.S. mail: Field Supervisor, Oklahoma Ecological Services Field
Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 9014 E. 21st St., Tulsa, OK
74129.
Please refer to Permit number TE80492A-0 when submitting comments.
Please specify if comments are in reference to the DEA, DHCP, or both.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Dixie Porter, at the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Oklahoma Ecological Services Field Office, 9014 E.
21st St., Tulsa, OK 74129, or by phone at 918-581-7458.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), we advise the public that:
1. We have gathered the information necessary to determine impacts
and formulate alternatives for the DEA related to the potential
issuance of an incidental take permit (ITP) to TransCanada Keystone
Pipeline, LP (applicant, Keystone); and
2. The applicant has developed a DHCP as part of the application
for an ITP (TE80492A-0), which describes the measures Keystone has
agreed to undertake to minimize and mitigate the effects of incidental
take of the federally listed American burying beetle (Nicrophorus
americanus; ABB) to the maximum extent practicable, pursuant to section
10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act).
The requested ITP, which would be in effect for a period of 50 years if
granted, would authorize incidental take of the ABB (covered species)
resulting from activities associated with construction, maintenance,
operation, and repair (both routine and emergency) of Keystone's Gulf
Coast Project and associated activities (covered activities). As
described in the DHCP, the proposed incidental take would occur within
the ABB's range in Oklahoma as identified by the Service, which
includes portions of Creek, Okfuskee, Seminole, Hughes, Coal, Atoka,
and Bryan Counties, Oklahoma (permit area). The DEA considers the
direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of the proposed action of
permit issuance, including the measures that would be implemented to
minimize and mitigate such impacts to the maximum extent practicable.
Background
The Keystone XL Pipeline Project was previously proposed by
TransCanada, with a request for a Presidential Permit. The U.S.
Department of State (DOS) published a notice of intent (NOI) to prepare
an environmental impact statement in the Federal Register on January
28, 2009 (74 FR 5019), and public scoping meetings were conducted in
connection with the applicant's requested Presidential Permit. The
proposed Keystone XL Pipeline Project extended from Canada to the Gulf
Coast. A draft environmental impact statement was prepared by the DOS
[EIS No. 20110290, Final EIS, DOS] for the Keystone XL Pipeline
Project. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a notice
of availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement on April
20, 2010 (75 FR 51458). On August 26, 2011, the DOS published a notice
of availability (76 FR 53525) of the final EIS and announced public
meetings to solicit comments for the Secretary of State's (or her
designee) consideration of the Keystone XL Pipeline with a notice that
no decision would be made until the completion of a thorough review
process. The EPA published its notice of availability of the final EIS
in the Federal Register on September 2, 2011 (76 FR 54767). A
Presidential Memorandum dated February 1, 2012, directed the Department
of State to issue a denial of the Keystone XL Pipeline Presidential
Permit application (77 FR 5614; February 3, 2012).
Keystone continued to develop the Gulf Coast portion of the
project, including working with the Service towards the development of
an HCP for the ABB. The Gulf Coast Project in this HCP follows the same
route as the previously proposed Keystone XL's Gulf Coast Segment.
Because the majority of impacts were previously analyzed in the final
EIS developed for the Keystone XL pipeline project, a DEA, that
includes the analysis from that EIS by reference, has been prepared in
response to the application for an ITP for the ABB.
Proposed Action
The proposed action involves the issuance of an ITP by the Service
for incidental take of the ABB associated with the construction,
maintenance, operation, and repair of the pipeline and associated
facilities occurring within the permit area. To meet the requirements
of a section 10(a)(1)(B) ITP, the applicant has developed and proposes
to implement its DHCP, which describes the conservation measures
TransCanada has agreed to undertake to minimize and mitigate for the
impacts of the proposed incidental take of the covered species to the
maximum extent practicable, and ensures that incidental
[[Page 49825]]
take will not appreciably reduce the likelihood of the survival and
recovery of the ABB in the wild.
Other Alternatives Considered
Our proposed action is approving the applicant's DHCP and issuance
of an ITP for take associated with the applicant's covered activities.
As required by NEPA, the DEA considers the consequences to the human
environmental of the proposed HCP and two alternatives; the No Action
Alternative and a Reduced Permit Duration Alternative. Under the No
Action Alternative, Keystone would not apply for and we would not issue
an ITP. The No-Action Alternative does not meet Keystone's need for
take authorization and would not provide any conservation benefits for
the ABB.
Under the Reduced Permit Duration Alternative, the applicant would
employ the same avoidance and minimization measures described under the
Proposed Alternative, but they would pursue an ITP only for
construction and restoration activities, not to exceed 5 years. This
alternative would not meet Keystone's need for incidental take
authorization for operation and maintenance activities post-
construction. Additionally, this alternative provides less conservation
benefit for the covered species than would the Proposed Action.
Reviewing Documents
You may obtain copies of the DEA and DHCP on the Service's Web site
at https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/Oklahoma/.
Alternatively, you may obtain CD-ROMs with electronic copies of
these documents by writing to Dr. Dixie Porter, Field Supervisor, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, 9014 E. 21st St., Tulsa, OK 74129; calling
918-581-7458; or faxing 918-581-7467. A limited number of printed
copies of the DEA and DHCP are also available, by request, from Dr.
Porter. Copies of the DEA and DHCP are also available for public
inspection and review by appointment only, during normal business hours
(8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST) at the following locations:
Department of the Interior, Natural Resources Library,
1849 C. St. NW., Washington, DC 20240;
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 500 Gold Avenue SW., Room
6034, Albuquerque, NM 87102; and
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 9014 E. 21st St., Tulsa,
OK 74129.
Persons wishing to review the application may obtain a copy by
writing to the Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O.
Box 1306, Room 6034, Albuquerque, NM 87103.
Persons wishing to review the Keystone XL Pipeline Project final EIS
may obtain a copy from the Department of State's Web site at: https://keystonepipeline-xl.state.gov/archive/dos_docs/feis/index.htm.
Public Availability of Comments
All comments we receive become part of the public record. Requests
for copies of comments will be handled in accordance with the Freedom
of Information Act, NEPA, and Service and Department of the Interior
policies and procedures. Before including your address, phone number,
email 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 to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee we will be able to
do so. We will not consider anonymous comments. All submissions from
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or
businesses, will be made available for public disclosure in their
entirety.
Authority
We provide this notice under section 10(c) of the Act (16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (50 CFR 17.22 and
17.32), and the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4371 et
seq.) and its implementing regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).
Joy E. Nicholopoulos,
Acting Regional Director, Southwest Region, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
[FR Doc. 2012-20349 Filed 8-16-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
