Incidental Take Permit Applications Received To Participate in the American Burying-Beetle Amended Oil and Gas Industry Conservation Plan in Oklahoma, 40327-40328 [2018-17502]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 157 / Tuesday, August 14, 2018 / Notices
is issued, the applicant would receive
assurances under the Service’s No
Surprises policy, as codified at 50 CFR
17.22(b)(5).
The applicant proposes to operate a
maximum of 100 wind turbines and
associated facilities (described below)
for a period of 27 years in Randolph
County, Indiana. The project consists of
wind turbines, associated access roads,
an underground and aboveground
electrical collector system, one
substation containing transformers that
feed electricity into an existing 345kilovolt (kV) electrical tie-in line, a 10mile generator lead line, three
permanent meteorological towers, and
an operations and maintenance
building. Project facilities and
infrastructure are placed on private land
via long-term easement agreements
between the applicant and respective
landowners.
The draft HCP describes the impacts
of take associated with the operation of
the Headwaters Wind Farm and
includes measures to avoid, minimize,
mitigate, and monitor the impacts of
incidental take on the Indiana bat and
the northern long-eared bat. The
applicant will mitigate for take and
associated impacts through protection
and restoration of maternity colony
habitat and/or swarming habitat, and
gating of an Indiana bat hibernacula.
Habitat mitigation, including any
restored habitat, will occur on private
land and be permanently protected by
restrictive covenants approved by the
Service. Chapter 5 of the HCP describes
the Conservation Program, including
details of avoidance and minimization
measures, compensatory mitigation, and
adaptive management that will limit
and mitigate for the take of Indiana bats
and northern long-eared bats.
The Service is soliciting information
regarding the adequacy of the HCP to
avoid, minimize, mitigate, and monitor
the proposed incidental take of the
covered species and to provide for
adaptive management. In compliance
with section 10(c) of the ESA (16 U.S.C.
1539(c)), the Service is making the ITP
application materials available for
public review and comment as
described above.
We invite comments and suggestions
from all interested parties on the draft
documents associated with the ITP
application (HCP and HCP Appendices),
and request that comments be as
specific as possible. In particular, we
request information and comments on
the following topics:
1. Whether adaptive management and
monitoring provisions in the Proposed
Action alternative are sufficient;
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20:18 Aug 13, 2018
Jkt 244001
2. Any threats to the Indiana bat and
the northern long-eared bat that may
influence their populations over the life
of the ITP that are not addressed in the
draft HCP or draft EA;
3. Any new information on whitenose syndrome effects on the Indiana
bat and the northern long-eared bat; and
4. Any other information pertinent to
evaluating the effects of the proposed
action on the Indiana bat and the
northern long-eared bat.
Alternatives in the Draft EA
The DEA contains an analysis of four
alternatives: (1) No Action alternative,
in which all 100 turbines would be
feathered from 1⁄2 hour before sunset to
1⁄2 hour after sunrise up to 5.0 meters
per second (m/s) from March 15 through
May 15 and up to 6.9 m/s from August
1 through October 15. In addition, 10
turbines within 1,000 feet of suitable
habitat would be feathered up to 6.9 m/
s with the rest of the turbines feathered
up to manufacturer’s cut-in speed (3.0
m/s) from May 16 through July 31. This
curtailment regime would occur each
year during the operational life (27
years) of Headwaters; (2) the 5.0 m/s
Cut-In Speed (feathered) Alternative
including implementation of the HCP
and issuance of a 27-year ITP; (3) the 6.5
m/s Cut-In Speed (feathered)
Alternative, including implementation
of the HCP and issuance of a 27-year
ITP; and (4) the 4.0 m/s Cut-In Speed
(feathered) Alternative, including
implementation of the HCP and
issuance of a 27-year ITP. The DEA
considers the direct, indirect, and
cumulative effects of the alternatives,
including any measures under the
Proposed Action alternative intended to
minimize and mitigate such impacts.
The DEA also identifies two additional
alternatives that were considered but
were eliminated from analysis as
detailed in Section 3.4 of the DEA.
The Service invites comments and
suggestions from all interested parties
on the content of the DEA. In particular,
information and comments regarding
the following topics are requested:
1. The direct, indirect, or cumulative
effects that implementation of any
alternative could have on the human
environment;
2. Whether or not the significance of
the impact on various aspects of the
human environment has been
adequately analyzed; and
3. Any other information pertinent to
evaluating the effects of the proposed
action on the human environment.
Public Comments
You may submit your comments and
materials related to the draft HCP, DEA,
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40327
or other supporting documents by one
of the methods listed in ADDRESSES. We
request that you send comments by only
one of the methods described in
ADDRESSES.
Comments and materials we receive,
as well as documents associated with
the notice, will be available for public
inspection by appointment, during
normal business hours, at the Indiana
Ecological Services Field Office in
Bloomington, Indiana (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT). 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 in you comment to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Authority
We provide this notice under section
10(c) of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)
and its implementing regulations (50
CFR 17.22) and the NEPA (42 U.S.C.
4371 et seq.) and its implementing
regulations (40 CFR 1506.6; 43 CFR part
46).
Dated: April 18, 2018.
Lori H. Nordstrom,
Assistant Regional Director, Ecological
Services, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2018–17485 Filed 8–13–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R2–ES–2018–N065;
FXES11140200000–189–FF02ENEH00]
Incidental Take Permit Applications
Received To Participate in the
American Burying-Beetle Amended Oil
and Gas Industry Conservation Plan in
Oklahoma
AGENCY:
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
Notice of availability; request
for public comments.
ACTION:
Under the Endangered
Species Act (ESA), as amended, we, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite
the public to comment on Federallylisted American burying-beetle
incidental take permit (ITP)
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\14AUN1.SGM
14AUN1
40328
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 157 / Tuesday, August 14, 2018 / Notices
amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1
applications. The applicants anticipate
American burying-beetle take as a result
of impacts to Oklahoma habitat the
species uses for breeding, feeding, and
sheltering. The take would be incidental
to the applicants’ activities associated
with oil and gas well field and pipeline
infrastructure (gathering, transmission,
and distribution), including geophysical
exploration (seismic), construction,
maintenance, operation, repair,
decommissioning, and reclamation. If
approved, the permits would be issued
under the approved American Burying
Beetle Amended Oil and Gas Industry
Conservation Plan (ICP) Endangered
Species Act Section 10(a)(1)(B) Permit
Issuance in Oklahoma.
DATES: To ensure consideration, written
comments must be received on or before
September 13, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may obtain copies of
all documents and submit comments on
the applicants’ ITP applications by one
of the following methods. Please refer to
the proposed permit number when
requesting documents or submitting
comments.
• Email: fw2_hcp_permits@fws.gov.
• U.S. Mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Endangered Species—HCP
Permits, P.O. Box 1306, Room 6093,
Albuquerque, NM 87103.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Marty Tuegel, Branch Chief, by U.S.
mail at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Environmental Review Division, P.O.
Box 1306, Room 6078, Albuquerque,
NM 87103; or by telephone at 505–248–
6651.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
Under the Endangered Species Act
(ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), we, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite
the public to comment on ITP
applications to take the Federally-listed
American burying-beetle (Nicrophorus
americanus) during oil and gas well
field infrastructure geophysical
exploration (seismic) and construction,
maintenance, operation, repair, and
decommissioning, as well as oil and gas
gathering, transmission, and
distribution pipeline infrastructure
construction, maintenance, operation,
repair, decommissioning, and
reclamation in Oklahoma.
If approved, the permits would be
issued to the applicants under the
American Burying Beetle Amended Oil
and Gas Industry Conservation Plan
(ICP) Endangered Species Act Section
10(a)(1)(B) Permit Issuance in
Oklahoma. The original ICP was
approved on May 21, 2014, and the ‘‘no
significant impact’’ finding notice was
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:13 Aug 13, 2018
Jkt 244001
published in the Federal Register on
July 25, 2014 (79 FR 43504). The draft
amended ICP was made available for
comment on March 8, 2016 (81 FR
12113), and approved on April 13, 2016.
The ICP and the associated
environmental assessment/finding of no
significant impact are available on our
website at https://www.fws.gov/
southwest/es/oklahoma/ABBICP.
However, we are no longer taking
comments on these finalized, approved
documents.
Applications Available for Review and
Comment
We invite local, state, Tribal, and
Federal agencies, and the public to
comment on the following applications
under the ICP, for incidentally taking
the Federally-listed American buryingbeetle. Please refer to the appropriate
proposed permit number (TE84779C,
TE84778C, or TE84781C) when
requesting application documents and
when submitting comments. Documents
and other information the applicants
have submitted are available for review,
subject to Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a)
and Freedom of Information Act (5
U.S.C. 552) requirements.
Permit TE84779C
Applicant: Midship Pipeline Company,
LLC, Houston, TX.
Applicant requests a permit for oil
and gas upstream and midstream
production, including oil and gas well
field infrastructure geophysical
exploration (seismic) and construction,
maintenance, operation, repair, and
decommissioning, as well as oil and gas
gathering, transmission, and
distribution pipeline infrastructure
construction, maintenance, operation,
repair, decommissioning, and
reclamation in Oklahoma.
Permit TE84778C
Applicant: Blue Water Resources, LLC,
Tulsa, OK.
Applicant requests a permit for oil
and gas upstream and midstream
production, including oil and gas well
field infrastructure geophysical
exploration (seismic) and construction,
maintenance, operation, repair, and
decommissioning, as well as oil and gas
gathering, transmission, and
distribution pipeline infrastructure
construction, maintenance, operation,
repair, decommissioning, and
reclamation in Oklahoma.
Permit TE84781C
Applicant: VM ARKOMA Stack, LLC,
Oklahoma City, OK.
Applicant requests a permit for oil
and gas upstream and midstream
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
production, including oil and gas well
field infrastructure geophysical
exploration (seismic) and construction,
maintenance, operation, repair, and
decommissioning, as well as oil and gas
gathering, transmission, and
distribution pipeline infrastructure
construction, maintenance, operation,
repair, decommissioning, and
reclamation in Oklahoma.
Public Availability of Comments
Written comments we receive become
part of the public record associated with
this action. 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 request in your comment that
we withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so. 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 the
ESA, section 10(c) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.) and its implementing regulations
(50 CFR 17.22) and the National
Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.) and its implementing
regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).
Dated: May 14, 2018.
Amy L. Lueders,
Regional Director, Southwest Region, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2018–17502 Filed 8–13–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLNVL03000 L58480000.EU0000 241A; 14–
08807; MO #4500116369; TAS: 14X1109]
Notice of Realty Action: Competitive
Sale of Nine Parcels of Public Land in
Lincoln County, NV
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of realty action.
AGENCY:
The Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) proposes to offer by
competitive sale 9 parcels of public land
totaling 296.09 acres in Lincoln County,
Nevada, pursuant to the Lincoln County
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\14AUN1.SGM
14AUN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 157 (Tuesday, August 14, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40327-40328]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-17502]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R2-ES-2018-N065; FXES11140200000-189-FF02ENEH00]
Incidental Take Permit Applications Received To Participate in
the American Burying-Beetle Amended Oil and Gas Industry Conservation
Plan in Oklahoma
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for public comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), as amended, we, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on
Federally-listed American burying-beetle incidental take permit (ITP)
[[Page 40328]]
applications. The applicants anticipate American burying-beetle take as
a result of impacts to Oklahoma habitat the species uses for breeding,
feeding, and sheltering. The take would be incidental to the
applicants' activities associated with oil and gas well field and
pipeline infrastructure (gathering, transmission, and distribution),
including geophysical exploration (seismic), construction, maintenance,
operation, repair, decommissioning, and reclamation. If approved, the
permits would be issued under the approved American Burying Beetle
Amended Oil and Gas Industry Conservation Plan (ICP) Endangered Species
Act Section 10(a)(1)(B) Permit Issuance in Oklahoma.
DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be received on or
before September 13, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may obtain copies of all documents and submit comments
on the applicants' ITP applications by one of the following methods.
Please refer to the proposed permit number when requesting documents or
submitting comments.
Email: [email protected].
U.S. Mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Endangered
Species--HCP Permits, P.O. Box 1306, Room 6093, Albuquerque, NM 87103.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marty Tuegel, Branch Chief, by U.S.
mail at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Review Division,
P.O. Box 1306, Room 6078, Albuquerque, NM 87103; or by telephone at
505-248-6651.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), we,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on ITP
applications to take the Federally-listed American burying-beetle
(Nicrophorus americanus) during oil and gas well field infrastructure
geophysical exploration (seismic) and construction, maintenance,
operation, repair, and decommissioning, as well as oil and gas
gathering, transmission, and distribution pipeline infrastructure
construction, maintenance, operation, repair, decommissioning, and
reclamation in Oklahoma.
If approved, the permits would be issued to the applicants under
the American Burying Beetle Amended Oil and Gas Industry Conservation
Plan (ICP) Endangered Species Act Section 10(a)(1)(B) Permit Issuance
in Oklahoma. The original ICP was approved on May 21, 2014, and the
``no significant impact'' finding notice was published in the Federal
Register on July 25, 2014 (79 FR 43504). The draft amended ICP was made
available for comment on March 8, 2016 (81 FR 12113), and approved on
April 13, 2016. The ICP and the associated environmental assessment/
finding of no significant impact are available on our website at https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/oklahoma/ABBICP. However, we are no longer
taking comments on these finalized, approved documents.
Applications Available for Review and Comment
We invite local, state, Tribal, and Federal agencies, and the
public to comment on the following applications under the ICP, for
incidentally taking the Federally-listed American burying-beetle.
Please refer to the appropriate proposed permit number (TE84779C,
TE84778C, or TE84781C) when requesting application documents and when
submitting comments. Documents and other information the applicants
have submitted are available for review, subject to Privacy Act (5
U.S.C. 552a) and Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552)
requirements.
Permit TE84779C
Applicant: Midship Pipeline Company, LLC, Houston, TX.
Applicant requests a permit for oil and gas upstream and midstream
production, including oil and gas well field infrastructure geophysical
exploration (seismic) and construction, maintenance, operation, repair,
and decommissioning, as well as oil and gas gathering, transmission,
and distribution pipeline infrastructure construction, maintenance,
operation, repair, decommissioning, and reclamation in Oklahoma.
Permit TE84778C
Applicant: Blue Water Resources, LLC, Tulsa, OK.
Applicant requests a permit for oil and gas upstream and midstream
production, including oil and gas well field infrastructure geophysical
exploration (seismic) and construction, maintenance, operation, repair,
and decommissioning, as well as oil and gas gathering, transmission,
and distribution pipeline infrastructure construction, maintenance,
operation, repair, decommissioning, and reclamation in Oklahoma.
Permit TE84781C
Applicant: VM ARKOMA Stack, LLC, Oklahoma City, OK.
Applicant requests a permit for oil and gas upstream and midstream
production, including oil and gas well field infrastructure geophysical
exploration (seismic) and construction, maintenance, operation, repair,
and decommissioning, as well as oil and gas gathering, transmission,
and distribution pipeline infrastructure construction, maintenance,
operation, repair, decommissioning, and reclamation in Oklahoma.
Public Availability of Comments
Written comments we receive become part of the public record
associated with this action. 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 request in your comment that we withhold
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so. 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 the ESA, section 10(c) (16 U.S.C. 1531
et seq.) and its implementing regulations (50 CFR 17.22) and the
National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its
implementing regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).
Dated: May 14, 2018.
Amy L. Lueders,
Regional Director, Southwest Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-17502 Filed 8-13-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P