Draft Environmental Assessment and Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan; Receipt of an Application for an Incidental Take Permit, Sugar Creek Wind Project, Logan County, Illinois, 4039-4040 [2022-01437]
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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 17 / Wednesday, January 26, 2022 / Notices
2022, at https://www.usfa.fema.gov/
training/nfa/about/bov.html.
Eriks J. Gabliks,
Superintendent, National Fire Academy,
United States Fire Administration, Federal
Emergency Management Agency.
[FR Doc. 2022–01483 Filed 1–25–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111–74–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R3–ES–2021–0158;
FXES11140300000–212]
Draft Environmental Assessment and
Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan;
Receipt of an Application for an
Incidental Take Permit, Sugar Creek
Wind Project, Logan County, Illinois
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for comment and information.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service), have received
an application from Sugar Creek Wind
One, LLC (applicant), for an incidental
take permit (ITP) under the Endangered
Species Act, for its Sugar Creek Wind
Project (project). The applicant requests
the ITP, which would be for a 30-year
period, for the take of the federally
listed endangered Indiana bat and
threatened northern long-eared bat
incidental to the otherwise lawful
activities associated with the project.
The applicant proposes a conservation
program to minimize and mitigate for
the unavoidable incidental take as
described in their habitat conservation
plan (HCP). The Service requests public
comment on the application, which
includes the applicant’s proposed HCP,
and the Service’s draft environmental
assessment, prepared pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act. The
Service provides this notice to seek
comments from the public and Federal,
Tribal, State, and local governments.
DATES: We will accept comments
received or postmarked on or before
February 25, 2022.
ADDRESSES:
Document availability: Electronic
copies of the documents this notice
announces, along with public comments
received, will be available online in
Docket No. FWS–R3–ES–2021–0158 at
https://www.regulations.gov.
Comment submission: In your
comment, please specify whether your
comment addresses the proposed HCP,
draft EA, or any combination of the
aforementioned documents, or other
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:34 Jan 25, 2022
Jkt 256001
supporting documents. You may submit
written comments by one of the
following methods:
• Online: https://www.regulations.gov.
Search for and submit comments on
Docket No. FWS–R3–ES–2021–0158.
• By hard copy: Submit comments by
U.S. mail to Public Comments
Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R3–
ES–2021–0158; U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service; 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: PRB/
3W; Falls Church, VA 22041–3803.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kraig McPeek, Field Supervisor,
Illinois-Iowa Ecological Services Field
Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
1511 47th Ave., Moline, IL 61265;
telephone: 309–757–5800, extension
202; or Andrew Horton, Regional HCP
Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service—Interior Region 3, 5600
American Blvd. West, Suite 990,
Bloomington, MN 55437–1458;
telephone: 612–713–5337.
Individuals who are hearing impaired
or speech impaired may call the Federal
Relay Service at 1–800–877–8339 for
TTY assistance.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 9 of the Endangered Species
Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and its
implementing regulations prohibit the
‘‘take’’ of animal species listed as
endangered or threatened. ‘‘Take’’ is
defined under the ESA as to ‘‘harass,
harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill,
trap, capture, or collect [listed animal
species], or to attempt to engage in such
conduct’’ (16 U.S.C. 1538). However,
under section 10(a) of the ESA, we may
issue permits to authorize incidental
take of listed species. ‘‘Incidental take’’
is defined by the ESA as take that is
incidental to, and not the purpose of,
carrying out an otherwise lawful
activity. Regulations governing
incidental take permits for endangered
and threatened species, respectively, are
found in the Code of Federal
Regulations at 50 CFR 17.22 and 50 CFR
17.32.
Applicant’s Proposed Project
Frm 00076
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
occurring in Logan County, Illinois
across approximately 12,120 acres of
private land. The estimated level of take
from the project is up to 90 Indiana bats
and 60 northern long-eared bats over the
30-year project duration.
The proposed conservation strategy in
the applicant’s proposed HCP is
designed to avoid, minimize, and
mitigate the impacts of the covered
activity on the covered species. The
biological goals and objectives are to
minimize potential take of Indiana bats
and northern long-eared bats through
on-site minimization measures and to
provide habitat conservation measures
for Indiana bats and northern long-eared
bats to offset any impacts from
operations of the project. On-site
minimization measures include
feathering turbine blades until wind
speeds reach 3.0 meters per second
(m/s) when temperatures are above 40
degrees Fahrenheit during the spring,
summer, and fall (March 15 to
November 15). Additionally, on-site
minimization measures include
feathering of turbine blades until wind
speeds reach 5.0 m/s during fall (August
1 to October 15) when temperatures are
above 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Minimization measures will be
implemented nightly from sunset to
sunrise. To offset the impacts of the
taking of Indiana bats and northern
long-eared bats, the applicant proposes
to protect known maternity colony
habitat for both covered species. The
Service requests public comments on
the permit application, which includes
a proposed HCP, and an EA prepared in
accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
The applicants’ HCP describes the
activities that will be undertaken to
implement the project, as well as the
mitigation and minimization measures
proposed to address the impacts to the
covered species. Pursuant to NEPA, the
EA analyzes the impacts the ITP
issuance would have on the covered
species and the environment.
National Environmental Policy Act
The applicant requests a 30-year ITP
for take of the federally endangered
Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) and
federally threatened northern long-eared
bat (Myotis septentrionalis). The
applicant determined that wind farm
activities on this land are reasonably
certain to result in incidental take of
these federally listed species. Activity
that could result in incidental take of
Indiana bats and northern long-eared
bats is the operation of 57 wind turbines
PO 00000
4039
The issuance of an ITP is a Federal
action that triggers the need for
compliance with NEPA. We prepared a
draft EA that analyzes the
environmental impacts on the human
environment resulting from three
alternatives: A no-action alternative, the
applicant’s proposed action, and a more
restrictive alternative consisting of
feathering at a rate of wind speed that
results in less impacts to bats.
E:\FR\FM\26JAN1.SGM
26JAN1
4040
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 17 / Wednesday, January 26, 2022 / Notices
Next Steps
The Service will evaluate the permit
application and the comments received
to determine whether the application
meets the requirements of section 10(a)
of the ESA. We will also conduct an
intra-Service consultation pursuant to
section 7 of the ESA to evaluate the
effects of the proposed take. After
considering the above findings, we will
determine whether the permit issuance
criteria of section 10(a)(l)(B) of the ESA
have been met. If met, the Service will
issue the requested ITP to the applicant.
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Request for Public Comments
The Service invites comments and
suggestions from all interested parties
during a 30-day public comment period
(see DATES). 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.
Availability of Public Comments
You may submit comments by one of
the methods shown under ADDRESSES.
We will post on https://regulations.gov
all public comments and information
received electronically or via hardcopy.
All comments received, including
names and addresses, will become part
of the administrative 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 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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:34 Jan 25, 2022
Jkt 256001
regulations (40 CFR 1506.6; 43 CFR part
46).
Lori Nordstrom,
Assistant Regional Director, Ecological
Services.
[FR Doc. 2022–01437 Filed 1–25–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Indian Affairs
[2221A2100DD/AAKC001030/
A0A501010.999900 253G; OMB Control
Number 1076–0149]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget for Review
and Approval; Class III Gaming
Procedures
Bureau of Indian Affairs,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection;
request for comment.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we,
the Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs
(AS–IA) are proposing to renew an
information collection.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before February
25, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments on
this information collection request (ICR)
to the Office of Management and
Budget’s Desk Officer for the
Department of the Interior by email at
OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov; or via
facsimile to (202) 395–5806. Please
provide a copy of your comments to
Steven Mullen, Information Collection
Clearance Officer, Office of Regulatory
Affairs and Collaborative Action—
Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the
Interior, 1001 Indian School Road NW,
Suite 229, Albuquerque, New Mexico
87104; or by email to comments@
bia.gov. Please reference OMB Control
Number 1076–0149 in the subject line of
your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To
request additional information about
this ICR, contact Ms. Paula Hart,
Director, Office of Indian Gaming, AS–
IA, telephone: 202–219–4066. You may
also view the ICR at https://
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, we provide the
general public and other Federal
agencies with an opportunity to
comment on new, proposed, revised,
and continuing collections of
information. This helps us assess the
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00077
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
impact of our information collection
requirements and minimize the public’s
reporting burden. It also helps the
public understand our information
collection requirements and provide the
requested data in the desired format.
A Federal Register notice with a 60day public comment period soliciting
comments on this collection of
information was published on August
12, 2021 (86 FR 44401). No comments
were received.
As part of our continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent
burdens, we are again soliciting
comments from the public and other
Federal agencies on the proposed ICR
that is described below. We are
especially interested in public comment
addressing the following:
(1) Whether or not the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether or not the
information will have practical utility;
(2) The accuracy of our estimate of the
burden for this collection of
information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(3) Ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
(4) How might the agency minimize
the burden of the collection of
information on those who are to
respond, including through the use of
appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submission of response.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. 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 your comment to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Abstract: The collection of
information will ensure that the
provisions of the Indian Gaming
Regulatory Act (IGRA) and other
applicable requirements are met when
federally recognized Tribes submit Class
III procedures for review and approval
by the Secretary of the Interior. Sections
291.4, 291.10, 291.12 and 291.15 of 25
CFR 291, Class III Gaming Procedures,
specify the information collection
requirement. An Indian Tribe must ask
the Secretary to issue Class III gaming
E:\FR\FM\26JAN1.SGM
26JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 17 (Wednesday, January 26, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4039-4040]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-01437]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R3-ES-2021-0158; FXES11140300000-212]
Draft Environmental Assessment and Proposed Habitat Conservation
Plan; Receipt of an Application for an Incidental Take Permit, Sugar
Creek Wind Project, Logan County, Illinois
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment and information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have
received an application from Sugar Creek Wind One, LLC (applicant), for
an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act, for
its Sugar Creek Wind Project (project). The applicant requests the ITP,
which would be for a 30-year period, for the take of the federally
listed endangered Indiana bat and threatened northern long-eared bat
incidental to the otherwise lawful activities associated with the
project. The applicant proposes a conservation program to minimize and
mitigate for the unavoidable incidental take as described in their
habitat conservation plan (HCP). The Service requests public comment on
the application, which includes the applicant's proposed HCP, and the
Service's draft environmental assessment, prepared pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act. The Service provides this notice to
seek comments from the public and Federal, Tribal, State, and local
governments.
DATES: We will accept comments received or postmarked on or before
February 25, 2022.
ADDRESSES:
Document availability: Electronic copies of the documents this
notice announces, along with public comments received, will be
available online in Docket No. FWS-R3-ES-2021-0158 at https://www.regulations.gov.
Comment submission: In your comment, please specify whether your
comment addresses the proposed HCP, draft EA, or any combination of the
aforementioned documents, or other supporting documents. You may submit
written comments by one of the following methods:
Online: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for and submit
comments on Docket No. FWS-R3-ES-2021-0158.
By hard copy: Submit comments by U.S. mail to Public
Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS-R3-ES-2021-0158; U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service; 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: PRB/3W; Falls Church, VA
22041-3803.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kraig McPeek, Field Supervisor,
Illinois-Iowa Ecological Services Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 1511 47th Ave., Moline, IL 61265; telephone: 309-757-5800,
extension 202; or Andrew Horton, Regional HCP Coordinator, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service--Interior Region 3, 5600 American Blvd. West,
Suite 990, Bloomington, MN 55437-1458; telephone: 612-713-5337.
Individuals who are hearing impaired or speech impaired may call
the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 for TTY assistance.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 9 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA;
16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and its implementing regulations prohibit the
``take'' of animal species listed as endangered or threatened. ``Take''
is defined under the ESA as to ``harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot,
wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect [listed animal species], or to
attempt to engage in such conduct'' (16 U.S.C. 1538). However, under
section 10(a) of the ESA, we may issue permits to authorize incidental
take of listed species. ``Incidental take'' is defined by the ESA as
take that is incidental to, and not the purpose of, carrying out an
otherwise lawful activity. Regulations governing incidental take
permits for endangered and threatened species, respectively, are found
in the Code of Federal Regulations at 50 CFR 17.22 and 50 CFR 17.32.
Applicant's Proposed Project
The applicant requests a 30-year ITP for take of the federally
endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) and federally threatened
northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis). The applicant
determined that wind farm activities on this land are reasonably
certain to result in incidental take of these federally listed species.
Activity that could result in incidental take of Indiana bats and
northern long-eared bats is the operation of 57 wind turbines occurring
in Logan County, Illinois across approximately 12,120 acres of private
land. The estimated level of take from the project is up to 90 Indiana
bats and 60 northern long-eared bats over the 30-year project duration.
The proposed conservation strategy in the applicant's proposed HCP
is designed to avoid, minimize, and mitigate the impacts of the covered
activity on the covered species. The biological goals and objectives
are to minimize potential take of Indiana bats and northern long-eared
bats through on-site minimization measures and to provide habitat
conservation measures for Indiana bats and northern long-eared bats to
offset any impacts from operations of the project. On-site minimization
measures include feathering turbine blades until wind speeds reach 3.0
meters per second (m/s) when temperatures are above 40 degrees
Fahrenheit during the spring, summer, and fall (March 15 to November
15). Additionally, on-site minimization measures include feathering of
turbine blades until wind speeds reach 5.0 m/s during fall (August 1 to
October 15) when temperatures are above 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Minimization measures will be implemented nightly from sunset to
sunrise. To offset the impacts of the taking of Indiana bats and
northern long-eared bats, the applicant proposes to protect known
maternity colony habitat for both covered species. The Service requests
public comments on the permit application, which includes a proposed
HCP, and an EA prepared in accordance with the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
The applicants' HCP describes the activities that will be
undertaken to implement the project, as well as the mitigation and
minimization measures proposed to address the impacts to the covered
species. Pursuant to NEPA, the EA analyzes the impacts the ITP issuance
would have on the covered species and the environment.
National Environmental Policy Act
The issuance of an ITP is a Federal action that triggers the need
for compliance with NEPA. We prepared a draft EA that analyzes the
environmental impacts on the human environment resulting from three
alternatives: A no-action alternative, the applicant's proposed action,
and a more restrictive alternative consisting of feathering at a rate
of wind speed that results in less impacts to bats.
[[Page 4040]]
Next Steps
The Service will evaluate the permit application and the comments
received to determine whether the application meets the requirements of
section 10(a) of the ESA. We will also conduct an intra-Service
consultation pursuant to section 7 of the ESA to evaluate the effects
of the proposed take. After considering the above findings, we will
determine whether the permit issuance criteria of section 10(a)(l)(B)
of the ESA have been met. If met, the Service will issue the requested
ITP to the applicant.
Request for Public Comments
The Service invites comments and suggestions from all interested
parties during a 30-day public comment period (see DATES). 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.
Availability of Public Comments
You may submit comments by one of the methods shown under
ADDRESSES. We will post on https://regulations.gov all public comments
and information received electronically or via hardcopy. All comments
received, including names and addresses, will become part of the
administrative 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 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).
Lori Nordstrom,
Assistant Regional Director, Ecological Services.
[FR Doc. 2022-01437 Filed 1-25-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
