Draft Environmental Assessment and Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan; Receipt of an Application for an Incidental Take Permit, Cardinal Point Wind Project, McDonough and Warren Counties, IL, 41655-41656 [2023-13554]
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 122 / Tuesday, June 27, 2023 / Notices
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Section B. Authority Superseded
This revocation supersedes all
previous delegations of authority to the
Associate Deputy Secretary, including
the Delegation of Concurrent Authority
published in the Federal Register on
September 9, 2019 (84 FR 47316).
Authority: Section 7(d), Department of
Housing and Urban Development Act
(42 U.S.C. 3535(d)).
Dated: June 21, 2023.
Marcia L. Fudge,
Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development.
[FR Doc. 2023–13583 Filed 6–26–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS–R3–ES–2023–0080;
FXES11140300000–234]
Draft Environmental Assessment and
Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan;
Receipt of an Application for an
Incidental Take Permit, Cardinal Point
Wind Project, McDonough and Warren
Counties, IL
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 Cardinal Point
Wind Farm, LLC for an incidental take
permit under the Endangered Species
Act, for its Cardinal Point Wind Project
(project). If approved, the permit would
authorize the incidental take of two
endangered species, the Indiana bat and
the northern long-eared bat, and two
species under federal review, the
tricolored bat and little brown bat. The
applicant has prepared a habitat
conservation plan in support of their
application. We also announce the
availability of a draft environmental
assessment, which has been prepared in
response to the permit application in
accordance with the requirements of the
National Environmental Policy Act. We
invite comments from the public and
Federal, Tribal, State, and local
governments.
DATES: We will accept comments on or
before July 27, 2023.
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:54 Jun 26, 2023
Jkt 259001
Applicant’s Proposed Project
ADDRESSES:
Section A. Authority Revoked
The Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development hereby revokes all
authority previously delegated to the
Associate Deputy Secretary.
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–2023–0080 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–2023–0080.
• By hard copy: Submit comments by
U.S. mail to Public Comments
Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R3–
ES–2023–0080; 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, by email at kraig_mcpeek@
fws.gov, or telephone at 309–757–5800,
extension 202; or Andrew Horton,
Regional HCP Coordinator, Midwest
Region, by email at andrew_horton@
fws.gov, or telephone at 612–713–5337.
Individuals in the United States who are
deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have
a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY,
TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services.
Individuals outside the United States
should use the relay services offered
within their country to make
international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 9 of the Endangered Species
Act of 1973, as amended (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 (ITP)
for endangered and threatened species,
respectively, are found in the Code of
Federal Regulations at 50 CFR 17.22 and
50 CFR 17.32.
PO 00000
Frm 00070
41655
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
The applicant requests a 6-year ITP
for take of four bat species, including
the federally protected Indiana bat
(Myotis sodalis) and northern long-eared
bat (Myotis septentrionalis), the
tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus),
which is proposed for listing, and the
little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus),
which is being considered for listing.
These species are hereafter referred to as
‘‘covered species.’’ The applicant
determined that wind farm activities on
this land are reasonably certain to result
in incidental take of these species. The
activity that could result in incidental
take of the covered species is the
operation of 60 wind turbines occurring
in McDonough and Warrant Counties,
Illinois, on private land. The estimated
level of take from the project is up to
240 Indiana bats, 6 northern long-eared
bats, 18 tricolored bats, and 18 little
brown bats over the 6-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 the covered
species through on-site minimization
measures and to provide habitat
conservation measures to offset any
impacts from operations of the project.
On-site minimization measures include
feathering turbine blades under specific
conditions that are associated with high
bat use of the project area, as measured
with acoustic bat detectors at the
project. To offset the impacts of the
taking of the covered species, the
applicant proposes to conserve bat
habitat by purchasing credits from a bat
conservation bank in Illinois or through
individually sponsored habitat projects.
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 applicant’s 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
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
E:\FR\FM\27JNN1.SGM
27JNN1
41656
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 122 / Tuesday, June 27, 2023 / Notices
the human environment resulting from
three alternatives: A no-action
alternative, the proposed action, and a
more restrictive alternative consisting of
feathering below higher wind speeds
that results in lower impacts to bats.
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.
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Request for Public Comments
The Service invites comments and
suggestions from all interested parties
during a 30-day public comment period
(see DATES). Information and comments
regarding the following topics are
requested:
1. The environmental 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;
3. Any threats to the covered species
that may influence their populations
over the life of the ITP that are not
addressed in the proposed HCP or
environmental assessment; and
4. 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://
www.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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:54 Jun 26, 2023
Jkt 259001
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 Endangered Species Act (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. 4371 et seq.) and
its implementing regulations (40 CFR
1506.6; 43 CFR part 46).
the results of consultation, can be found
in the inventory or related records held
by CSU Chico.
Description
Accession 51
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Human remains representing, at
minimum, one individual were removed
from site CA–TEH–750 in Tehama
County, CA. In 1971, this site was
recorded by M. Boyton after it was
unknowingly trenched while testing
farm equipment. Upon the discovery,
the landowner collected cultural items
and human remains from the site and
donated them to CSU Chico. Around the
same time, Chico State surveyed the site
once again, during which no additional
individuals were identified. The 79
associated funerary objects are one
debitage, eight modified stones, eight
modified shells, 61 glass beads, and one
copper bell.
National Park Service
Accession 77
[NPS–WASO–NAGPRA–NPS0036074;
PPWOCRADN0–PCU00RP14.R50000]
Human remains representing, at
minimum, two individuals were
removed from the Bambauer site (CA–
TEH–247) in Tehama County, CA. In
1965, Keith Johnson recorded the site,
and in 1965 and 1966, the University of
California, Los Angeles conducted
excavations there. In 1974, excavation at
the site was resumed by a CSU Chico
field class under the direction of Keith
Johnson. Currently, CSU Chico houses
the records from the 1965–66
excavations and the human remains and
artifacts from the 1974 excavation. The
1,949 associated funerary objects are
one modified shell, one soil sample, one
float sample, 12 charcoal samples, 14
projectile points, 15 organics, 25
unmodified shells, 30 modified faunal
elements, 91 modified stones, 94 faunal
remains, 303 lots consisting of debitage,
and 1,362 unmodified faunal elements.
Lori Nordstrom,
Assistant Regional Director, Ecological
Services.
[FR Doc. 2023–13554 Filed 6–26–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
Notice of Inventory Completion:
California State University, Chico,
Chico, CA
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
In accordance with the Native
American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the
California State University Chico (CSU
Chico) has completed an inventory of
human remains and associated funerary
objects and has determined that there is
a cultural affiliation between the human
remains and associated funerary objects
and Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian
organizations in this notice. The human
remains and associated funerary objects
were removed from Tehama County,
CA.
DATES: Repatriation of the human
remains and associated funerary objects
in this notice may occur on or after July
27, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Dawn Rewolinski,
California State University, Chico, 400
W 1st Street, Chico, CA 95929,
telephone (530) 898–3090, email
drewolinski@csuchico.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 CSU Chico. The
National Park Service is not responsible
for the determinations in this notice.
Additional information on the
determinations in this notice, including
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00071
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Accession 83
Human remains representing, at
minimum, 12 individuals were removed
from the Rumiano Ranch site (CA–TEH–
676) in Tehama County, CA. In 1974,
the Tehama County Sherriff’s
Department collected human remains
and associated funerary objects that had
been exposed by farm equipment.
Collections records state that the
University of California, Davis donated
this collection to CSU Chico in
November of 1974, suggesting that the
Sherriff’s Department transferred
control of the human remains and
associated funerary objects to the
University of California, Davis shortly
after they were collected. The 10
associated funerary objects are three lots
consisting of debitage, four modified
E:\FR\FM\27JNN1.SGM
27JNN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 122 (Tuesday, June 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41655-41656]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-13554]
=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R3-ES-2023-0080; FXES11140300000-234]
Draft Environmental Assessment and Proposed Habitat Conservation
Plan; Receipt of an Application for an Incidental Take Permit, Cardinal
Point Wind Project, McDonough and Warren Counties, IL
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 Cardinal Point Wind Farm, LLC for an
incidental take permit under the Endangered Species Act, for its
Cardinal Point Wind Project (project). If approved, the permit would
authorize the incidental take of two endangered species, the Indiana
bat and the northern long-eared bat, and two species under federal
review, the tricolored bat and little brown bat. The applicant has
prepared a habitat conservation plan in support of their application.
We also announce the availability of a draft environmental assessment,
which has been prepared in response to the permit application in
accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy
Act. We invite comments from the public and Federal, Tribal, State, and
local governments.
DATES: We will accept comments on or before July 27, 2023.
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-2023-0080 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-2023-0080.
By hard copy: Submit comments by U.S. mail to Public
Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS-R3-ES-2023-0080; 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, by email at
[email protected], or telephone at 309-757-5800, extension 202; or
Andrew Horton, Regional HCP Coordinator, Midwest Region, by email at
[email protected], or telephone at 612-713-5337. Individuals in the
United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a
speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United
States should use the relay services offered within their country to
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 9 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (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 (ITP) 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 6-year ITP for take of four bat species,
including the federally protected Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) and
northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), the tricolored bat
(Perimyotis subflavus), which is proposed for listing, and the little
brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), which is being considered for listing.
These species are hereafter referred to as ``covered species.'' The
applicant determined that wind farm activities on this land are
reasonably certain to result in incidental take of these species. The
activity that could result in incidental take of the covered species is
the operation of 60 wind turbines occurring in McDonough and Warrant
Counties, Illinois, on private land. The estimated level of take from
the project is up to 240 Indiana bats, 6 northern long-eared bats, 18
tricolored bats, and 18 little brown bats over the 6-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 the covered species through on-site
minimization measures and to provide habitat conservation measures to
offset any impacts from operations of the project. On-site minimization
measures include feathering turbine blades under specific conditions
that are associated with high bat use of the project area, as measured
with acoustic bat detectors at the project. To offset the impacts of
the taking of the covered species, the applicant proposes to conserve
bat habitat by purchasing credits from a bat conservation bank in
Illinois or through individually sponsored habitat projects. 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 applicant's 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
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
[[Page 41656]]
the human environment resulting from three alternatives: A no-action
alternative, the proposed action, and a more restrictive alternative
consisting of feathering below higher wind speeds that results in lower
impacts to bats.
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). Information
and comments regarding the following topics are requested:
1. The environmental 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;
3. Any threats to the covered species that may influence their
populations over the life of the ITP that are not addressed in the
proposed HCP or environmental assessment; and
4. 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://www.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 Endangered
Species Act (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.
4371 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (40 CFR 1506.6; 43 CFR
part 46).
Lori Nordstrom,
Assistant Regional Director, Ecological Services.
[FR Doc. 2023-13554 Filed 6-26-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
