Draft Environmental Assessment and Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan; Receipt of an Application for an Amended Incidental Take Permit, Cardinal Point Wind Project, McDonough and Warren Counties, Illinois, 55652-55653 [2024-14757]
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 129 / Friday, July 5, 2024 / Notices
of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.), and its implementing regulations.
Brenda Tapia,
Supervisory Program Analyst/Data
Administrator, Branch of Permits, Division
of Management Authority.
[FR Doc. 2024–14755 Filed 7–3–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS–R3–ES–2024–0088;
FXES11140300000–245–FF03E00000]
Draft Environmental Assessment and
Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan;
Receipt of an Application for an
Amended Incidental Take Permit,
Cardinal Point Wind Project,
McDonough and Warren Counties,
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 Cardinal Point
Wind Farm, LLC (applicant), to amend
its existing incidental take permit (ITP)
under the Endangered Species Act, for
its Cardinal Point Wind Project
(project). The applicant requests that the
ITP be amended to include an increased
take authorization for the tricolored bat.
We request public comment on the
application, which includes the
applicant’s revised HCP, and the
Service’s draft supplemental
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.
SUMMARY:
We will accept comments
received or postmarked on or before
August 5, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents:
Electronic copies of the documents this
notice announces, along with public
comments received, will be available
online in Docket No. FWS–R3–ES–
2024–0088 at https://
www.regulations.gov.
Submitting Comments: If you wish to
submit comments on any of the
documents, you may do so in writing by
one of the following methods:
• Online: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments
on Docket No. FWS–R3–ES–2024–0088.
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
DATES:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:16 Jul 03, 2024
Jkt 262001
• U.S. mail: Public Comments
Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R3–
ES–2024–0088; 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 by telephone at 309–757–
5800, extension 202; or Andrew Horton,
Regional HCP Coordinator, by email at
andrew_horton@fws.gov or by 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: We, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service),
have received an application from
Cardinal Point Wind Farm, LLC
(applicant), to amend its existing
incidental take permit (ITP) for four bat
species under the Endangered Species
Act, for its Cardinal Point Wind Project
(project). The applicant requests that the
ITP be amended to include an increased
take authorization for the tricolored bat.
The taking will be incidental to the
otherwise lawful activities associated
with the project. The applicant will
continue the original conservation
program to minimize and mitigate for
the unavoidable incidental take as
described in their habitat conservation
plan (HCP) and will now include
additional mitigation for the tricolored
bat as well as updated adaptive
management measures. The Service
requests public comment on the
application, which includes the
applicant’s revised HCP, and the
Service’s draft supplemental
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.
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
PO 00000
Frm 00105
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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.
On June 27, 2023, we published a
Federal Register notice announcing
receipt of an application for an ITP from
the applicant, and opened a 30-day
comment period, which ended on July
27, 2023 (88 FR 41655). After
determining that the application met the
requirements of section 10(a) of the ESA
and evaluating the effects of the
proposed take pursuant to section 7 of
the ESA. we determined that the permit
issuance criteria of section 10(a)(l)(B) of
the ESA were met and issued the
requested ITP.
Applicant’s Proposed Project
The applicant requests an amendment
to the existing ITP for take of the
federally endangered Indiana bat
(Myotis sodalis), federally endangered
northern long-eared bat (Myotis
septentrionalis), the tricolored bat
(Perimyotis subflavus; proposed for
listing) and the unlisted little brown bat
(Myotis lucifugus). The applicant
determined through post-permit
monitoring that take of tricolored bats at
the 60-turbine wind project is very
likely to exceed their currently
permitted level; therefore, they are
requesting a revised take authorization
for this species only. The currently
authorized take rate for the tricolored
bat is 3 per year for the 6-year permit
duration, for a total authorized ITP take
of 18. The new requested take rate for
the tricolored bat is 25 per year for the
permit duration, to reflect changes to
the project, bringing the total authorized
ITP take to 150.
The Service requests public
comments on the permit application,
which includes an amended HCP, and
a supplemental EA prepared in
accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
The applicant’s HCP and amendments
describe 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 supplemental EA analyzes
the impacts the ITP amendment would
E:\FR\FM\05JYN1.SGM
05JYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 129 / Friday, July 5, 2024 / Notices
have on the tricolored bat 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 supplemental EA that analyzes the
environmental impacts on the human
environment resulting from two
alternatives: A no-action alternative,
and the applicant’s proposed action of
amending the ITP.
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). 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.
Next Steps
The Service will evaluate the permit
amendment application and the
comments received to determine
whether the application meets the
requirements of section 10(a) of the
ESA. We will also reinitiate our intra-
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:16 Jul 03, 2024
Jkt 262001
Service consultation pursuant to section
7 of the ESA to evaluate the effects of
the proposed changes. 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 amended ITP to the applicant.
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.
4321 et seq.) and its implementing
regulations (40 CFR 1506.6; 43 CFR part
46).
Lori Nordstrom,
Assistant Regional Director, Ecological
Services.
[FR Doc. 2024–14757 Filed 7–3–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLHQ430000.L12200000.PM0000; OMB
Control No. 1004–0217]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Surveys and Focus Groups
To Support Outcomes-Focused
Management (Recreation Survey and
Focus Groups)
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection;
request for comment.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) proposes to renew an information
collection.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before
September 3, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Send your written
comments on this information
collection request (ICR) by mail to
Darrin King, Information Collection
Clearance Officer, U.S. Department of
the Interior, Bureau of Land
Management, Attention PRA Office, 440
W 200 S #500, Salt Lake City, UT 84101;
or by email to BLM_HQ_PRA_
Comments@blm.gov. Please reference
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) Control Number 1004–0217 in
the subject line of your comments.
Please note that the electronic
submission of comments is
recommended.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To
request additional information about
this ICR, contact Matt Blocker, Outdoor
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00106
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
55653
Recreation Planner, by email at
mblocker@blm.gov, or by telephone at
(385) 341–3403. Individuals who are
hearing or speech impaired may call the
Federal Relay Service at 1–800–877–
8339 for TTY assistance.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501
et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), all
information collections require approval
under the PRA. The BLM may not
conduct or sponsor a collection of
information, and a response to a request
for information is not required, unless it
displays a currently valid OMB control
number.
As part of our continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent
burdens, we invite the public and other
Federal agencies to comment on new,
proposed, revised, and continuing
collections of information. This helps
the BLM assess impacts of its
information collection requirements and
minimize the public’s reporting burden.
It also helps the public understand BLM
information collection requirements and
provide the requested data in the
desired format.
The BLM is especially interested in
public comment addressing the
following:
(1) Whether collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information will have
practical utility;
(2) determination of the accuracy of
BLM’s estimate of the burden for
collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and
assumptions used;
(3) methods to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
(4) how might the agency minimize
the burden of information collection on
those who respond, including 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 submitted in response to
this notice are a matter of public record.
The BLM will include or summarize
each comment in its request to OMB to
approve this ICR. 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
E:\FR\FM\05JYN1.SGM
05JYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 129 (Friday, July 5, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55652-55653]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-14757]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R3-ES-2024-0088; FXES11140300000-245-FF03E00000]
Draft Environmental Assessment and Proposed Habitat Conservation
Plan; Receipt of an Application for an Amended Incidental Take Permit,
Cardinal Point Wind Project, McDonough and Warren Counties, 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 Cardinal Point Wind Farm, LLC (applicant),
to amend its existing incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered
Species Act, for its Cardinal Point Wind Project (project). The
applicant requests that the ITP be amended to include an increased take
authorization for the tricolored bat. We request public comment on the
application, which includes the applicant's revised HCP, and the
Service's draft supplemental 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
August 5, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: Electronic copies of the documents this
notice announces, along with public comments received, will be
available online in Docket No. FWS-R3-ES-2024-0088 at https://www.regulations.gov.
Submitting Comments: If you wish to submit comments on any of the
documents, you may do so in writing by one of the following methods:
Online: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-R3-ES-2024-0088.
U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-R3-ES-2024-0088; 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 by telephone at 309-757-5800, extension 202; or
Andrew Horton, Regional HCP Coordinator, by email at
[email protected] or by 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: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), have received an application from Cardinal Point Wind Farm,
LLC (applicant), to amend its existing incidental take permit (ITP) for
four bat species under the Endangered Species Act, for its Cardinal
Point Wind Project (project). The applicant requests that the ITP be
amended to include an increased take authorization for the tricolored
bat. The taking will be incidental to the otherwise lawful activities
associated with the project. The applicant will continue the original
conservation program to minimize and mitigate for the unavoidable
incidental take as described in their habitat conservation plan (HCP)
and will now include additional mitigation for the tricolored bat as
well as updated adaptive management measures. The Service requests
public comment on the application, which includes the applicant's
revised HCP, and the Service's draft supplemental 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.
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.
On June 27, 2023, we published a Federal Register notice announcing
receipt of an application for an ITP from the applicant, and opened a
30-day comment period, which ended on July 27, 2023 (88 FR 41655).
After determining that the application met the requirements of section
10(a) of the ESA and evaluating the effects of the proposed take
pursuant to section 7 of the ESA. we determined that the permit
issuance criteria of section 10(a)(l)(B) of the ESA were met and issued
the requested ITP.
Applicant's Proposed Project
The applicant requests an amendment to the existing ITP for take of
the federally endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis), federally
endangered northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), the
tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus; proposed for listing) and the
unlisted little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus). The applicant determined
through post-permit monitoring that take of tricolored bats at the 60-
turbine wind project is very likely to exceed their currently permitted
level; therefore, they are requesting a revised take authorization for
this species only. The currently authorized take rate for the
tricolored bat is 3 per year for the 6-year permit duration, for a
total authorized ITP take of 18. The new requested take rate for the
tricolored bat is 25 per year for the permit duration, to reflect
changes to the project, bringing the total authorized ITP take to 150.
The Service requests public comments on the permit application,
which includes an amended HCP, and a supplemental EA prepared in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.).
The applicant's HCP and amendments describe 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 supplemental EA analyzes the
impacts the ITP amendment would
[[Page 55653]]
have on the tricolored bat 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 supplemental EA that
analyzes the environmental impacts on the human environment resulting
from two alternatives: A no-action alternative, and the applicant's
proposed action of amending the ITP.
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.
Next Steps
The Service will evaluate the permit amendment application and the
comments received to determine whether the application meets the
requirements of section 10(a) of the ESA. We will also reinitiate our
intra-Service consultation pursuant to section 7 of the ESA to evaluate
the effects of the proposed changes. 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 amended ITP to the applicant.
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. 4321 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (40 CFR
1506.6; 43 CFR part 46).
Lori Nordstrom,
Assistant Regional Director, Ecological Services.
[FR Doc. 2024-14757 Filed 7-3-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
