Department of the Interior June 29, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Kern County, California, have prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and a Draft California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan Amendment (PA) for the Alta East Wind Project (AEWP), and by this notice the BLM is announcing the opening of the comment period.

This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) as the lead Federal agency, with the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin (Tribe), the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC), the City of Kenosha, and Kenosha County, as cooperating agencies, has prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the proposed approval of a 223-acre fee-to-trust transfer and the construction of a casino-hotel complex. This notice also announces the FEIS is now available for public review. Hard copies are available upon request or may be found at the addresses indicted in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received an application from Buckeye Wind, LLC (applicant), for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), for its Buckeye Wind Power Project (project). If approved, the ITP would be for a 30-year period and would authorize the incidental take of an endangered species, the Indiana bat. The applicant has prepared a habitat conservation plan (HCP) that describes the actions and measures the applicant would implement to avoid, minimize, and mitigate incidental take of the Indiana bat. The ITP application also includes a draft implementing agreement (IA). We also announce the availability of a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that has been prepared in response to the permit application in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). We request public comment on the application and associated documents.