Fish and Wildlife Service March 8, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce proposed revisions to our Mitigation Policy, which has guided Service recommendations on mitigating the adverse impacts of land and water developments on fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats since 1981. The revisions are motivated by changes in conservation challenges and practices since 1981, including accelerating loss of habitats, effects of climate change, and advances in conservation science. The revised policy provides a framework for applying a landscape-scale approach to achieve, through application of the mitigation hierarchy, a net gain in conservation outcomes, or at a minimum, no net loss of resources and their values, services, and functions resulting from proposed actions. The primary intent of the policy is to apply mitigation in a strategic manner that ensures an effective linkage with conservation strategies at appropriate landscape scales. We request comments, information, and recommendations from governmental agencies, Indian Tribes, the scientific community, industry groups, environmental interest groups, and any other interested parties.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability of an environmental assessment (EA), under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, that evaluates the impacts of a draft amendment to the Oil and Gas Industry Conservation Plan (ICP) for incidental take of the federally listed American burying beetle resulting from oil and gas industry activities. The original ICP (2014 ICP) was approved on May 21, 2014. The proposed amendment to the ICP will extend by 3 years the periods for signup, submission of individual project plans (IPPs), project construction, and ICP/permit duration. It also will provide date-certain deadlines, which will reduce confusion and simplify tracking for both permittees and the Service. In addition, we propose to delete language that limits coverage to projects that are fully contained within the ICP planning area. There is no change to the covered species, total amount of take authorized, or the planning area, which consists of 45 counties in Oklahoma. Individual oil and gas companies would continue to apply for Endangered Species Act permits for incidental take and agree to comply with the terms and conditions of the ICP.