Fish and Wildlife Service April 15, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of an incidental take permit (ITP) application and a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). Remington Stewart, LLP (applicant), requests an ITP under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The applicant's HCP describes the minimization and mitigation measures proposed to address the effects of the project on the Florida scrub-jay. We invite written comments on the ITP application and HCP.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), announce the availability of the Midwest Wind Energy Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP). Planning partners include the State conservation agencies from the States of Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), who is representing a consortium of wind energy companies called WEBAT (Wind Energy Bat Action Team), and The Conservation Fund. The Plan Area encompasses all lands within the States of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The covered species include six federally listed bat and bird species, one bat species that may be listed in the future, and the bald eagle. The activities covered under the MSHCP (``covered activities'') include the construction, operation, maintenance, decommissioning and repowering of wind energy facilities, as well as monitoring activities. Up to 18,004 megawatts (MW) of existing facilities and 33,000 MW of new wind development are proposed to be covered under the MSHCP. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations, the Service is also announcing the availability of the MSHCP draft environmental impact statement (DEIS).