Fish and Wildlife Service 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Under the Endangered Species Act, as amended (Act), we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on an incidental take permit application for federally listed American burying beetle (ABB) take resulting from activities associated with oil and gas well field infrastructure geophysical exploration (seismic) and construction, maintenance, operation, repair, and decommissioning in Oklahoma. If approved, the permit would be issued under the approved Amended Oil and Gas Industry Conservation Plan (ICP)Associated with Issuing Endangered Species Act Section 10(a)(1)(B) American Burying Beetle Permits Oklahoma.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibit activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is acquired that allows such activities.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce 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, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), received an incidental take permit application from Na Pua Makani Power Partners, LLC, pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). The requested permit would authorize the take of one threatened and six endangered species caused by covered activities associated with a wind energy generation project on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The permit application included the proposed Na Pua Makani Wind Energy Project Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), which described the activities that may result in the incidental taking of listed species, and the measures the applicant will take to minimize, mitigate, and monitor for adverse impacts to the covered species. The applicant modified the proposed action in the HCP in response to public comments and the modified HCP is available for public review pursuant to this notice. The Service also announces the availability of a Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) addressing the modified proposed action in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). If issued, the ITP would authorize incidental take of the covered species that may occur as a result of the construction and operation of the Na Pua Makani Wind Energy Project (Project) over a 21-year period. We are making the permit application package, including the modified HCP and SEIS, available for public review and comment.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of the final long range transportation plan (LRTP). The Final LRTP outlines a strategy for improving and maintaining transportation assets that provide access to Service-managed lands in the Northeast Region (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia) over the next 20 years.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of a final comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for the environmental assessment (EA) for the National Elk Refuge (Refuge, NWR). In this final CCP, we describe how we intend to manage the refuge for the next 15 years.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), make available the final record of decision (ROD) on revising regulations governing non-Federal oil and gas activities on National Wildlife Refuge System lands in order to improve our ability to protect refuge resources, visitors, and the general public's health and safety from potential impacts associated with non-Federal oil and gas operations located within refuges. The Service has selected Alternative B, implementation of the final rule, Management of Non-Federal Oil and Gas Rights, which revises current Service regulations, as its final decision. This decision is described and analyzed in the final environmental impact statement and summarized in the ROD.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a public meeting of the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council (Council). A Federal advisory committee, the Council was created in part to foster partnerships to enhance public awareness of the importance of aquatic resources and the social and economic benefits of recreational fishing and boating in the United States. This meeting is open to the public, and interested persons may make oral statements to the Council or may file written statements for consideration.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received an application from Kamehameha Schools (KS), a private charitable education trust, for an enhancement of survival permit (permit) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). The permit application includes a draft Safe Harbor Agreement (SHA) between KS, the Service, and the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). Kamehameha Schools is proposing to conduct proactive conservation activities to promote the survival and recovery of 32 federally endangered species and one species currently proposed for listing (``covered species'') across the Keauhou and Kilauea Forest Lands, which comprise 32,280 acres on the southeastern slope of Mauna Loa, Hawaii Island. We invite comments from all interested parties on the permit application, including the draft SHA and a draft environmental action statement (EAS) prepared pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered species. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibit activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is acquired that allows such activities.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability of a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the final Environmental Assessment (FEA) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the issuance of a take permit for golden eagles pursuant to the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (Eagle Act), in association with the operation of the Alta East Wind Project (Alta East) in Kern County, California. The FEA was prepared in response to an application from Alta Wind X, LLC (applicant), an affiliate of NRG Yield, Inc., for a 5-year programmatic take permit for golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) under the Eagle Act. The applicant will implement a conservation program to avoid, minimize, and compensate for the project's impacts to eagles, as described in the applicant's Eagle Conservation Plan (ECP). We solicited comments on the draft Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) and have reviewed those comments in the course of preparing our findings for this project. Based on the FEA, the Service concludes that a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is appropriate. Based on the FONSI and findings we prepared associated with the permit application, we intend to issue the permit after 30 days.

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of the technical/agency draft recovery plan for the endangered chucky madtom, a fish. The draft recovery plan includes specific recovery objectives and criteria that must be met in order for us to reclassify this species to threatened status under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We request review and comment on this draft recovery plan from local, State, and Federal agencies, and the public.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are initiating a 5-year status review for the red wolf (Canis rufus) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). A 5-year review is an assessment of the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review. We are requesting submission of information that has become available since the last review of this species.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of a final supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) that has been prepared to evaluate the Ballville Dam Project, in Sandusky County, Ohio, in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). We are also requesting public comments.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for a proposed project to restore coastal wetlands at the south end of San Diego Bay. The Otay River Estuary Restoration Project (ORERP) is located within the South San Diego Bay Unit of the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge or NWR), in San Diego County, California. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is participating in the process as a cooperating agency. This notice advises the public that the draft EIS is available for public review and comment. The draft EIS, which we prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), describes the alternatives identified to restore two portions of the South San Diego Bay Unit of the San Diego Bay NWR to coastal wetlands to benefit native fish, wildlife, and plant species.

We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) have sent an Information Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for review and approval. We summarize the ICR below and describe the nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost. We may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

In this Candidate Notice of Review of Foreign Species (CNOR- FS), we present an updated list of plant and animal species foreign to the United States that we regard as candidates for addition to the Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. Identification of candidate species can assist conservation planning efforts by providing advance notice of potential listings and awareness of species' status. Even if we subsequently list a candidate species, the early notice provided here could result in more options for species management and recovery by prompting measures to alleviate threats to the species.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of a Final Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge. The CCP/EA, prepared under the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, and in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, describes how the Service proposes to manage the Refuge for the next 15 years. Compatibility determinations for three existing and proposed uses are also included with the Final CCP.

The Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) requires the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to review the maps of the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) at least once every 5 years and make any minor and technical modifications to the boundaries of the CBRS as are necessary to reflect changes that have occurred in the size or location of any CBRS unit as a result of natural forces. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has conducted this review and has prepared draft revised maps for 14 CBRS units in Louisiana, all units in Puerto Rico, and all units in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The draft maps were produced by the Service as part of a CBRS ``digital conversion'' project that is done in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This notice announces the findings of the Service's review and request for comments on the draft revised maps from Federal, State, and local officials.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose threatened species status under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended, for Sideroxylon reclinatum ssp. austrofloridense (Everglades bully), Digitaria pauciflora (Florida pineland crabgrass) and Chamaesyce deltoidea ssp. pinetorum (pineland sandmat), and endangered species status for Dalea carthagenensis var. floridana (Florida prairie-clover). All four plants are from south Florida. If we finalize this rule as proposed, it would extend the Act's protections to these plants. The effect of this regulation will be to add these species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Plants.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce a public meeting of the Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Task Force. The ANS Task Force's purpose is to develop and implement a program for U.S. waters to prevent introduction and dispersal of aquatic invasive species (AIS); to monitor, control, and study such species; and to disseminate related information.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce 12- month findings on petitions to list 10 species as endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). After a review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the Huachuca-Canelo population of the Arizona treefrog, the Arkansas darter, black mudalia, Highlands tiger beetle, Dichanthelium (=panicum) hirstii (Hirst Brothers' panic grass), two Kentucky cave beetles (Louisville cave beetle and Tatum Cave beetle), relict leopard frog, sicklefin redhorse sucker, and Stephan's riffle beetle is not warranted at this time. However, we ask the public to submit to us at any time any new information that becomes available concerning the stressors to any of the 10 species listed above or their habitats.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the Black Warrior waterdog (Necturus alabamensis), an aquatic salamander from the Black Warrior River Basin of Alabama, as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act (Act) because of the severity and immediacy of threats currently impacting the species. If we finalize this rule as proposed, it would extend the Act's protections to this species.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the Louisiana pinesnake (Pituophis ruthveni), a reptile species from Louisiana and Texas, as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (Act). If we finalize this rule as proposed, it would extend the Act's protections to this species.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), determine threatened species status under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended, for Kentucky arrow darter (Etheostoma spilotum), a fish species from the upper Kentucky River basin in Kentucky. The effect of this regulation will be to add this species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. We are also adopting a rule under section 4(d) of the Act (a ``4(d) rule'') to further provide for the conservation of the Kentucky arrow darter.