Fish and Wildlife Service September 26, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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. This information collection is scheduled to expire on September 30, 2014. 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. However, under OMB regulations, we may continue to conduct or sponsor this information collection while it is pending at OMB.

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) prohibits activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is acquired that allows such activities.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA); the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA); and the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA); the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) have partnered with the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) (collectively, the Agencies) to prepare the Draft Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) and Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR). The Draft DRECP includes Draft BLM Land Use Plan Amendments for the California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan, Bishop Resource Management Plan (RMP), and the Caliente/ Bakersfield RMP; a FWS-proposed Habitat Conservation Plan (General Conservation Plan); and a CDFW-proposed Natural Community Conservation Plan. The Draft DRECP covers parts of Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego Counties, California. By this notice, the Agencies are announcing the availability of the Draft DRECP and Draft EIS/EIR, the receipt of permit applications under Section 10 of the ESA from CEC and the California State Lands Commission (CSLC), and the opening of the comment period on the Draft DRECP and Draft EIS/EIR and the information provided in the permit applications.