[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 134 (Wednesday, July 13, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41288-41293]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-17419]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R3-ES-2011-N109; 30120-1122-0000-F2]
Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Multi-Species Habitat
Conservation Plan; Receipt of Application for Incidental Take Permit;
NiSource, Inc.
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received an
application from NiSource, Inc. (Applicant), for an incidental take
permit under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). If approved, the
permit would be for a 50-year period and would authorize incidental
take of 10 species, 9 of which are federally listed and 1 of which is
proposed.
The applicant has prepared a multispecies habitat conservation plan
(MSHCP) to cover a suite of activities associated with operation of a
natural gas pipeline system; the MSHCP also analyzes 33 additional
species and provides for measures to avoid take of those species. The
Applicant has requested concurrence with their determination that
activities will not take these 33 species if implemented in accordance
with their MSHCP. We request public comment on the application and
associated documents.
DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your written comments on or
before October 11, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments via U.S. mail to the Regional
Director, Midwest Region, Attn: Lisa Mandell, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Ecological Services, 5600 American Blvd. West, Suite 990,
Bloomington, MN 55437-1458, or by electronic mail to
permitsR3ES@fws.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Mandell, (612) 713-5343.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We have received an application from
NiSource, Inc., for an incidental take permit (ITP) (TE02636A) under
the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.; ESA). If
approved, the permit would be for a 50-year period and
[[Page 41289]]
would authorize incidental take of the following 10 species:
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Species Current listing status
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Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis)........ Endangered.
Bog Turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii). Threatened.
Madison cave isopod (Antrolana lira) Threatened.
Nashville crayfish (Orconectes Endangered.
shoupi).
Clubshell (Pleurobema clava)........ Endangered.
Fanshell (Cyprogenia stegaria)...... Endangered.
James spinymussel (Pleurobema Endangered.
collina).
Northern riffleshell (Epioblasma Endangered.
torulosa rangiana).
Sheepnose (Plethobasus cyphyus)..... Proposed for listing.
American burying beetle (Nicrophorus Endangered.
americanus).
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The Applicant has prepared an MSHCP to cover a suite of activities
associated with operation of a natural gas pipeline system in the
States of Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland,
Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The MSHCP also analyzes 33 additional species and provides for
measures to avoid take of those species. The Applicant has requested
concurrence with their determination that activities will not take
these 33 species if implemented in accordance with their MSHCP:
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Species Current listing status
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Delmarva Peninsula fox squirrel Endangered.
(Sciurus niger cinereus).
Gray bat (Myotis grisescens)........ Endangered.
Louisiana black bear (Ursus Threatened.
americanus luteolus).
Virginia big-eared bat (Plecotus Endangered.
townsendii virginianus).
West Indian manatee (Trichechus Endangered.
manatus).
Interior least tern (Sterna Endangered.
antillarum).
Lake Erie water snake (Nerodia Threatened.
spiedon insularum).
Shenandoah salamander (Plethodon Threatened.
Shenandoah).
Cheat Mountain salamander (Plethodon Threatened.
nettingi).
Blackside dace (Phoximus Threatened.
cumberlandensis).
Cumberland snubnose darter Candidate.
(Etheostoma susanae).
Gulf sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus Threatened.
desotoi).
Maryland darter (Etheostoma sellare) Endangered.
Scioto madtom (Noturus trautmani)... Endangered.
Slackwater darter (Etheostoma Threatened.
boschungi).
Birdwing pearlymussel (Lemiox Endangered.
rimosus).
Cracking pearlymussel (Hemistena Endangered.
lata).
Cumberland bean pearlymussel Endangered.
(Villosa trabalis).
Cumberland monkeyface pearlymussel Endangered.
(Quadrula rafinesque).
Dromedary pearlymussel (Dromus Endangered.
dromas).
Louisiana pearlshell (Margaritifera Endangered.
hembeli).
Oyster mussel (Epioblasma Endangered.
capsaeformis).
Pale Lilliput pearlymussel Endangered.
(Toxolasma cylindrellus).
Purple cat's paw pearlymussel....... Endangered.
(Epioblasma obliquata).............. Endangered.
Tan riffleshell (Epioblasma Endangered.
florentina walkeri).
White cat's paw pearlymussel Endangered.
(Epioblasma obliquata perobliqua).
White wartyback pearlymussel Endangered.
(Plethobasus cicatriocosus).
Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides Endangered.
melissa samuelis).
Mitchell's satyr butterfly Endangered.
(Neonympha mitchellii mitchellii).
Puritan tiger beetle (Cicindela Threatened.
puritana).
Braun's rock cress (Arabis Endangered.
perstellata).
Pitcher's (sand dune) thistle Threatened.
(Cirsium pitcheri).
Mead's milkweed (Asclepias meadii).. Threatened.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321
et seq.) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.),
we announce that we have gathered the information necessary to:
(1) Determine the impacts and formulate alternatives for an
environmental impact statement related to:
(a) Issuance of an incidental take permit to the Applicant for the
take of nine federally listed species and one species that is proposed
for listing and
(b) Implementation of the associated MSHCP, which includes the
evaluation of 33 other listed species that may occur in the MSHCP
covered lands; and
(2) Evaluate the application for permit issuance, including the
MSHCP, which provides measures to minimize and mitigate the effects of
the proposed incidental take of the 10 species and to avoid take of the
remaining 33 species included in the MSHCP.
Background
NiSource Inc., headquartered in Merrillville, Indiana, is engaged
in natural gas transmission, storage, and
[[Page 41290]]
distribution, as well as electric generation, transmission, and
distribution. NiSource Inc.'s wholly owned pipeline subsidiaries,
Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC; Columbia Gulf Transmission Company;
Crossroads Pipeline Company; Central Kentucky Transmission Company; and
NiSource Gas Transmission and Storage Company (companies referred to
collectively as ``NiSource'' throughout the MSHCP), are interstate
natural gas companies whose primary operations are subject to the
Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717) and fall under the jurisdiction of the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the U.S. Department of
Transportation (USDOT). NiSource is seeking coverage under an
Incidental Take Permit under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA to take
species in the course of engaging in gas transmission and storage
operations activities (``activities'').
NiSource contacted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) in
late 2005 to discuss options under which it could receive authorization
under the ESA to take federally listed species incidental to engaging
in certain natural gas transmission activities. Operation and
maintenance of NiSource's facilities requires numerous activities
conducted on an annual basis. On average, NiSource has approximately
400 projects annually that require some form of review pursuant to the
ESA, typically under Section 7 of the ESA. Most of these consultations
have resulted in a determination that projects either would not affect
or would not likely adversely affect listed species or critical
habitat. The majority of these projects have been addressed through
informal consultations with the Service Field Offices. These activities
include routing right-of-way (ROW) maintenance; facility inspection,
upgrade, and replacement; forced relocations; and expansion projects.
Specifically, NiSource wanted to explore options for ESA compliance
because it believes that its numerous individual project-focused ESA
Section 7 consultations are inefficient and time consuming, and that
the traditional consultation approach to regulatory compliance may be
too limited a tool to achieve the ESA's conservation goals. For
example, when the impacts of natural gas pipeline activities on
protected species are quantified for a discrete project, the
conservation benefits provided to the species are similarly discrete.
Further, the project-by-project approach does not provide the tools
necessary to take a holistic, landscape approach to species protection.
NiSource's MSHCP analyzes impacts to the 43 species resulting from
three general categories of activities related to NiSource's natural
gas systems: (1) General operation and maintenance; (2) safety-related
repairs, replacements, and maintenance; and (3) expansion. The covered
activities addressed in the MSHCP are those activities necessary for
safe and efficient operation of NiSource's pipeline system, many of
which are performed pursuant to the regulations and guidance of the
FERC and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), and other
regulatory authorities. The geographic scope of this MSHCP will extend
across the Service's Midwest, Southeast, and Northeast Regions,
covering the general area stretching from Louisiana northeastward to
New York where NiSource natural gas systems are in place. For purposes
of this MSHCP, NiSource's natural gas pipeline system does not include
any electric transmission lines that support the transmission of
natural gas.
The MSHCP provides both enhanced conservation of listed species and
streamlined regulatory compliance requirements for NiSource's
activities, as well as a means to avoid, minimize, and/or mitigate for
take of the 10 species caused by covered activities. It also documents
measures to be undertaken to avoid adverse effects to the remaining 33
species for which take is not anticipated. The goals of the MSHCP's
conservation strategy are to protect MSHCP species and their habitats
through the implementation of an environmental compliance program
(e.g., practices, standards, training, etc.) that meets or exceeds
Federal, State, and local regulations and requirements; to enhance the
conservation of MSHCP species through the application of rigorous
planning, adaptive management, and sound scientific principles; and to
support species conservation actions using a landscape approach,
maximizing conservation benefits to take species and the ecosystems
that support them. The MSHCP is intended to satisfy applicable
provisions of the ESA pertaining to federally listed species
protection, while improving the permitting efficiency for the
construction, operation, and maintenance of NiSource's natural gas
pipelines and ancillary facilities through a predictable and accepted
structure under which its activities may proceed.
Purpose and Need for Action
In accordance with NEPA, we have prepared an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) to analyze the impacts to the human environment that
would occur if the requested permit were issued and the associated
MSHCP were implemented. The EIS for this action is intended to function
programmatically. Specifically, it will provide a general evaluation of
impacts. Due to the broad scope of the action, however, future, site-
specific evaluations of impacts will be more fully evaluated and
analyzed later through the tiering process. Traditionally, tiered NEPA
analyses are completed by the agency that issues the programmatic EIS
and Record of Decision (ROD). Here, the Service will issue a ROD on the
environmental impacts of the proposed action, i.e., issuance of the
incidental take permit.
We do not anticipate that the cooperating agencies responsible for
authorizing, permitting, or licensing aspects of NiSource's future
activities, such as FERC, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the
U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and the National Park Service (NPS), will
sign or adopt that ROD. Rather, pursuant to the Council on
Environmental Quality's NEPA regulations, such agencies will be
encouraged to ``tier'' off the programmatic EIS by adopting relevant
portions of that document. Given the very general nature of the EIS'
analysis, cooperating agencies will be required to analyze project
impacts more comprehensively as part of their respective permitting
processes. The level of such review will depend on the scope and
impacts of the specific NiSource project under consideration.
Proposed Action
Section 9 of the Act prohibits the ``taking'' of threatened and
endangered species. However, provided certain criteria are met, we are
authorized to issue permits under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Act for
take of federally listed species, when, among other things, such a
taking is incidental to, and not the purpose of, otherwise lawful
activities. Under the Act, the term ``take'' means to harass, harm,
pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect endangered
and threatened species, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct.
Our implementing regulations define ``harm'' as significant habitat
modification or degradation that results in death or injury to listed
species by significantly impairing essential behavioral patterns,
including breeding, feeding, or sheltering (50 CFR 17.3). Harass, as
defined, means ``an intentional or negligent act or omission which
creates the likelihood of injury to wildlife by annoying it to such an
extent as to significantly disrupt normal behavioral patterns which
include, but
[[Page 41291]]
are not limited to, breeding, feeding, or sheltering'' (50 CFR 17.3).
The MSHCP analyzes, and the ITP would cover, the various
manifestations of take attributable to NiSource activities. For the 10
take species, this would primarily involve harassment, harm, and
killing, and, for most species, the take that would occur would include
all three subcategories depending on the specific action. If issued,
the ITP would authorize incidental take consistent with the Applicant's
MSHCP and the permit. To issue the permit, the Service must find that
NiSource's application, including its MSHCP, satisfies the criteria of
section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA and the Service's implementing
regulations at 50 CFR 13, 17.22, and 17.32.
The areas covered (``covered lands'') by the Applicant's MSHCP
include much of NiSource's pipeline system. NiSource's operating
territory traverses 14 States, ranging from New York to Louisiana. The
covered lands overlay NiSource's onshore pipeline system in the States
of Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New
Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee,
Virginia, and West Virginia. This pipeline system includes
approximately 15,562 miles of buried steel pipe ranging in diameter
from 2 to 36 inches, 117 compressor stations, and 6,236 measuring and
regulating stations. In addition, NiSource operates and maintains
underground natural gas storage fields in conjunction with its pipeline
system. Currently, NiSource operates 36 storage fields comprised of
approximately 3,600 individual storage wells in Maryland, West
Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Approximately 95 percent of
NiSource's annual projects will occur within its existing ROW
(typically 50 feet wide, with the buried pipe(s) generally in the
center) and result in little ground disturbance.
A portion of NiSource's annual activities to operate, maintain, and
expand its natural gas transmission system will likely deviate from
NiSource's existing ROW. Therefore, NiSource has proposed a 1-mile-wide
corridor centered on NiSource's existing facilities as the best
approach for defining this portion of the covered lands. This 1-mile-
wide corridor encompasses all of NiSource's onshore pipeline facilities
and the majority of its existing storage fields. However, 9 large
storage fields that NiSource wishes to expand are located outside the
corridor in 12 counties, namely Hocking, Fairfield, Ashland, Knox, and
Richland Counties, Ohio; Bedford County, Pennsylvania; Allegany County,
Maryland; and Kanawha, Jackson, Preston, Marshall and Wetzel Counties,
West Virginia. NiSource has not identified, for the Service or the
public, the locations of the storage fields in these counties, based on
its determination that the information is highly sensitive (for
Homeland Security purposes) and constitutes confidential business
information. Therefore, the covered lands identified in the MSHCP and
DEIS have been defined broadly to include, in their entirety, each of
the 12 counties in which these storage fields occur.
Although a 1-mile-wide corridor and the boundaries of the 12
counties are used to delineate the covered lands and to identify the
potential presence of threatened and endangered species for inclusion
in this MSHCP, the MSHCP does not contemplate unlimited construction or
other surface disturbance within the corridor or the counties. NiSource
will not utilize, clear, or disturb the entire 1-mile-wide corridor or
the storage field counties, or even a significant portion of such
corridor or counties. The 1-mile-wide corridor and county boundaries
were chosen to provide needed flexibility for both the realignment of
existing facilities to accommodate future forced relocations (typically
resulting from public road construction/maintenance projects) and the
minimization of environmental impacts while aligning future replacement
and expansion projects.
Because of the nature of this MSHCP, in terms of the scope of
covered lands and permit duration, NiSource has not been able to
predict with certainty where or when a given covered activity would
occur. Thus, the species analyses rely on multiple assumptions to
estimate the reasonable worst-case-scenario take for each species
considered. Given the uncertainty of certain assumptions, it is
possible that the modeling may underestimate the amount of take. To
address this, Chapter 7 of the MSHCP provides adaptive management to
assess the validity of assumptions and implement specified
contingencies. On the other hand, the reasonable worst case scenarios
may err on the side of overestimating impacts of the covered activities
on the take species. In practice, as the MSHCP is implemented, NiSource
anticipates that by utilizing avoidance and minimization measures, the
actual take numbers will be much less than the amount estimated.
However, obtaining the take authorization and having a process to
avoid, minimize, and mitigate the impact of take that does occur will
provide NiSource with the flexibility to be efficient in its
operations, while providing a benefit to the take species through the
MSHCP's landscape-level conservation approach and mitigation strategy.
NiSource's landscape-level mitigation goal for this MSHCP may be
facilitated by the use of a green infrastructure assessment for
strategic conservation planning developed for NiSource by The
Conservation Fund (TCF), with input from all 14 cooperating States.
Green infrastructure offers a conceptual approach for identifying
mitigation opportunities at an ecosystem level. Specifically, it is a
strategically planned and managed network of natural lands, working
landscapes, and other open spaces that conserve ecosystem values and
functions and provide associated incidental benefits to human
populations. The MSHCP articulates strict criteria for the selection of
future mitigation projects. The Green Infrastructure Assessment will
assist NiSource in identifying the most beneficial projects to be
implemented, consistent with the MSHCP's mitigation prescriptions.
NiSource and the Service sought input from the Federal agency
cooperators (the Service, FERC, USACE, USFS, and NPS) on the MSHCP and
the agencies' NEPA approach. The MSHCP also has a variety of components
for which we seek public review and input. The Madison Cave Isopod, for
example, is an elusive underground species that dwells in karst (cave)
habitats. The Service has limited understanding of the effect of
pipeline activities on some species, such as Madison Cave Isopod,
particularly with respect to such things as the reach of surface
disturbance on the karst systems. Moreover, the large scale, both
geographic and temporal, of the MSHCP brings with it uncertainty and
the need to make assumptions in the absence of absolute scientific
data. We, therefore, seek input on calculation of the reasonable worst-
case scenarios to assess the anticipated amount of take, the mitigation
approach, specific criteria to be used to select future projects to
compensate for the impacts of the takings, and the adequacy of the
proposed funding mechanism, in addition to the adaptive management
strategy and approach that NiSource will use to address changed
circumstances over the life of the plan.
Alternatives in the Draft EIS
Three alternatives were fully evaluated in the environmental impact
statement prepared for this action:
(1) No Action Alternative--NiSource compliance with the ESA would
[[Page 41292]]
continue ``status quo'' through informal and formal Section 7 ESA
consultations between cooperating agencies and the USFWS on a project-
by-project basis (FERC is the lead agency that regulates NiSource
activities). NiSource activities with a Federal nexus (e.g., FERC
authorizations, USACE authorizations, and USFS and NPS permitting)
would continue to require individual Section 7 ESA consultations to
comply with the ESA. NiSource activities with no Federal nexus would
continue to be constrained by the lack of any authorization to take
listed species protected by the ESA.
(2) Issuance of a 50-year ITP and Approval of the NiSource MSHCP
(Proposed Action)--NiSource has sought to address the full range of its
ongoing activities holistically as well as identify and manage species
and their habitat impacts systemwide. The Service agreed that a
multispecies habitat conservation plan developed under Section
10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA could provide a new opportunity to address and
contribute to the conservation and recovery needs of listed species and
habitats within the covered lands. Accordingly, NiSource coordinated
with the Service to develop its MSHCP to cover a wide array of natural
gas pipeline activities over a broad geographic region. Through the
MSHCP, NiSource intends to implement a plan that:
Identifies conservation measures and Best Management
Practices to avoid and minimize impacts on species identified in
NiSource's MSHCP;
Identifies mitigation needs of populations where impacts
occur; and
Implements more comprehensive conservation actions and
mitigation for its entire system for 50 years.
Alternative 2 involves issuance of an ITP for the requested 50-year
term, including approval of the NiSource MSHCP, associated IA, and
acceptance by the Cooperating Agencies and the Service that ITP
issuance and MSHCP compliance fulfill the agencies' obligations under
Section 7 of the ESA. At this time, NiSource is requesting incidental
take authorization for 10 species resulting from NiSource's activities
within the specified operating territory. An ITP would be issued to
NiSource for its activities specific to (1) General Operation and
Maintenance (O&M) activities that do not require excavation or
significant earth disturbance; (2) safety-related repairs,
replacements, and maintenance; and (3) construction and expansion. The
proposed area to be covered by the ITP and associated HCP would include
a 1-mile-wide corridor centered upon a majority of NiSource's existing
interstate natural gas transmission (INGT) system in 14 States
(Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia,
North Carolina, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey,
Delaware and Maryland) for approximately 15,650 miles. In addition to
the designated 1-mile-wide corridor, the ITP and associated MSHCP would
also cover 12 counties in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West
Virginia, in their entireties, where NiSource operates and intends to
expand some of its underground natural gas storage fields. The specific
counties this includes are Hocking, Fairfield, Ashland, Knox, and
Richland Counties in Ohio; Bedford County in Pennsylvania; Allegany
County in Maryland; and Kanawha, Jackson, Preston, Marshall, and Wetzel
Counties in West Virginia.
3. Issuance of a 10-year ITP and Approval of the NiSource MSHCP--
Alternative 3 involves the same issuance, approval, and acceptance
actions detailed above in Alternative 2. However, Alternative 3
considers a permit duration of 10 years, subject to ITP renewal and
potential amendments to the MSHCP by NiSource. This alternative would
cause a reduced amount of take over a shorter period of time. For a
permit duration of 10 years, uncertainty about the MSHCP implementation
and environmental consequences would be somewhat reduced. Upon receipt
of a request to renew the permit, the Service would re-examine the
operating conservation plan to determine whether the biological goals
are being met, whether the mitigation approach is functioning as
envisioned, whether mitigation is compensating for the take that has
occurred over the first 10 years, and whether any adjustment to the
incidental take authority may be required as a condition to permit
renewal. One result of choosing this alternative, however, is that the
mitigation strategy presented in the MSHCP would also be altered, thus
involving fewer acres of mitigation for O&M activities at the outset of
implementation of the plan. Under this alternative, there also would be
a formalized application review process built in by regulation. The
Service's permit regulations require that an application for permit
renewal or amendment must be made available for public review and
comment. The Service also would need to reevaluate the completed NEPA
analysis to determine whether the EIS was sufficient in its analysis of
project impacts beyond the initial term of the permit. Review of the
EIS would be subject to public review concurrent with the permit
renewal application.
In addition to the three alternatives described above, the Service
considered several alternatives in conjunction with MSHCP development
that are described in the draft EIS but dismissed from further
consideration. They include alternatives that considered such things as
variations on the breadth of covered activities, implementation
approach, and covered species.
Reviewing Documents and Submitting Comments
Please refer to TE02636A when submitting comments. The permit
application and supporting documents (ITP application, MSHCP, draft
EIS, Implementing Agreement, and summary documents) may be obtained on
the Internet at the following address: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/permits/hcp/r3hcps.html.
Please make it clear when commenting whether your comments address
the HCP, the draft EIS, both the HCP and draft EIS, or other supporting
documents.
Persons without access to the Internet may obtain copies of the
documents (application, draft HCP, and draft EIS) by contacting the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological Services, 5600 American
Blvd. W., Suite 990, Bloomington, MN 55437-1458 (612-713-5350, voice;
612-713-5292, fax). The documents will also be available for public
inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours (8 a.m. to 4
p.m.) at the following Regional Offices:
Midwest Region Office: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological
Services, 10th Floor--5600 American Blvd. W., Bloomington, MN 55437
(612-713-5350, voice; 612-713-5292, fax);
Southeast Region: 1875 Century Blvd, Suite 200, Atlanta, GA 30345-
3319 (404-679-7140, voice; 404-679-7081, fax);
Northeast Region: 300 Westgate Center Drive, Hadley, MA 01035-9589
(413-253-8304, voice; 413-253-8293, fax).
Written comments will be accepted as described under ADDRESSES,
above.
Public Meetings
Public meetings will be held at three locations in proximity to the
proposed covered lands for this MSHCP. Meetings will be held in
Columbus, Ohio; Lexington, Kentucky; and Charleston, West Virginia as
follows:
August 16, 2011, 7 p.m., University Plaza Hotel and
Conference Center,
[[Page 41293]]
3110 Olentangy River Road, Columbus, OH 43202.
August 17, 2011, 7 p.m., Ramada Conference Center, 2143 N.
Broadway, Lexington, KY 40505.
August 18, 2011, 7 p.m., Charleston Ramada Plaza, 400 2nd
Ave., S. Charleston, WV 25303.
Public Availability of Comments
Written comments we receive become part of the public record
associated with this action. Before including your address, phone
number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in
your comment, you should be aware that the entire comment, including
your personal identifying information, may be made available at any
time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we
will be able to do so.
Authority
We provide this notice under section 10(c) of the ESA (16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (50 CFR 17.22), and NEPA
(42 U.S.C. 4371 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (40 CFR
1506.6; 43 CFR part 46).
Dated: June 21, 2011.
Richard D. Schultz,
Acting Regional Director, Midwest Region, Fort Snelling, Minnesota.
[FR Doc. 2011-17419 Filed 7-12-11; 8:45 am]
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