[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 222 (Tuesday, November 18, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68690-68692]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-27255]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R5-ES-2014-0047; FXES11120500000]
Early Scoping for an Anticipated Application for Incidental Take
Permit and Draft Habitat Conservation Plan; North Allegheny Wind
Facility
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of initiation of scoping.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), announce our intent to prepare a NEPA document for an
anticipated Incidental Take Permit (ITP) application and associated
draft habitat conservation plan (HCP) from the North Allegheny Wind,
LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Duke Energy Generating Services (or
Duke Energy Renewables) for operation of their wind facility within
occupied habitat of the northern long-eared bat (Myotis
septentrionalis) and the federally listed endangered Indiana bat
(Myotis sodalis). The northern long-eared bat has recently been
proposed for listing as endangered under the ESA. Wind turbine
operation has the potential to incidentally take Indiana bats and
northern long-eared bats. Therefore, Duke Energy
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Renewables is developing an ITP application and HCP to address this
activity.
In advance of receiving the ITP application for this project, the
Service is providing this notice to request information from other
agencies, tribes, and the public on the scope of the NEPA review and
issues to consider in the NEPA analysis and in development of the HCP.
DATES: We will accept comments received or postmarked on or before
December 18, 2014. Comments submitted electronically using the Federal
eRulemaking Portal (see ADDRESSES) must be received by 11:59 p.m.
Eastern Time on the closing date.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by one of the following
methods:
Electronically: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-R5-ES-2014-0047,
which is the docket number for this notice. Click on the appropriate
link to locate this document and submit a comment.
By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to Public
Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R5-ES-2014-0047; Division of Policy and
Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: BPHC; 5275
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
We request that you send comments by only the methods described
above. We will post all information received on the Web site at: http://www.regulations.gov. This generally means that we will post any
personal information you provide us (see the Public Comments section
below for more information).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lora Zimmerman, by mail at U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, 315 South Allen Street, Suite 322, State College,
PA 16801, or by telephone at 814-234-4090, extension 233.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We announce our intent to prepare a NEPA
document for a pending ITP application and associated draft HCP from
Duke Energy Renewables. Duke Energy Renewables currently owns and
operates the North Allegheny Wind Project, a utility-scale wind
generation facility in Blair and Cambria Counties, Pennsylvania. A map
depicting the wind facility on the landscape can be viewed on the
Service's Pennsylvania Field Office Web page; http://www.fws.gov/northeast/pafo//pdf/NAW_LocationMap_100914.pdf . The facility consists
of 35 2-megawatt turbines, a network of electrical collector lines, and
access roads. The facility is situated in predominantly forested lands
that harbor the federally listed endangered Indiana bat and the
proposed endangered northern long-eared bat. Construction of the
facility was completed in 2008, and commercial operation began in
September 2009. Take of one Indiana bat occurred in September 2011. As
a result, the company has been operating at a cut in speed we believe
that will avoid further take while permit materials are being developed
and final decisions are made. As indicated above, wind turbine
operation has the potential to incidentally take Indiana bats and
northern long-eared bats. Therefore, Duke Energy Renewables is
developing an ITP application and HCP to address these activities.
In advance of receiving the ITP application for this project, the
Service is providing this notice to request information from other
agencies, Tribes, and the public on the scope of the NEPA review and
issues to consider in the NEPA analysis and in development of the HCP.
We believe we can proceed with an Environmental Assessment (EA), with
the caveat that we will use it to evaluate, in conjunction with the
public comments, whether any significant impacts would require further
analysis in an Environmental Impact Statement.
Request for Information
We request data, comments, information, and suggestions from the
public, other concerned governmental agencies, the scientific
community, Tribes, industry, or any other interested party on this
notice. We will consider all comments we receive in complying with the
requirements of NEPA and in the development of the HCP and ITP.
We seek comments particularly related to:
(1) Information concerning the biology, range, distribution,
population size, and population trends of Indiana bats, northern long-
eared bats, and other federally listed species that occur in
Pennsylvania that could be affected by proposed covered activities;
(2) Relevant data and information concerning wind turbine operation
and bat interactions; and
(3) Any other issues relating to the human environment and
potential impacts that we should consider with regard to the covered
activities and potential ITP issuance (e.g., cultural and historical
resources, migratory birds, etc).
You may submit your comments and materials considering this notice
by one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section.
Background
Indiana bats are listed as an endangered species under the ESA. The
population decline of this species has historically been attributed to
habitat loss and degradation of both winter hibernation habitat
(hibernacula) and summer roosting habitat, human disturbance during
hibernation, and possibly pesticides. A more recent threat to Indiana
bats has been the emergence of white-nose syndrome (WNS), an infectious
fungal disease that has led to significant population declines in some
parts of the species' range, including the northeastern and
southeastern United States.
The range of the Indiana bat includes much of the eastern United
States, including Pennsylvania. Winter habitat for the Indiana bat
includes caves and mines that support high humidity and cool-but-stable
temperatures. In the summer, Indiana bats roost in trees (dead, dying,
or alive) with exfoliating bark, cracks, crevices, and/or hollows.
During summer, males roost alone or in small groups, while females and
their offspring can roost in larger groups. Indiana bats forage for
insects in and along the edges of forested areas and wooded stream
corridors.
Northern long-eared bats have recently been proposed for listing as
endangered under the ESA. WNS is the predominant threat to the species,
though other threats may include impacts to hibernacula and summer
habitat, and disturbance of hibernating bats. Northern long-eared bats
have been abundant in the eastern United States and are often captured
in summer mist nets surveys and detected during acoustic surveys.
Northern long-eared bats are known to use forested habitats throughout
Pennsylvania. Similar to Indiana bats, northern long-eared bats
generally hibernate in caves and mines during the winter. During the
summer, the bats roost in live or dead trees, though they are also
known to use human-made structures such as barns, sheds, and bat boxes.
Bats are known to be killed in significant numbers by utility-scale
wind turbines in the eastern United States. Bats have very low
reproductive rates, with females of most species typically producing
only one offspring per year. Fatalities resulting from wind facilities
are considered to be additive to baseline fatalities, that is, they are
fatalities above and beyond that which would be expected to occur due
to baseline ecological and biological factors, such as old age,
predation, and
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climatic extremes. Furthermore, with respect to Indiana bats and
northern long-eared bats, the additive mortality from wind facilities
is expected to exacerbate population declines that have resulted from
WNS.
The Federal action that will be analyzed through NEPA will be the
potential issuance of an ITP to allow incidental take of Indiana bats
and northern long-eared bats from wind turbines that will be described
in the HCP. The HCP will incorporate avoidance, minimization,
mitigation, monitoring, and reporting measures aimed at addressing the
impact of the covered activities to Indiana bats and northern long-
eared bats. A description of the covered lands is currently under
development for the HCP, but will likely include the 35 turbines,
turbine pads, electric lines, and access roads. The covered activities
in the HCP are anticipated to include turbine operation, maintenance
activities, decommissioning, and mitigation actions that have the
potential to result in incidental take of Indiana bats and northern
long-eared bats. Because curtailment of operating turbines is the only
method presently known to effectively reduce bat fatalities due to wind
turbine operation, this will likely be the primary minimization measure
employed. The permit term is under development but is likely to be
coextensive with the predicted operating life of the turbines,
generally between 20-30 years.
The NEPA analysis will assess the direct, indirect, and cumulative
impacts of the proposed Federal action on the human environment,
comprehensively interpreted to include the natural and physical
environment and the relationship of people with that environment. It
will also analyze several alternatives to the proposed Federal action,
to include no action, and other reasonable courses of action. Relevant
information provided in response to this notice will aid in developing
the draft HCP and NEPA analysis.
Next Steps
In this phase of the project, we are seeking information to assist
development of the NEPA analysis and the draft HCP. We will then
develop a draft NEPA document based on the ITP application, Applicant's
draft HCP, any associated documents, and public comments received
through this early scoping effort. We will then publish a notice of
availability for the draft NEPA document and draft HCP and seek
additional public comment before completing our final analysis to
determine whether to issue an ITP.
Public Comments
The Service invites the public to provide comments that will assist
our NEPA analysis during this 30-day public comment period (see DATES).
You may submit comments by one of the methods shown under ADDRESSES.
Public Availability of Comments
We will post all public comments and information received
electronically or via hardcopy at http://regulations.gov. All comments
received, including names and addresses, will become part of the
administrative record and will be available to the public. Before
including your address, phone number, electronic mail address, or other
personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware
that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--will be publicly available. If you submit a hardcopy
comment that includes personal identifying information, you may request
at the top of your document that we withhold this information from
public review. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do
so.
Authority
This notice is provided pursuant to NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1501.7
and 1508.22).
Dated: October 27, 2014.
Paul Phifer,
Assistant Regional Director, Ecological Services, Northeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2014-27255 Filed 11-17-14; 8:45 am]
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