[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 219 (Tuesday, November 13, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56365-56366]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-24718]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-HQ-MB-2017-0092; 91200-FF09M20300-189-FXMB123109EAGLE]
Updated Collision Risk Model Priors for Estimating Eagle
Fatalities at Wind Energy Facilities
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Reopening of the comment period.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) uses a collision
risk model (CRM) to predict the number of golden and bald eagles that
may be killed at new wind facilities. The model incorporates existing
information on eagle exposure and collision probability in the form of
prior distributions (priors). The Service has updated the priors for
both species of eagle and, on June 21 of this year, announced the
availability of a report of the analysis conducted to generate the new
priors (83 FR 28858). The notice solicited public comments on how the
Service should use the new bald eagle priors. Today's notice reopens
the comment period for 30 days, and provides additional information
requested by commenters.
DATES: To ensure consideration of written comments, they must be
submitted on or before December 13, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by one of the following
methods:
Electronically: Go to the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Search for FWS-HQ-MB-2017-0092, which is the
docket number for this notice, and follow the directions for submitting
comments.
By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to Public
Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-HQ-MB-2017-0092; Division of Policy,
Performance, and Management Programs; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service;
MS: BPHC; 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
We will post all comments on https://www.regulations.gov. This
generally
[[Page 56366]]
means that we will post any personal information you provide us (see
Request for Information below for more information).
We request that you send comments by only one of the methods
described above. We will post all information received on http://www.regulations.gov. This generally means that we will post any
personal information you provide us (see the Public Availability of
Comments section below for more information).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken Richkus, at 703-358-1780
(telephone), or ken_richkus@fws.gov (email). Individuals who are
hearing impaired or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay Service
at 800-877-8337 for TTY assistance.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) uses a collision risk
model (CRM) to predict the number of golden and bald eagles that may be
killed at new wind facilities (USFWS 2013; New et al. 2015). The CRM
incorporates existing knowledge of eagle use around a proposed wind
facility (exposure) and the probability of an eagle colliding with an
operating turbine (collision probability).
The CRM is constructed using a Bayesian framework, and as such
incorporates existing information on eagle exposure and collision
probability in the form of prior distributions (priors). The priors are
formally combined with site-specific data on exposure and the amount of
hazardous area and operational time for a site to estimate the expected
number of annual eagle collision fatalities.
The Service recently updated the priors for both species of eagle
using all available data that meet specific criteria, substantially
more data than were available when the original priors were
established. We released a report of the analysis undertaken to
generate the updated priors and announced the availability of the
report in a June 21, 2018, Federal Register notice published on (83 FR
28858). In that notice we asked for public input on options for how we
should apply the new bald eagle priors. Several of the comments we
received during the initial comment period requested that the Service
provide the values for the shape and rate parameters of the gamma and
beta distributions described in the referenced report. In response to
these comments, we have posted an updated version of the report that
provides those parameter values on the Service's website at: https://www.fws.gov/birds/management/managedspecies/eaglemanagement.php. You
can also find the report on the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Search for FWS-HQ-MB-2017-0092.
Because the bald eagle collision prior is based on data from only
14 sites that do not span the range of bald eagle density conditions
that exist across the country, the prior may not be as representative
as it would be if data from a wider range of location had been
available. Given this uncertainty, the Service is considering three
alternatives for how to incorporate species-specific priors for bald
eagles into the CRM and fatality modeling process:
(1) Use the updated species-specific priors, and use the 80th
quantile of the CRM fatality estimates as the initial permitted take
number for permits, as is the current practice.
(2) Use the updated species-specific priors, but because the status
of bald eagles is secure, adopt a risk-tolerant policy for bald eagles
and select a more liberal quantile on the CRM fatality distribution as
the initial permitted take number for this species.
(3) Given the limitations in data available to inform the bald
eagle priors, initiate an expert elicitation process to further refine
the bald eagle priors.
Under any of these scenarios, the Service would use data submitted
under permits to make updates to the priors in the future.
Alternative 1 would mean that for a similar level of eagle use
observed at a project site, the Service would use higher fatality
estimates for bald eagles than for golden eagles. Alternative 2 would
be a decision by the Service to be more `risk-tolerant' for bald
eagles. This would mean that initial fatality predictions would be
lower, however it would also likely mean that more permits would have
to be amended to increase the permitted take over time (i.e., the
Service would be underestimating take more often). Alternative 3 would
be a decision by the Service that more information is needed to
understand the potential variability of exposure and collision
probability for bald eagles. Such a process could result in either
higher or lower (or more variable) priors. We are soliciting input from
the public on these three alternatives. We are not seeking input on the
CRM itself, which has been peer-reviewed and been the subject of
multiple rounds of public comment in the past.
Public Availability of Comments
Written comments we receive become part of the public record
associated with this action. Before including your address, phone
number, email 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 publicly 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. All submissions from
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or
businesses, will be made available for public disclosure in their
entirety.
Dated: October 29, 2018.
Andrea Travnicek,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Water and Science, Exercising the
authority of the Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
[FR Doc. 2018-24718 Filed 11-9-18; 8:45 am]
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