Permits for Incidental Take of Eagles and Eagle Nests

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are revising the regulations for the issuance of permits for eagle incidental take and eagle nest take. The purpose of these revisions is to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of permitting, improve clarity for the regulated community, and increase the conservation benefit for eagles. In addition to continuing to authorize specific permits, we created general permits for certain activities under prescribed conditions, including general permit options for qualifying wind-energy generation projects, power line infrastructure, activities that may disturb breeding bald eagles, and bald eagle nest take. We also made improvements to the specific permit requirements and process. We also revised permit fees and clarified definitions.