The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued an incidental take permit under the Endangered Species Act to NiSource Inc., a natural gas pipeline and transmission company, in conjunction with the company’s comprehensive plan to conserve dozens of endangered species while operating and maintaining its network of pipelines in 14 northeastern, Midwest and southeastern states.
The habitat conservation plan covers activities in 14 states: Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
The incidental take permit was approved after the Service evaluated NiSource’s habitat conservation plan to conserve federally endangered and threatened species while carrying out maintenance and other activities along the network.
The Endangered Species Act requires an approved habitat conservation plan before an incidental take permit is granted. Habitat conservation plans are agreements between a landowner or private company and the Service, allowing permit applicants to undertake otherwise lawful activities on their property that may result in the incidental death, injury or harassment of a federally endangered or threatened species; the applicant agrees to conservation measures designed to minimize and mitigate the impact of those actions.
“The habitat conservation plan developed by NiSource represents the new model for endangered species conservation and corporate wildlife stewardship,” said Tom Melius, the Service’s Midwest Regional Director. “This plan is an efficient and effective mechanism to address the conservation needs of listed species on a landscape scale, and it gives NiSource the ability to plan its activities in the long term.”
