81_FR_12158 81 FR 12113 - Notice of Availability: Environmental Assessment and Draft Amended Oil and Gas Industry Conservation Plan for the American Burying Beetle in Oklahoma

81 FR 12113 - Notice of Availability: Environmental Assessment and Draft Amended Oil and Gas Industry Conservation Plan for the American Burying Beetle in Oklahoma

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 45 (March 8, 2016)

Page Range12113-12114
FR Document2016-05086

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability of an environmental assessment (EA), under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, that evaluates the impacts of a draft amendment to the Oil and Gas Industry Conservation Plan (ICP) for incidental take of the federally listed American burying beetle resulting from oil and gas industry activities. The original ICP (2014 ICP) was approved on May 21, 2014. The proposed amendment to the ICP will extend by 3 years the periods for signup, submission of individual project plans (IPPs), project construction, and ICP/permit duration. It also will provide date-certain deadlines, which will reduce confusion and simplify tracking for both permittees and the Service. In addition, we propose to delete language that limits coverage to projects that are fully contained within the ICP planning area. There is no change to the covered species, total amount of take authorized, or the planning area, which consists of 45 counties in Oklahoma. Individual oil and gas companies would continue to apply for Endangered Species Act permits for incidental take and agree to comply with the terms and conditions of the ICP.

Federal Register, Volume 81 Issue 45 (Tuesday, March 8, 2016)
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 8, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12113-12114]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-05086]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R2-ES-2015-N192; FXES11120200000-167-FF02ENEH00]


Notice of Availability: Environmental Assessment and Draft 
Amended Oil and Gas Industry Conservation Plan for the American Burying 
Beetle in Oklahoma

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of documents; request for public 
comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the 
availability of an environmental assessment (EA), under the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, that evaluates the impacts of a draft 
amendment to the Oil and Gas Industry Conservation Plan (ICP) for 
incidental take of the federally listed American burying beetle 
resulting from oil and gas industry activities. The original ICP (2014 
ICP) was approved on May 21, 2014. The proposed amendment to the ICP 
will extend by 3 years the periods for signup, submission of individual 
project plans (IPPs), project construction, and ICP/permit duration. It 
also will provide date-certain deadlines, which will reduce confusion 
and simplify tracking for both permittees and the Service. In addition, 
we propose to delete language that limits coverage to projects that are 
fully contained within the ICP planning area. There is no change to the 
covered species, total amount of take authorized, or the planning area, 
which consists of 45 counties in Oklahoma. Individual oil and gas 
companies would continue to apply for Endangered Species Act permits 
for incidental take and agree to comply with the terms and conditions 
of the ICP.

DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be received or 
postmarked on or before April 7, 2016. Any comments we receive after 
the closing date or not postmarked by the closing date may not be 
considered in the final decision on this action.

ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents:
     Internet: You may obtain copies of the EA and draft 
amendment to the ICP on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (Service) 
Web site at www.fws.gov/southwest/es/oklahoma/ABBICP.
     U.S. Mail: A limited number of CD-ROM and printed copies 
of the EA and draft amendment to the ICP are available, by request, 
from the Field Supervisor, by mail at the Oklahoma Ecological Services 
Field Office, 9014 E. 21st St., Tulsa, OK 74129; by phone at 918-581-
7458; or by fax at 918-581-7467. Please note that your request is in 
reference to the draft amended ICP for American burying beetle in 
Oklahoma.
     In-Person: Copies of the EA and draft amended ICP are also 
available for public inspection and review at the following locations, 
by appointment and written request only, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.:
    [cir] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 500 Gold Avenue SW., Room 
6034, Albuquerque, NM 87102.
    [cir] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 9014 E. 21st St., Tulsa, OK 
74129.
    Comment submission: You may submit comments by one of the following 
methods.
    [cir] U.S. Mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oklahoma 
Ecological Services Field Office, 9014 E. 21st St., Tulsa, OK 74129; by 
phone at 918-581-7458; or by fax at 918-581-7467.
    [cir] Electronically: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jonna Polk, Field Supervisor, by U.S. 
mail at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oklahoma Ecological 
Services Field Office, 9014 E. 21st St., Tulsa, OK 74129; or by phone 
at 918-581-7458.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the National Environmental Policy Act 
of 1969 (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), this notice advises the public 
that we, the Service, have gathered the information necessary to 
determine impacts of the EA and draft amendment to the ICP related to 
the proposed issuance of incidental take permits (ITPs) under section 
10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), to 
oil and gas companies (applicants) who agree to the conditions in the 
draft amended ICP. The ICP is a habitat conservation plan (HCP) that 
covers take of the American burying beetle (ABB) in Oklahoma that is 
incidental to covered activities associated with geophysical 
exploration (seismic), development, extraction, or transport of crude 
oil, natural gas, and/or other petroleum products, as well as 
maintenance, operation, repair, and decommissioning of oil and gas 
pipelines and well field infrastructure, and will include measures 
necessary to minimize and mitigate impacts to the covered species and 
its habitat to the maximum extent practicable.
    The Service plans to amend the ICP to cover several changes. We 
plan to (1) extend the timeframe for oil and gas companies (industry) 
to apply for participation in the ICP; (2) extend the expiration date 
of the ICP and permits by 3 years; (3) extend the construction period 
to 3 years after permit issuance and approval of individual project 
plans (IPP); (4) extend operations and management coverage to the 
permit expiration date; (5) provide date-certain limits for each period 
to help industry and the Service simplify record-keeping; and (6) 
remove requirements that all projects must be completely within the 
planning area. Removing the restriction will expand the type of 
activities to include pipelines from other areas.
    Under the proposed amendment there are no proposed changes to the 
federally listed species. The American burying beetle (ABB) is the only 
species covered for incidental take in the draft amended ICP, and the 
total amount of take has not been increased. There are no changes to 
the process for applying for an incidental take permit or submission of 
individual project plans (IPPs), other than the removal of the 
requirement for the project to be entirely contained within the covered 
area. There are no changes to the covered area, which consists of the 
following 45 Oklahoma counties: Adair, Atoka, Bryan, Carter, Cherokee, 
Choctaw, Cleveland, Coal, Craig, Creek, Delaware, Garvin, Haskell, 
Hughes, Johnson, Kay, Latimer, Le Flore, Lincoln, Love, Marshall, 
Mayes, McClain, McCurtain, McIntosh, Murray, Muskogee, Noble, Nowata, 
Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Payne, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, 
Pottawatomie, Pushmataha, Rogers, Seminole, Sequoyah, Tulsa, Wagoner, 
and Washington.
    The 2014 ICP allows industry to apply for a permit to participate 
for the first two years from the date of approval and signature--May 
21, 2014. Construction is allowed for the first 2 years, and operations 
and maintenance for up to an additional 20 years. The estimates of 
potential impacts from industry activities for the ICP were based on

[[Page 12114]]

recent history of development at the time of development and industry 
predictions. However, industry activity and impacts have been less than 
expected due to reduced petroleum prices and market conditions, and the 
amount of take issued under the 2014 ICP has been significantly lower 
than anticipated (32,234 acres allowed, with only 395 acres approved as 
of January 11, 2016). The 2014 ICP is only open for new applications 
through May 21, 2016, and incidental take authorized through the ICP is 
unlikely to approach the 32,234 acres allowed by that date.
    The amendment will extend by 3 years the period for ICP signup, 
submission of IPPs, and construction after IPP approval. All 
applications under the amended ICP must be received by May 20, 2019, 
but may be approved after that date. Once approved and permitted, the 
permit holder must still submit their IPPs for approval by the Oklahoma 
Ecological Services Office prior to construction under the permit. 
Under the amended plan, IPPs must be received by May 20, 2022, and all 
construction related to IPPs must be completed by May 20, 2025. 
Operation and maintenance activities are authorized until the permit 
expires on May 20, 2039. Therefore, incidental take issued under this 
ICP may occur across a maximum of 25 years. All incidental take 
coverage provided by the amended ICP will end when the ICP and permits 
expire on May 20, 2039, regardless of when the individual permits or 
IPP applications were approved. Providing date-certain limits for each 
period will reduce confusion and simplify tracking for both permittees 
and the Service.
    We also propose to remove all language that limits coverage to 
projects that are fully contained within the ICP planning area. 
Projects that extend beyond the planning area can apply for coverage 
for the portion that is within the planning area. This is with the 
understanding that the amended ICP will not provide any Endangered 
Species Act coverage or National Environmental Policy Act analysis for 
the portions of the projects that are outside the planning area. The 
change in timelines and allowing coverage for projects that are not 
fully contained within the ICP planning area are the only revisions to 
the ICP and EA. There are no changes to the biological opinion (BO).
    We have assessed the potential impacts of the amendment to the ICP 
and reviewed the associated environmental assessment (EA) and BO for 
industry-related activities within the eastern Oklahoma planning area. 
Extending the same level of take over additional years is expected to 
reduce potential impacts to local habitat and ABB populations. Much of 
the oil and gas related impacts are temporary and can be restored 
within 2-5 years. Spreading the impacts over up to 11 years would allow 
temporary soil disturbance initiated in the first few years to be 
partially or fully restored before impacts from later projects have 
begun. The ABB is an annual species, and reducing take in any year 
should allow more adult beetles to survive into the next year. 
Incidental take authorized through the extension would not be 
increased, is a very small percentage of the total ABB habitat, and 
would not change the BO determination that the take would not 
jeopardize the continued existence of the ABB.
    Permittees with existing ICP permits are bound by the terms and 
conditions of their existing permits. If they want the extended 
timeframes or reduced restrictions regarding being completely contained 
within the ICP Planning Area, they must apply for an amendment to their 
permit.

Background

    Potential impacts as a result of the extension are not expected to 
increase beyond those already identified in the EA. Environmental 
consequences were reviewed for the ICP extension and potential impacts 
to the following resources were evaluated: Geology, Soils, Water 
Resources, Water Quality, Air Quality, Vegetation, Wetlands, General 
Wildlife, Threatened and Endangered Species, Land Use, Aesthetics and 
Noise, Socioeconomics, Environmental Justice, Tribal jurisdiction, and 
Cultural Resources. Minor benefits in the areas of Water Resources, 
Water Quality, Air Quality, Vegetation, Wetlands, General Wildlife, 
Threatened and Endangered Species, Land Use, Aesthetics, and Noise 
could occur, because any impacts of oil and gas construction activity 
would be spread out over up to 11 years. Local impacts of project-
related soil disturbance such as removal of vegetation, erosion, and 
dust may be reduced, and some recovery of natural resources could be 
expected if spread out over additional years.
    The ICP extension is not expected to significantly affect oil and 
gas activity, but would help support industry activity by streamlining 
compliance with the ESA, while continuing conservation efforts for the 
ABB. The 3-year ICP extension is not expected to trigger any new 
environmental consequences, or any new impacts to local economies or 
cultural resources. Nor are there any expected changes to direct, 
indirect, and cumulative effects. The ICP extension would not authorize 
any additional activities or incidental take. The same types and 
quantities of activities previously described in the EA are expected to 
occur with the 3-year extension. Based on the 2014 ICP, construction-
related impacts could occur for up to 11 years (5 years from permit 
issuance, up to 3 additional years for IPP approval, and up to 3 years 
from IPP approval for construction) instead of for the original 2-year 
timeframe, and operation and maintenance-related impacts would occur 
over 25 years instead of the original 22 years.

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 your entire comment--including 
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available 
at any time. While you can request in your comment that we withhold 
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so. We will not consider anonymous 
comments. 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.

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. 4321 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (40 CFR 
1506.6).

    Dated: February 2, 2016.
Benjamin N. Tuggle,
Regional Director, Southwest Region, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
[FR Doc. 2016-05086 Filed 3-7-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P



                                                                                   Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 45 / Tuesday, March 8, 2016 / Notices                                           12113

                                                         106 Process                                        permits for incidental take and agree to              (HCP) that covers take of the American
                                                      C. Fixing America’s Surface                           comply with the terms and conditions                  burying beetle (ABB) in Oklahoma that
                                                         Transportation (FAST) Act                          of the ICP.                                           is incidental to covered activities
                                                    IV. ACHP Native American Affairs                        DATES: To ensure consideration, written               associated with geophysical exploration
                                                         Committee Activities                               comments must be received or                          (seismic), development, extraction, or
                                                      V. New Business                                       postmarked on or before April 7, 2016.                transport of crude oil, natural gas, and/
                                                      VI. Adjourn                                           Any comments we receive after the                     or other petroleum products, as well as
                                                      The meetings of the ACHP are open                     closing date or not postmarked by the                 maintenance, operation, repair, and
                                                    to the public. If you need special                      closing date may not be considered in                 decommissioning of oil and gas
                                                    accommodations due to a disability,                     the final decision on this action.                    pipelines and well field infrastructure,
                                                    please contact Cindy Bienvenue, 202–                    ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents:                       and will include measures necessary to
                                                    517–0202 or cbienvenue@achp.gov, at                        • Internet: You may obtain copies of               minimize and mitigate impacts to the
                                                    least seven (7) days prior to the meeting.              the EA and draft amendment to the ICP                 covered species and its habitat to the
                                                       Authority: 54 U.S.C. 304102                          on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s               maximum extent practicable.
                                                                                                            (Service) Web site at www.fws.gov/                       The Service plans to amend the ICP
                                                      Dated: March 3, 2016.                                                                                       to cover several changes. We plan to (1)
                                                    Javier E. Marques,                                      southwest/es/oklahoma/ABBICP.
                                                                                                               • U.S. Mail: A limited number of CD–               extend the timeframe for oil and gas
                                                    Associate General Counsel.                                                                                    companies (industry) to apply for
                                                                                                            ROM and printed copies of the EA and
                                                    [FR Doc. 2016–05154 Filed 3–7–16; 8:45 am]
                                                                                                            draft amendment to the ICP are                        participation in the ICP; (2) extend the
                                                    BILLING CODE 4310–K6–P                                  available, by request, from the Field                 expiration date of the ICP and permits
                                                                                                            Supervisor, by mail at the Oklahoma                   by 3 years; (3) extend the construction
                                                                                                            Ecological Services Field Office, 9014 E.             period to 3 years after permit issuance
                                                    DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR                              21st St., Tulsa, OK 74129; by phone at                and approval of individual project plans
                                                                                                            918–581–7458; or by fax at 918–581–                   (IPP); (4) extend operations and
                                                    Fish and Wildlife Service                               7467. Please note that your request is in             management coverage to the permit
                                                                                                            reference to the draft amended ICP for                expiration date; (5) provide date-certain
                                                    [FWS–R2–ES–2015–N192;
                                                    FXES11120200000–167–FF02ENEH00]                         American burying beetle in Oklahoma.                  limits for each period to help industry
                                                                                                               • In-Person: Copies of the EA and                  and the Service simplify record-keeping;
                                                    Notice of Availability: Environmental                   draft amended ICP are also available for              and (6) remove requirements that all
                                                    Assessment and Draft Amended Oil                        public inspection and review at the                   projects must be completely within the
                                                    and Gas Industry Conservation Plan                      following locations, by appointment and               planning area. Removing the restriction
                                                    for the American Burying Beetle in                      written request only, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.:            will expand the type of activities to
                                                    Oklahoma                                                   Æ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 500              include pipelines from other areas.
                                                                                                            Gold Avenue SW., Room 6034,                              Under the proposed amendment there
                                                    AGENCY:   Fish and Wildlife Service,                                                                          are no proposed changes to the federally
                                                    Interior.                                               Albuquerque, NM 87102.
                                                                                                               Æ U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,                  listed species. The American burying
                                                    ACTION: Notice of availability of                       9014 E. 21st St., Tulsa, OK 74129.                    beetle (ABB) is the only species covered
                                                    documents; request for public comment.                     Comment submission: You may                        for incidental take in the draft amended
                                                                                                            submit comments by one of the                         ICP, and the total amount of take has not
                                                    SUMMARY:    We, the U.S. Fish and                                                                             been increased. There are no changes to
                                                    Wildlife Service, announce the                          following methods.
                                                                                                               Æ U.S. Mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife                the process for applying for an
                                                    availability of an environmental                                                                              incidental take permit or submission of
                                                    assessment (EA), under the National                     Service, Oklahoma Ecological Services
                                                                                                            Field Office, 9014 E. 21st St., Tulsa, OK             individual project plans (IPPs), other
                                                    Environmental Policy Act of 1969, that                                                                        than the removal of the requirement for
                                                    evaluates the impacts of a draft                        74129; by phone at 918–581–7458; or by
                                                                                                            fax at 918–581–7467.                                  the project to be entirely contained
                                                    amendment to the Oil and Gas Industry                                                                         within the covered area. There are no
                                                                                                               Æ Electronically: fw2_hcp_permits@
                                                    Conservation Plan (ICP) for incidental                                                                        changes to the covered area, which
                                                                                                            fws.gov.
                                                    take of the federally listed American                                                                         consists of the following 45 Oklahoma
                                                    burying beetle resulting from oil and gas               FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:                      counties: Adair, Atoka, Bryan, Carter,
                                                    industry activities. The original ICP                   Jonna Polk, Field Supervisor, by U.S.                 Cherokee, Choctaw, Cleveland, Coal,
                                                    (2014 ICP) was approved on May 21,                      mail at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife                    Craig, Creek, Delaware, Garvin, Haskell,
                                                    2014. The proposed amendment to the                     Service, Oklahoma Ecological Services                 Hughes, Johnson, Kay, Latimer, Le
                                                    ICP will extend by 3 years the periods                  Field Office, 9014 E. 21st St., Tulsa, OK             Flore, Lincoln, Love, Marshall, Mayes,
                                                    for signup, submission of individual                    74129; or by phone at 918–581–7458.                   McClain, McCurtain, McIntosh, Murray,
                                                    project plans (IPPs), project                           SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the                  Muskogee, Noble, Nowata, Okfuskee,
                                                    construction, and ICP/permit duration.                  National Environmental Policy Act of                  Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee,
                                                    It also will provide date-certain                       1969 (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.),                  Payne, Pittsburg, Pontotoc,
                                                    deadlines, which will reduce confusion                  this notice advises the public that we,               Pottawatomie, Pushmataha, Rogers,
                                                    and simplify tracking for both                          the Service, have gathered the                        Seminole, Sequoyah, Tulsa, Wagoner,
                                                    permittees and the Service. In addition,                information necessary to determine                    and Washington.
                                                    we propose to delete language that                      impacts of the EA and draft amendment                    The 2014 ICP allows industry to apply
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                                    limits coverage to projects that are fully              to the ICP related to the proposed                    for a permit to participate for the first
                                                    contained within the ICP planning area.                 issuance of incidental take permits                   two years from the date of approval and
                                                    There is no change to the covered                       (ITPs) under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the               signature—May 21, 2014. Construction
                                                    species, total amount of take authorized,               Endangered Species Act of 1973, as                    is allowed for the first 2 years, and
                                                    or the planning area, which consists of                 amended (ESA), to oil and gas                         operations and maintenance for up to an
                                                    45 counties in Oklahoma. Individual oil                 companies (applicants) who agree to the               additional 20 years. The estimates of
                                                    and gas companies would continue to                     conditions in the draft amended ICP.                  potential impacts from industry
                                                    apply for Endangered Species Act                        The ICP is a habitat conservation plan                activities for the ICP were based on


                                               VerDate Sep<11>2014   17:02 Mar 07, 2016   Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00049   Fmt 4703   Sfmt 4703   E:\FR\FM\08MRN1.SGM   08MRN1


                                                    12114                          Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 45 / Tuesday, March 8, 2016 / Notices

                                                    recent history of development at the                    additional years is expected to reduce                direct, indirect, and cumulative effects.
                                                    time of development and industry                        potential impacts to local habitat and                The ICP extension would not authorize
                                                    predictions. However, industry activity                 ABB populations. Much of the oil and                  any additional activities or incidental
                                                    and impacts have been less than                         gas related impacts are temporary and                 take. The same types and quantities of
                                                    expected due to reduced petroleum                       can be restored within 2–5 years.                     activities previously described in the EA
                                                    prices and market conditions, and the                   Spreading the impacts over up to 11                   are expected to occur with the 3-year
                                                    amount of take issued under the 2014                    years would allow temporary soil                      extension. Based on the 2014 ICP,
                                                    ICP has been significantly lower than                   disturbance initiated in the first few                construction-related impacts could
                                                    anticipated (32,234 acres allowed, with                 years to be partially or fully restored               occur for up to 11 years (5 years from
                                                    only 395 acres approved as of January                   before impacts from later projects have
                                                                                                                                                                  permit issuance, up to 3 additional
                                                    11, 2016). The 2014 ICP is only open for                begun. The ABB is an annual species,
                                                                                                                                                                  years for IPP approval, and up to 3 years
                                                    new applications through May 21, 2016,                  and reducing take in any year should
                                                    and incidental take authorized through                  allow more adult beetles to survive into              from IPP approval for construction)
                                                    the ICP is unlikely to approach the                     the next year. Incidental take authorized             instead of for the original 2-year
                                                    32,234 acres allowed by that date.                      through the extension would not be                    timeframe, and operation and
                                                       The amendment will extend by 3                       increased, is a very small percentage of              maintenance-related impacts would
                                                    years the period for ICP signup,                        the total ABB habitat, and would not                  occur over 25 years instead of the
                                                    submission of IPPs, and construction                    change the BO determination that the                  original 22 years.
                                                    after IPP approval. All applications                    take would not jeopardize the continued               Public Availability of Comments
                                                    under the amended ICP must be                           existence of the ABB.
                                                    received by May 20, 2019, but may be                       Permittees with existing ICP permits                 Written comments we receive become
                                                    approved after that date. Once approved                 are bound by the terms and conditions                 part of the public record associated with
                                                    and permitted, the permit holder must                   of their existing permits. If they want               this action. Before including your
                                                    still submit their IPPs for approval by                 the extended timeframes or reduced                    address, phone number, email address,
                                                    the Oklahoma Ecological Services Office                 restrictions regarding being completely               or other personal identifying
                                                    prior to construction under the permit.                 contained within the ICP Planning Area,
                                                                                                                                                                  information in your comment, you
                                                    Under the amended plan, IPPs must be                    they must apply for an amendment to
                                                                                                                                                                  should be aware that your entire
                                                    received by May 20, 2022, and all                       their permit.
                                                    construction related to IPPs must be                                                                          comment—including your personal
                                                                                                            Background                                            identifying information—may be made
                                                    completed by May 20, 2025. Operation
                                                    and maintenance activities are                             Potential impacts as a result of the               publicly available at any time. While
                                                    authorized until the permit expires on                  extension are not expected to increase                you can request in your comment that
                                                    May 20, 2039. Therefore, incidental take                beyond those already identified in the                we withhold your personal identifying
                                                    issued under this ICP may occur across                  EA. Environmental consequences were                   information from public review, we
                                                    a maximum of 25 years. All incidental                   reviewed for the ICP extension and                    cannot guarantee that we will be able to
                                                    take coverage provided by the amended                   potential impacts to the following                    do so. We will not consider anonymous
                                                    ICP will end when the ICP and permits                   resources were evaluated: Geology,                    comments. All submissions from
                                                    expire on May 20, 2039, regardless of                   Soils, Water Resources, Water Quality,                organizations or businesses, and from
                                                    when the individual permits or IPP                      Air Quality, Vegetation, Wetlands,                    individuals identifying themselves as
                                                    applications were approved. Providing                   General Wildlife, Threatened and                      representatives or officials of
                                                    date-certain limits for each period will                Endangered Species, Land Use,                         organizations or businesses, will be
                                                    reduce confusion and simplify tracking                  Aesthetics and Noise, Socioeconomics,                 made available for public disclosure in
                                                    for both permittees and the Service.                    Environmental Justice, Tribal
                                                                                                                                                                  their entirety.
                                                       We also propose to remove all                        jurisdiction, and Cultural Resources.
                                                    language that limits coverage to projects               Minor benefits in the areas of Water                  Authority
                                                    that are fully contained within the ICP                 Resources, Water Quality, Air Quality,
                                                    planning area. Projects that extend                     Vegetation, Wetlands, General Wildlife,                  We provide this notice under section
                                                    beyond the planning area can apply for                  Threatened and Endangered Species,                    10(c) of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)
                                                    coverage for the portion that is within                 Land Use, Aesthetics, and Noise could                 and its implementing regulations (50
                                                    the planning area. This is with the                     occur, because any impacts of oil and                 CFR 17.22) and NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321
                                                    understanding that the amended ICP                      gas construction activity would be                    et seq.) and its implementing
                                                    will not provide any Endangered                         spread out over up to 11 years. Local                 regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).
                                                    Species Act coverage or National                        impacts of project-related soil                         Dated: February 2, 2016.
                                                    Environmental Policy Act analysis for                   disturbance such as removal of
                                                                                                                                                                  Benjamin N. Tuggle,
                                                    the portions of the projects that are                   vegetation, erosion, and dust may be
                                                    outside the planning area. The change                   reduced, and some recovery of natural                 Regional Director, Southwest Region,
                                                    in timelines and allowing coverage for                  resources could be expected if spread                 Albuquerque, New Mexico.
                                                    projects that are not fully contained                   out over additional years.                            [FR Doc. 2016–05086 Filed 3–7–16; 8:45 am]
                                                    within the ICP planning area are the                       The ICP extension is not expected to               BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
                                                    only revisions to the ICP and EA. There                 significantly affect oil and gas activity,
                                                    are no changes to the biological opinion                but would help support industry
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES




                                                    (BO).                                                   activity by streamlining compliance
                                                       We have assessed the potential                       with the ESA, while continuing
                                                    impacts of the amendment to the ICP                     conservation efforts for the ABB. The 3-
                                                    and reviewed the associated                             year ICP extension is not expected to
                                                    environmental assessment (EA) and BO                    trigger any new environmental
                                                    for industry-related activities within the              consequences, or any new impacts to
                                                    eastern Oklahoma planning area.                         local economies or cultural resources.
                                                    Extending the same level of take over                   Nor are there any expected changes to


                                               VerDate Sep<11>2014   17:02 Mar 07, 2016   Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00050   Fmt 4703   Sfmt 9990   E:\FR\FM\08MRN1.SGM   08MRN1



Document Created: 2018-02-02 15:10:25
Document Modified: 2018-02-02 15:10:25
CategoryRegulatory Information
CollectionFederal Register
sudoc ClassAE 2.7:
GS 4.107:
AE 2.106:
PublisherOffice of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
SectionNotices
ActionNotice of availability of documents; request for public comment.
DatesTo ensure consideration, written comments must be received or postmarked on or before April 7, 2016. Any comments we receive after the closing date or not postmarked by the closing date may not be considered in the final decision on this action.
ContactJonna Polk, Field Supervisor, by U.S. mail at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oklahoma Ecological Services Field Office, 9014 E. 21st St., Tulsa, OK 74129; or by phone at 918-581-7458.
FR Citation81 FR 12113 

2025 Federal Register | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy
USC | CFR | eCFR