78348 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 234 / Friday, December 4, 2020 / Notices 

under section 10(a) of the ESA, we may 

issue permits to authorize incidental 

take of listed species. ‘‘Incidental take’’ 

is defined by the ESA as take that is 

incidental to, and not the purpose of, 

carrying out an otherwise lawful 

activity. Regulations governing 

incidental take permits for endangered 

and threatened species, respectively, are 

found in the Code of Federal 

Regulations at 50 CFR 17.22 and 50 CFR 

17.32. 

Applicant’s Proposed Project 

The applicant requests a 29-year ITP 

to take the federally endangered Indiana 

bat (Myotis sodalis) and threatened 

northern long-eared bat (Myotis 

septentrionalis). The applicant 

determined that unavoidable take is 

reasonably certain to occur incidental to 

operation of 414 previously constructed 

wind turbines. The proposed 

conservation strategy in the applicant’s 

proposed HCP is designed to avoid, 

minimize, and mitigate the impacts of 

the covered activity on the covered 

species. The biological goals and 

objectives are to minimize potential take 

of Indiana bats and northern long-eared 

bats through on-site minimization 

measures and to provide habitat 

conservation measures for Indiana bats 

and northern long-eared bats to offset 

any impacts from operations of the 

project. The HCP provides on-site 

avoidance and minimization measures, 

which include turbine operational 

adjustments. The estimated level of take 

from the project is 728 Indiana bats and 

169 northern long-eared bats over the 

29-year project duration. To offset the 

impacts of the taking of Indiana bats and 

northern long-eared bats, the applicant 

proposes mitigation that will consist of 

one or more of the following: Protection 

of a hibernaculum, protection of 

summer maternity colony habitat, 

restoration of summer maternity colony 

habitat, and protection of swarming 

habitat. 

National Environmental Policy Act 

The issuance of an ITP is a Federal 

action that triggers the need for 

compliance with NEPA. We prepared a 

draft EA that analyzes the 

environmental impacts on the human 

environment resulting from three 

alternatives: A no-action alternative, the 

proposed action, and a more restrictive 

alternative consisting of feathering at a 

rate of wind speed that results in less 

impacts to bats. 

Next Steps 

The Service will evaluate the permit 

application and the comments received 

to determine whether the application 

meets the requirements of section 10(a) 

of the ESA. We will also conduct an 

intra-Service consultation pursuant to 

section 7 of the ESA to evaluate the 

effects of the proposed take. After 

considering the above findings, we will 

determine whether the permit issuance 

criteria of section 10(a)(l)(B) of the ESA 

have been met. If met, the Service will 

issue the requested ITP to the applicant. 

Request for Public Comments 

The Service invites comments and 

suggestions from all interested parties 

during a 30-day public comment period 

(see DATES). In particular, information 

and comments regarding the following 

topics are requested: 

1. The direct, indirect, or cumulative 

effects that implementation of any 

alternative could have on the human 

environment; 

2. Whether or not the significance of 

the impact on various aspects of the 

human environment has been 

adequately analyzed; and 

3. Any other information pertinent to 

evaluating the effects of the proposed 

action on the human environment. 

Because this permit application was 

sufficiently complete prior to the 

effective date of the new NEPA 

regulations, we are exercising our 

discretion to conduct our NEPA analysis 

under the regulations in effect prior to 

September 14, 2020. 

Availability of Public Comments 

You may submit comments by one of 

the methods shown under ADDRESSES. 

We will post on http://regulations.gov 

all public comments and information 

received electronically or via hardcopy. 

All comments received, including 

names and addresses, will become part 

of the administrative 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. 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 the NEPA (42 U.S.C. 

4371 et seq.) and its implementing 

regulations (40 CFR 1506.6 (2019); 43 

CFR part 46). 

Lori Nordstrom, 

Assistant Regional Director, Ecological 

Services. 

[FR Doc. 2020–26667 Filed 12–3–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

[RR04900000, 200R0680R1, 

RR.17549897.2020000.01] 

Notice of Contract Execution Between 

the Central Utah Water Conservancy 

District (District) and Department of 

the Interior (Interior) for Prepayment of 

Costs Allocated to Municipal and 

Industrial Water from the Bonneville 

Unit of the Central Utah Project, Utah 

County, Utah 

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Water and Science, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of contract execution. 

SUMMARY: On October 1, 2020, Block 

Notice 7A–2 was issued to the District 

for 22,000 acre-feet of Municipal and 

Industrial water from the Utah Lake 

Drainage Basin Water Delivery System, 

Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah 

Project. Subsequently, on October 28, 

2020, Interior and the District entered 

into a contract for the District to prepay 

the repayment obligation associated 

with Block Notice 7A–2. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Additional information on matters 

related to this Federal Register notice 

can be obtained by contacting Mr. Lee 

Baxter, Senior Program Coordinator, 

Central Utah Project Completion Act 

Office, Department of the Interior, 302 

East Lakeview Parkway, Provo, Utah 

84606; via telephone at (801) 379–1174; 

or by email at lbaxter@usbr.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Public 

Law 102–575, Central Utah Project 

Completion Act, Section 210, as 

amended through Public Law 104–286, 

stipulates that ‘‘the Secretary shall allow 

for prepayment of the repayment 

contract between the United States and 

the Central Utah Water Conservancy 

District (District) dated December 28, 

1965, and supplemented on November 

26, 1985, or any additional or 

supplemental repayment contract 

providing for repayment of municipal 

and industrial water delivery facilities 

of the Central Utah Project for which 

repayment is provided pursuant to such 

contract, under terms and conditions 

Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 234 / Friday, December 4, 2020 / Notices 78349 

similar to those contained in the 

supplemental contract that provided for 

the prepayment of the Jordan Aqueduct 

dated October 28, 1993. The 

prepayment may be provided in several 

installments to reflect substantial 

completion of the delivery facilities 

being prepaid and may not be adjusted 

on the basis of the type of prepayment 

financing utilized by the District.’’ 

In accordance with Public Law 102– 

575, the District prepaid the municipal 

and industrial repayment obligation 

associated with Block Notice 7A–2 from 

the Utah Lake Drainage Basin Water 

Delivery System, a component of the 

Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah 

Project. The terms of the prepayment 

were publicly negotiated between the 

District and Interior on September 23, 

2020. 

Reed R. Murray, 

Program Director,Central Utah Project 

Completion Act Office, Department of the 

Interior. 

[FR Doc. 2020–26738 Filed 12–3–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4332–90–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[DOI–BLM–NV–W010–2020–0012–EIS; 

LLNVW00000.L51100000.GN0000. 

LVEMF1907180.19X .MO# 4500149816] 

Notice of Availability of the Final 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Proposed Thacker Pass Project, 

Two Plans of Operations Submitted by 

Lithium Nevada Corporation for Mining 

and Exploration in Humboldt County, 

Nevada 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969, as amended (NEPA), and the 

Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of 

Land Management (BLM) Humboldt 

River Field Office, Winnemucca, 

Nevada, as the lead agency, has 

prepared the Thacker Pass Lithium 

Mine Project Final Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS), for the proposed 

Lithium Mine Project Proposed Plans of 

Operations and Reclamation Plan 

Permit Applications (the Project) in 

Humboldt County, Nevada, and by this 

notice announces the availability of the 

FEIS. In accordance with the Bald and 

Golden Eagle Protection Act (Eagle Act), 

the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is 

a cooperating agency with the BLM on 

the development of this FEIS and has 

used it to analyze the potential impacts 

of approving LNC’s request for an 

incidental take permit for golden eagles. 

FWS has evaluated the LNC’s Eagle 

Conservation Plan (ECP), which 

describes their request for incidental 

take of eagles and a 5-year incidental 

take permit for golden eagles under the 

Eagle Act. 

DATES: The BLM will not issue a final 

decision on the proposal for a minimum 

of 30 days after the Environmental 

Protection Agency publishes its notice 

of availability of the Thacker Pass 

Lithium Mine Project Final EIS DOI– 

BLM–NV–W010–2020–0012–EIS in the 

Federal Register. BLM will coordinate 

with the FWS on impacts to golden 

eagles and the Eagle Act permitting 

process prior to signing a Record of 

Decision. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of North-South 

Exploration and the Thacker Pass Mine 

Plans of Operations and the Thacker 

Pass Project Final EIS are available for 

public inspection on the internet at 

https://bit.ly/2Npgf9l. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

questions about the proposed Project 

contact Mr. Ken Loda, Lead Geologist, 

Bureau of Land Management Humboldt 

River Field Office telephone: (775) 623– 

1500, address: 5100 East Winnemucca 

Boulevard, Winnemucca, Nevada 89445. 

For questions concerning the Eagle Act 

permitting process, contact Mr. Thomas 

Leeman, Deputy Chief, Migratory Bird 

Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Department of the Interior Region 10, at 

(916) 978–6189. Persons who use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to 

contact either of the above individuals 

during normal business hours. The FRS 

is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a 

week, to leave a message or question 

with either one of the above individuals. 

You will receive a reply during normal 

business hours. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

applicant, LNC proposes to construct, 

operate, reclaim, and eventually close 

an open pit lithium mine, processing 

operation, and continued exploration 

activities (the Project), on public lands 

in northern Humboldt County, Nevada. 

LNC currently has two approved 

Plans of Operation, one for exploration 

and one for a specialty clay mine, 

approved within the area proposed for 

the new lithium mine. There are 75 

acres of exploration disturbance 

approved under LNC’s existing 

exploration Plan, and 140 acres of 

existing disturbance approved under 

their clay mine Plan. 

LNC has submitted two new Plans of 

Operations to develop the Project and to 

provide a description of the proposed 

lithium mining, processing, and 

exploration operations. Each of these 

new Plans of Operation include a 

reclamation plan for the activities 

identified under its respective Plan of 

Operation. The operations proposed 

under the two new Plans of Operation 

would involve a project area of about 

18,000 acres, with an ultimate 

disturbance footprint of approximately 

5,700 acres. The new lithium mine Plan 

of Operation boundary overlaps the 

existing approved Plan boundaries. 

LNC proposes to develop the Project 

in two phases over the estimated 41- 

year mine life. Pending LNC receiving 

the required authorizations and permits 

for Phase 1 of the Project, pre-stripping 

would commence in early 2021, and 

construction in the first quarter of 2021, 

with mining production and ore 

processing estimated to commence in 

late 2022. LNC estimates that it would 

complete mining, processing, and 

concurrent reclamation activities in 

2061, after which, reclamation, site 

closure activities, and post-closure 

monitoring would occur for a minimum 

of five years. 

The proposed activities and facilities 

associated with the Project include 

development of an open pit mine, 

construction and operation of lithium 

processing and production facilities, 

mine facilities to support mining 

operations, two waste rock storage 

facilities, a run-of-mine stockpile, a clay 

tailings filter stack, water supply 

facilities, two power transmission lines 

and substations, and various ancillary 

facilities. Pit dewatering is not expected 

to be required as part of the Project until 

2055, and concurrent backfill of the 

open pit would occur after sufficient 

volume has been excavated to initiate 

direct placement of waste rock. 

Exploration would be conducted under 

both new Plans. In addition, the Project 

would affect golden eagle nests and 

territories by planned blasting within a 

two-mile radius of golden eagle nests; 

therefore, LNC has requested 

authorization from the FWS to disturb 

eagle nests and a 5-year incidental take 

permit for golden eagles under the Eagle 

Act. The permit application includes an 

Eagle Conservation Plan, which 

contains commitments to avoid, 

minimize, and mitigate adverse effects 

on golden eagles resulting from the 

implementation of the Project. Issuance 

of an eagle take permit must comply 

with the Eagle Act and all related 

regulatory requirements (50 CFR 22.26). 

The Final EIS describes and analyzes 

the proposed Project’s direct, indirect,