Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 243 / Thursday, December 17, 2020 / Notices 81953 

Act of 1920 (30 U.S.C. Ch. 3A § 181), as 

amended, (41 Stat. 437, Pub. L. 66–146). 

Amy Lueders, 

Southwest Region Director, Interior Region 

6, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–27752 Filed 12–16–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[Docket No. FWS–R8–ES–2020–0142; 

FXES1120800000–201–FF08ENVS00] 

Receipt of Incidental Take Permit 

Application and Draft Low-Effect 

Habitat Conservation Plan, and Draft 

NEPA Compliance Documentation, for 

the Gamebird Substation Expansion in 

Pahrump, Nye County, Nevada 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of the 

proposed low-effect habitat 

conservation plan, and NEPA 

compliance documentation; request for 

comment. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, announce the receipt 

and availability of an application for an 

incidental take permit (ITP) under the 

Endangered Species Act (ESA) and an 

associated draft low-effect habitat 

conservation plan (HCP). Additionally, 

consistent with the requirements of the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA), we have prepared a draft loweffect screening form and environmental 

action statement supporting our 

preliminary determination that the 

proposed permit action qualifies for a 

categorical exclusion under NEPA. 

GridLiance West, LLC has applied for an 

ITP under the ESA for the Gamebird 

Substation Expansion in Pahrump, Nye 

County, Nevada. The ITP would 

authorize the take of one species 

incidental to the development and 

construction of the project. We invite 

the public and local, State, Tribal, and 

Federal agencies to comment on the 

permit application, proposed low-effect 

HCP, and NEPA categorical exclusion 

determination documentation. Before 

issuing the requested ITP, we will take 

into consideration any information that 

we receive during the public comment 

period. 

DATES: We must receive your written 

comments on or before January 19, 

2021. 

ADDRESSES: 

Obtaining Documents: The documents 

this notice announces, as well as any 

comments and other materials that we 

receive, will be available for public 

inspection online in Docket No. FWS– 

R8–ES–2020–0142 at http://

www.regulations.gov. 

Submitting Comments: To send 

written comments, please use one of the 

following methods and identify to 

which document your comments are in 

reference—the ITP application, draft 

HCP, or NEPA compliance 

documentation. 

• Internet: Submit comments at 

http://www.regulations.gov under 

Docket No. FWS–R8–ES–2020–0142. 

• U.S. Mail: Public Comments 

Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R8– 

ES–2020–0142; U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service Headquarters, MS: PRB/3W, 

5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 

22041–3803. 

For more information, see Public 

Comments and Public Availability of 

Comments under SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Glen 

W. Knowles, Field Supervisor, Southern 

Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office, by 

phone at 702–515–5244 or via the 

Federal Relay Service at 800–877–8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), 

announce the receipt and availability of 

an application submitted by GridLiance 

West, LLC (applicant), for a 4-year 

incidental take permit (ITP) under 

section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered 

Species Act, as amended (ESA; 16 

U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Application for the 

permit requires the preparation of an 

HCP with measures to avoid, minimize, 

and mitigate the impacts of incidental 

take of endangered or threatened species 

to the maximum extent practicable. The 

applicant prepared the draft Low Effect 

HCP for the Gamebird Substation 

Expansion pursuant to section 

10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA. FWS 

consideration of issuing an ITP also 

requires evaluation of its potential 

impacts on the natural and human 

environment in accordance with NEPA. 

FWS has prepared a low-effect 

screening form and environmental 

action statement (categorical exclusion, 

or catex documentation), pursuant to 

NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its 

implementing regulations in the Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR) at 40 CFR 

1501.4, to preliminarily determine if the 

proposed HCP qualifies as a low-effect 

HCP, eligible for a categorical exclusion. 

Background 

Except for permitted exceptions, 

section 9 of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1538 et 

seq.) prohibits the taking of fish and 

wildlife species listed as endangered 

under section 4 of the ESA; by 

regulation, take of certain species listed 

as threatened is also prohibited (16 

U.S.C. 1533(d); 50 CFR 17.31). 

Regulations governing the permitted 

exception for allowable incidental take 

of endangered and threatened species 

are at 50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32. For more 

about the Federal habitat conservation 

HCP program, go to http://www.fws.gov/ 

endangered/esa-library/pdf/hcp.pdf. 

National Environmental Policy Act 

Compliance 

The proposed permit issuance triggers 

the need for compliance with the NEPA. 

The draft catex documentation was 

prepared to determine if issuance of an 

ITP, based on the draft HCP, would 

individually or cumulatively have only 

a minor or negligible effect on the 

species covered in the HCP, and would 

therefore qualify as a low-effect HCP 

eligible for a categorical exclusion from 

further environmental analysis under 

NEPA. 

Proposed Action 

Under the proposed action, the 

Service would issue an ITP to the 

applicant for a period of 4 years for 

certain covered activities (described 

below) related to the expansion of the 

existing Gamebird Substation. The 

applicant has requested an ITP for one 

covered species, the Mojave desert 

tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), which 

was, and remains as listed under the 

ESA as threatened in April 1990. 

Habitat Conservation Plan Area 

The geographic scope of the draft 

habitat conservation plan (HCP) area 

encompasses 18.2 acres in Nye County, 

Nevada, where the expansion will 

occur. 

Covered Activities 

The proposed section 10(a) ITP would 

allow incidental take of one covered 

species from covered activities in the 

proposed HCP area. The applicant is 

requesting incidental take authorization 

for covered activities, including site 

preparation, geotechnical drilling, 

associated infrastructure development, 

expansion of the substation, and the 

installation of a 230-kilovolt (kV) 

transmission line to connect the 

substation to an existing 230-kV 

transmission line that runs from 

Pahrump to the Sloan Canyon Switch. 

The applicant has proposed to 

minimize and mitigate for the direct 

impacts to desert tortoises and its 

habitat in the HCP area through the 

following measures: 

1. Implementing a worker 

environmental awareness training 

program; 

81954 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 243 / Thursday, December 17, 2020 / Notices 

2. Setting speed limits to avoid 

collisions with tortoise; 

3. Having an approved biologist 

ensure implementation of minimization 

measures, monitor covered activities to 

avoid collisions, and clear the work site 

and materials, vehicles, and equipment 

of tortoises before work activity; 

4. Requiring pre-movement vehicle 

and equipment inspections by workers; 

5. Installing temporary tortoise 

exclusion fencing around substation 

area; 

6. Conducting pre-construction 

clearance surveys and translocation by 

an approved biologist; 

7. Developing a plan for spill 

prevention and control, with 

countermeasures; 

8. Implementing proper waste 

management and disposal actions; 

9. Developing a fire management plan; 

and 

10. Implementing certain weed 

management efforts. 

The proposed action will result in the 

permanent loss of moderate-quality 

habitat in Nye County, Nevada. In 

addition to the minimization measures, 

the applicant will make a one-time 

contribution of $26,500, payable to the 

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation 

(NFWF), to offset the impacts of 

permanent Mojave desert tortoise 

habitat loss and habitat modification of 

about 18.2 acres. 

No-Action Alternative 

Under the No-Action Alternative, the 

Service would not issue an ITP to the 

applicant, and the draft HCP would not 

be implemented. Under this alternative, 

the applicant may choose not to 

construct the facility or would do so in 

a manner presumed not to result in the 

take of ESA-listed species. 

Public Comments 

We request data, comments, new 

information, or suggestions from the 

public, other concerned governmental 

agencies, the scientific community, 

Tribes, industry, or any other interested 

party on permit application, draft HCP, 

and associated documents. If you wish 

to comment, you may submit comments 

by any of the methods in ADDRESSES. 

Public Availability of Comments 

Any comments we receive will 

become part of the decision 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—might 

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. 

Next Steps 

Issuance of an incidental take permit 

is a Federal proposed action subject to 

compliance with NEPA and section 7 of 

the ESA. We will evaluate the 

application, associated documents, and 

any public comments we receive during 

this comment period to determine 

whether the application meets the 

requirements of section 10(a) of the 

ESA. If we determine that those 

requirements are met, we will conduct 

an intra-Service consultation under 

section 7 of the ESA for the Federal 

action for the potential issuance of an 

ITP. If the intra-Service consultation 

confirms that issuance of the ITP will 

not jeopardize the continued existence 

of any endangered or threatened 

species, or destroy or adversely modify 

critical habitat, we will issue a permit 

to the applicant for the incidental take 

of the covered species. 

Authority 

We provide this notice under section 

10(c) of the Endangered Species Act (16 

U.S.C. 1539(c) and its implementing 

regulations (50 CFR 17.32), and NEPA 

(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and NEPA 

implementing regulations (40 CFR 

1501.4). 

Glen W. Knowles, 

Field Supervisor, Southern Nevada Fish and 

Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Las Vegas, Nevada. 

[FR Doc. 2020–27705 Filed 12–16–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Indian Affairs 

[212A2100DD/AAKC001030/ 

A0A51010.999900] 

Notice of Deadline for Submitting 

Completed Applications To Begin 

Participation in the Tribal SelfGovernance Program in Fiscal Year 

2022 or Calendar Year 2022 

AGENCY: Office of Self-Governance, 

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of application deadline. 

SUMMARY: In this notice, the Office of 

Self-Governance (OSG) establishes the 

deadline for Indian Tribes/consortia to 

submit completed applications to begin 

participation in the Tribal selfgovernance program in fiscal year 2022 

or calendar year 2022. 

DATES: Completed application packages 

must be received by the Director, Office 

of Self-Governance, by March 1, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Application packages for 

inclusion in the applicant pool should 

be sent to Sharee M. Freeman, Director, 

Office of Self-Governance, Department 

of the Interior, Mail Stop 3624–MIB, 

1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 

20240. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Kenneth D. Reinfeld, Office of SelfGovernance, Telephone (202) 821–7107, 

kenneth.reinfeld@bia.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the 

Tribal Self-Governance Act of 1994 

(Pub. L. 103–413), as amended by the 

Practical Reforms and Other Goals to 

Reinforce the Effectiveness of SelfGovernance and Self-Determination Act 

of 2019–2020 or the PROGRESS for 

Indian Tribes Act (Pub. L. 116–180), 

Section 402(b)(1)(A), the Secretary, 

acting through the Director of the Office 

of Self-Governance, may select not more 

than 50 new Indian Tribes per year from 

those eligible Tribes. See 25 U.S.C. 

5362(b)(1). 

The Tribal Self-Governance Act, as 

amended by the PROGRESS for Indian 

Tribes Act, mandates that copies of the 

funding agreements be sent at least 90 

days before the proposed effective date 

to each Indian Tribe that is served by 

the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ agency that 

is serving the Tribe that is a party to the 

funding agreement. Initial negotiations 

with a Tribe/consortium located in a 

region and/or agency that has not 

previously been involved with selfgovernance negotiations will take 

approximately 2 months from start to 

finish. Agreements for an October 1 to 

September 30 funding year need to be 

signed and submitted by July 1. 

Agreements for a January 1 to December 

31 need to be signed and submitted by 

October 1. 

Eligibility To Participate in SelfGovernance 

The Department will be initiating a 

negotiated rulemaking to develop 

regulations to meet the requirements of 

Section 101 of the newly enacted 

PROGRESS Act. To be eligible to 

participate in self-governance, an Indian 

Tribe must: 

(1) Successfully complete the 

planning phase described in section 

402(d) of the Tribal Self-Governance Act