Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 172 / Wednesday, September 5, 2018 / Notices 45137 

habitats occupied by these two 

endangered butterflies. The HCP’s area 

encompasses the counties of Berrien, 

Branch, Cass, Jackson, Oakland, Van 

Buren, and Washtenaw in Michigan and 

LaGrange County in Indiana. The 

covered activities include the following: 

Hydrology restoration, prescribed 

burning, mowing/hydro-axing, 

vegetation removal, biological control of 

invasive species, livestock grazing, 

seeding and planting, and butterfly 

surveys. The applicants have 

determined that actions associated with 

the maintenance and restoration of 

butterfly habitat has the potential to 

incidentally take the species. Both 

butterfly species could be injured or 

killed by the actions to maintain and 

restore their habitat. 

The HCP’s proposed conservation 

strategy is designed to minimize and 

mitigate the impacts of covered 

activities on the covered species. The 

biological goals are to complement the 

needed conservation actions to restore 

and conserve the species’ habitat in 

Michigan and Indiana. The proposed 

action consists of the issuance of ITPs 

and implementation of the proposed 

HCP. Three alternatives were 

considered in the HCP. The proposed 

alternative in the draft HCP is the 

issuance of ITPs to the State of Indiana 

and the State of Michigan to authorize 

take of MSB and PS on private lands 

and public lands. The first alternative 

considered, but not selected, was 

restricting the HCP to public agencies 

only. However, this would miss the 

opportunity to work more efficiently 

with non-public landowners where the 

species frequently occur and thus result 

in fewer conservations actions to benefit 

the species. The second alternative 

considered, but not selected, was for the 

current status quo or no action (i.e., only 

existing management techniques that 

are approved on a site-by-site, projectby-project basis under ESA section 7 

consultation or 10(a)(1)(A) recovery 

permits). This alternative results in a 

lower efficiency, as each agency or 

organization develops and applies for 

individual permits or authorizations 

rather than being part of a coordinated 

effort. The quantity and quality of 

conservation actions is expected to be 

lower under the status quo than under 

the other alternatives considered. Under 

the proposed alternative, non-Federal 

cooperators who wish to conduct 

habitat management activities for the 

butterflies may participate through 

certificates of inclusion by agreeing to 

implement the conservation measures 

and other requirements of the HCP. The 

certificates of inclusion will be issued 

by each State and will convey all of the 

ITPs incidental take authorization. 

Our Preliminary Determination 

We are requesting comments on our 

preliminary determination that the 

applicants’ proposal will have a minor 

or negligible effect on the endangered 

butterflies and that the plan qualifies as 

a low-effect HCP as defined by our 

Habitat Conservation Planning 

Handbook (December 2016). We base 

our determinations on three criteria: (1) 

Implementation of the proposed project 

as described in the HCP would result in 

minor or negligible effects on federally 

listed, proposed, and/or candidate 

species and their habitats; (2) 

implementation of the HCP would result 

in minor or negligible effects on other 

environmental values or resources; and 

(3) HCP impacts, considered together 

with those of other past, present, and 

reasonably foreseeable future projects, 

would not result in cumulatively 

significant effects. In our analysis of 

these criteria, we have made a 

preliminary determination that the 

approval of the HCP and issuance of an 

ITP qualify for categorical exclusion 

under the National Environmental 

Policy Act (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 

seq.), as provided by the Department of 

the Interior implementing regulations in 

part 46 of title 43 of the Code of Federal 

Regulations (43 CFR 46.205, 46.210, and 

46.215). However, based upon our 

review of public comments that we 

receive in response to this notice, this 

preliminary determination may be 

revised. 

Next Steps 

We will evaluate the permit 

application, associated documents, and 

comments we receive to determine 

whether the permit application meets 

the requirements of the ESA, NEPA, and 

their implementing regulations. If we 

determine that all requirements are met, 

we will issue permits under section 

10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA to the MDNR and 

IDNR. We will not make our final 

decision on the permit application until 

after the end of the public comment 

period, and we will fully consider all 

comments we receive during the 

comment period. 

Public Comments 

You may submit your comments and 

materials related to the draft HCP, DEA, 

or other supporting documents by one 

of the methods listed in ADDRESSES. We 

request that you send comments by only 

one of the methods described in 

ADDRESSES. 

Comments and materials we receive, 

as well as documents associated with 

the notice, will be available for public 

inspection by appointment, during 

normal business hours, at the Michigan 

Ecological Services Field Office in East 

Lansing, Michigan (see FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT). 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 ask us in you comment to 

withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

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; 43 CFR part 

46). 

Dated: April 27, 2018. 

Lori H. Nordstrom, 

Assistant Regional Director, Ecological 

Services, Midwest Region. 

[FR Doc. 2018–19188 Filed 9–4–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[18X.LLID957000.Ll4400000.BJ0000.241A.X.

4500104880] 

Filing of Plats of Survey: Idaho 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The plats of survey of the 

following described lands are scheduled 

to be officially filed in the Bureau of 

Land Management, Idaho State Office, 

Boise, Idaho, 30 days from the date of 

this publication. 

Boise Meridian 

Idaho 

T. 6 S, R. 33 E, 

Section 26, accepted August 29, 2018. 

T. 36 N, R. 4 W, 

Section 26, accepted August 29, 2018. 

T. 13 N, R. 42 E, 

Sections 7, 8 and 9, accepted August 29, 

2018. 

ADDRESSES: A copy of the plats may be 

obtained from the Public Room at the 

Bureau of Land Management, Idaho 

State Office, 1387 S Vinnell Way, Boise, 

Idaho 83709, upon required payment. 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
45138 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 172 / Wednesday, September 5, 2018 / Notices 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Timothy A. Quincy, (208) 373–3981, 

Branch of Cadastral Survey, Bureau of 

Land Management, 1387 South Vinnell 

Way, Boise, Idaho 83709–1657. Persons 

who use a telecommunications device 

for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 

Relay Service (FRS) at (800) 877–8339 to 

contact the above individual during 

normal business hours. The FRS is 

available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 

to leave a message or question with Mr. 

Quincy. You will receive a reply during 

normal business hours. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A person or party who wishes to 

protest one or more plats of survey 

identified above must file a written 

notice with the Chief Cadastral Surveyor 

for Idaho, Bureau of Land Management. 

The protest must identify the plat(s) of 

survey that the person or party wishes 

to protest and contain all reasons and 

evidence in support of the protest. The 

protest must be filed before the 

scheduled date of official filing for the 

plat(s) of survey being protested. Any 

protest filed after the scheduled date of 

official filing will be untimely and will 

not be considered. A protest is 

considered filed on the date it is 

received by the Chief Cadastral 

Surveyor for Idaho during regular 

business hours; if received after regular 

business hours, a protest will be 

considered filed the next business day. 

If a protest against a plat of survey is 

received prior to the scheduled date of 

official filing, the official filing of the 

plat of survey identified in the protest 

will be stayed pending consideration of 

the protest. A plat of survey will not be 

officially filed until the next business 

day following dismissal or resolution of 

all protests of the plat. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email address, or other 

personal identifying information in a 

protest, you should be aware that the 

documents you submit, including your 

personal identifying information, may 

be made publicly available in their 

entirety at any time. While you can ask 

us to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Timothy A. Quincy, 

Chief Cadastral Surveyor for Idaho. 

[FR Doc. 2018–19180 Filed 9–4–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–GG–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[18X.LLAK930000 L13100000.PP0000] 

Notice of Availability of the Final 

Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Statement for the Alpine Satellite 

Development Plan for the Greater 

Mooses Tooth 2 Development Project, 

National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM), Arctic District 

Office, Fairbanks, Alaska, is issuing the 

Final Supplemental Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS) for the Alpine 

Satellite Development Plan for the 

Greater Mooses Tooth 2 (GMT2) 

Development Project, National 

Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR–A). 

The EIS supplements the September 

2004 Alpine Satellite Development Plan 

Final EIS that originally analyzed the 

GMT2 Project, regarding establishing 

satellite oil production pads and 

associated infrastructure within the 

Alpine field. 

DATES: The BLM will issue a Record of 

Decision for the application for permit 

to drill no earlier than 30 days from the 

date of the Notice of Availability 

published by the Environmental 

Protection Agency. 

ADDRESSES: Requests for information 

regarding the Final Supplemental EIS 

may be mailed to: GMT2 Final 

Supplemental EIS, Attn: Stephanie Rice, 

222 West 7th Avenue #13, Anchorage, 

Alaska 99513. The GMT2 Final 

Supplemental EIS is available online at 

BLM Alaska’s website at http://

www.blm.gov/alaska. You may also 

request an electronic or paper copy of 

the GMT2 Final Supplemental EIS by 

contacting Stephanie Rice, BLM project 

lead, at 907–271–3202. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Stephanie Rice, BLM Alaska State 

Office, 907–271–3202. People who use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to 

contact the above individual during 

normal business hours. The FRS is 

available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 

to leave a message or question with the 

above individual. You will receive a 

reply during normal business hours. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The GMT2 

Supplemental EIS analyzes an 

application from ConocoPhillips Alaska, 

Inc. (ConocoPhillips). The application is 

for a permit to drill and related 

authorizations to construct, operate, and 

maintain a drill site, access road, 

pipelines, and ancillary facilities on 

federally managed land to support 

development of petroleum resources at 

the GMT2 drill site. BLM Alaska 

manages the surface and subsurface at 

the drill site and at the proposed infield 

road and pipeline route. ConocoPhillips 

may also develop subsurface resources 

owned by the Arctic Slope Regional 

Corporation, and may occupy surface 

lands owned by the Kuukpik 

Corporation. 

The proposed GMT2 site is 

approximately 25 miles southwest of the 

ConocoPhillips-operated Alpine Central 

Processing Facility (CD1) and will be 

operated and maintained by staff at the 

Alpine Central Processing Facility. 

The GMT2 Project was originally 

analyzed as the Colville Delta 7 (CD7) 

drill pad in the BLM’s September 2004 

Alpine Satellite Development Plan Final 

EIS. The purpose of the Supplemental 

EIS is to evaluate any relevant new 

circumstances and information that 

have arisen since the Alpine Satellite 

Development Plan Final EIS, to update 

the alternatives in the 2004 EIS, and to 

address any changes to ConocoPhillips’ 

proposed development plan for GMT2. 

The GMT2 Final Supplemental EIS 

analyzes four alternatives, including 

two alternatives with an access road, an 

alternative without an access road, and 

a no-action alternative. 

The Supplemental EIS will result in a 

Record of Decision (ROD) that will 

approve, deny, or approve with 

modification, ConocoPhillips’ 

application, as well as incorporate any 

additional mitigation measures that may 

be appropriate. The Draft Supplemental 

EIS, published in March 2018, 

identified Alternative A, the 

Proponent’s Proposal, as the BLM’s 

preferred alternative. The Final 

Supplemental EIS also identifies 

Alternative A as BLM’s Preferred 

Alternative. 

The key issues in the GMT2 Final 

Supplemental EIS are the protection of 

surface resources; the minimization of 

social impacts; and the identification of 

appropriate mitigation measures for the 

construction, operation, and 

maintenance of a drill site and access 

road, pipelines, and ancillary facilities 

to support development of petroleum 

resources at the proposed GMT2 site. 

Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6(b). 

Karen E. Mouritsen, 

Acting State Director, Alaska. 

[FR Doc. 2018–19197 Filed 9–4–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–JA–P 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES