Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 63 / Monday, April 2, 2012 / Notices 19683 

Activity Number of 

respondents 

Number of 

responses 

Completion 

time per 

response 

(hours) 

Total annual 

burden hours 

Recordkeeping ................................................................................................. 20 20 10 200 

TOTALS ........................................................................................................... 62 62 456 

III. Comments 

We invite comments concerning this 

information collection on: 

• Whether or not the collection of 

information is necessary, including 

whether or not the information will 

have practical utility; 

• The accuracy of our estimate of the 

burden for this collection of 

information; 

• Ways to enhance the quality, utility, 

and clarity of the information to be 

collected; and 

• Ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on 

respondents. 

Comments that you submit in 

response to this notice are a matter of 

public record. We will include or 

summarize each comment in our request 

to OMB to approve this IC. 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 your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Dated: March 27, 2012. 

Tina A. Campbell, 

Chief, Division of Policy and Directives 

Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7837 Filed 3–30–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R9–FHC–2011–N266; 

FXHC11220900000Z2–112–FF09F20000] 

Proposed Information Collection; 

Land-Based Wind Energy Guidelines 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service) will ask the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) to 

approve the information collection (IC) 

described below. As required by the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and 

as part of our continuing efforts to 

reduce paperwork and respondent 

burden, we invite the general public and 

other Federal agencies to take this 

opportunity to comment on this IC. This 

information collection is scheduled to 

expire on September 30, 2012. We may 

not conduct or sponsor and a person is 

not required to respond to a collection 

of information unless it displays a 

currently valid OMB control number. 

However, under OMB regulations, we 

may continue to conduct or sponsor this 

information collection while it is 

pending at OMB. 

DATES: To ensure that we are able to 

consider your comments on this IC, we 

must receive them by June 1, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the 

IC to the Service Information Collection 

Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife 

Service, MS 2042–PDM, 4401 North 

Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 

(mail); or INFOCOL@fws.gov (email). 

Please include ‘‘1018–0148’’ in the 

subject line of your comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To 

request additional information about 

this IC, contact Hope Grey at 

INFOCOL@fws.gov (email) or 703–358– 

2482 (telephone). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

In January 2012, we requested that 

OMB approve, on an emergency basis, 

our request to collect information 

associated with the Land-Based Wind 

Energy Guidelines (Guidelines). We 

asked for emergency approval because 

of the potential negative effects that 

proposed wind energy facilities may 

have on wildlife and their habitat. OMB 

approved our request and assigned OMB 

Control No. 1018–0148, which expires 

September 30, 2012. We are going to ask 

OMB to extend the approval for this 

information collection for 3 years. 

As wind energy production increased, 

both developers and wildlife agencies 

recognized the need for a system to 

evaluate and address the potential 

negative impacts of wind energy 

projects on species of concern. These 

voluntary Guidelines (http:// 

www.fws.gov/windenergy) provide a 

structured, scientific process for 

addressing wildlife conservation 

concerns at all stages of land-based 

wind energy development. They also 

promote effective communication 

among wind energy developers and 

Federal, State, tribal, and local 

conservation agencies. When used in 

concert with appropriate regulatory 

tools, the Guidelines will be the best 

practical approach for conserving 

species of concern. 

The Guidelines discuss various risks 

to ‘‘species of concern’’ from wind 

energy projects, including collisions 

with wind turbines and associated 

infrastructure; loss and degradation of 

habitat from turbines and infrastructure; 

fragmentation of large habitat blocks 

into smaller segments that may not 

support sensitive species; displacement 

and behavioral changes; and indirect 

effects such as increased predator 

populations or introduction of invasive 

plants. The Guidelines assist developers 

in identifying species of concern that 

may potentially be affected by proposed 

projects, including, but not limited to: 

• Migratory birds; 

• Bats; 

• Bald and golden eagles and other 

birds of prey; 

• Prairie and sage grouse; and 

• Listed, proposed, or candidate 

endangered and threatened species. 

The Guidelines follow a tiered 

approach. The wind energy developer 

begins at Tier 1 or Tier 2, which entails 

gathering of existing data to help 

identify any potential risks to wildlife 

and their habitats at proposed wind 

energy project sites. The developer then 

proceeds through subsequent tiers, as 

appropriate, to collect information in 

increasing detail until the level of risk 

is adequately ascertained and a decision 

on whether or not to develop the site 

can be made. Many projects may not 

proceed beyond Tiers 1 or 2, when 

developers become aware of potential 

barriers, including high risks to wildlife. 

Developers would only have an interest 

in adhering to the Guidelines for those 

projects that proceed beyond Tiers 1 

and 2. 

At each tier level, wind energy 

developers and operators should retain 

documentation to provide to the 

Service. Such documentation may 

include copies of correspondence with 

the Service, results of pre- and postmstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

19684 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 63 / Monday, April 2, 2012 / Notices 

construction studies conducted at 

project sites, bird and bat conservation 

strategies, or any other record that 

supports a developer’s adherence to the 

Guidelines. The extent of the 

documentation will depend on the 

conditions of the site being developed. 

Sites with greater risk of impacts to 

wildlife and habitats will likely involve 

more extensive communication with the 

Service and longer durations of pre- and 

post-construction studies than sites with 

little risk. 

Distributed or community-scale wind 

energy projects are unlikely to have 

significant adverse impacts to wildlife 

and their habitats. The Guidelines 

recommend that developers of these 

small-scale projects do the desktop 

analysis described in Tier 1 or Tier 2 

using publicly available information to 

determine whether they should 

communicate with the Service. Since 

such project designs usually include a 

single turbine associated with existing 

development, conducting a Tier 1 or 

Tier 2 analysis for distributed or 

community-scale wind energy projects 

should incur limited nonhour burden 

costs. These analyses are conducted 

using readily available existing 

information, so the nature of these costs 

may include travel to project sites. For 

such projects, if there is no potential 

risk identified, a developer will have no 

need to communicate with the Service 

regarding the project or to conduct 

studies described in Tiers 3, 4, and 5. 

Adherence to the Guidelines is 

voluntary. Following the Guidelines 

does not relieve any individual, 

company, or agency of the responsibility 

to comply with applicable laws and 

regulations. Developers of wind energy 

projects have a responsibility to comply 

with the law; for example, they must 

obtain incidental take authorization for 

species protected by the Endangered 

Species Act (ESA) and/or Bald and 

Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA). 

II. Data 

OMB Control Number: 1018–0148. 

Title: Land-Based Wind Energy 

Guidelines. 

Service Form Number: None. 

Type of Request: Extension of a 

currently approved collection. 

Description of Respondents: 

Developers and operators of wind 

energy facilities. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. 

Frequency of Collection: On occasion. 

ACTIVITY (reporting and recordkeeping) NUMBER of 

respondents 

NUMBER of 

responses 

COMPLETION 

time per response 

TOTAL annual 

burden hours 

NONHOUR 

burden cost 

per response 

TOTAL annual 

nonhour burden cost 

Tier 1 (Desktop Analysis) ........................ 150 150 83 12,450 $2,000 $300,000 

Tier 2 (Site Characterization) ................... 110 110 375 41,250 $4,000 $440,000 

Tier 3 (Pre-construction studies) ............. 80 80 2,880 230,400 $23,000 $1,840,000 

Tier 4 (Post-construction fatality monitoring and habitat studies) .................... 50 50 2,550 127,500 $95,000 $4,750,000 

Tier 5 (Other post-construction studies ... 10 10 2,400 24,000 $191,000 $1,910,000 

TOTALS ............................................ 400 400 ........................ 435,600 ........................ $9,240,000 

Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden 

Cost: $9,240,000. Costs will depend on 

the size and complexity of issues 

associated with each project. These 

expenses may include, but are not 

limited to: Travel expenses for site 

visits, studies conducted, and meetings 

with the Service and other Federal and 

State agencies; training in survey 

methodologies; data management; 

special transportation such as all-terrain 

vehicle or helicopter; equipment needed 

for acoustic, telemetry, or radar 

monitoring, and carcass storage. 

III. Comments 

We invite comments concerning this 

information collection on: 

• Whether or not the collection of 

information is necessary, including 

whether or not the information will 

have practical utility; 

• The accuracy of our estimate of the 

burden for this collection of 

information; 

• Ways to enhance the quality, utility, 

and clarity of the information to be 

collected; and 

• Ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on 

respondents. 

Comments that you submit in 

response to this notice are a matter of 

public record. We will include or 

summarize each comment in our request 

to OMB to approve this IC. 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 your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Dated: March 26, 2012. 

Tina A.Campbell, 

Chief, Division of Policy and Directives 

Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7840 Filed 3–30–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLCAD01000 L12200000.AL 0000] 

Meeting of the California Desert 

District Advisory Council 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given, in 

accordance with Public Laws 92–463 

and 94–579, that the California Desert 

District Advisory Council (DAC) to the 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM), 

U.S. Department of the Interior, will 

meet in formal session on Saturday, 

April 21, 2012, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

in Ridgecrest, Calif. at a location to be 

noticed at least 15 days prior to the 

meeting. There also will be a field trip 

on Friday, April 20, from 8 a.m. to 

4:30 p.m. on BLM-administered lands. 

Field trip details will be posted on the 

DAC web page, http://www.blm.gov/ca/ 

st/en/info/rac/dac.html, when finalized. 

Agenda topics for the Saturday 

meeting will include updates by council 

members, the BLM California Desert 

District manager, five field office 

managers, and council subgroups. Final 

agenda items will be posted on the DAC 

web page listed above. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: All DAC 

meetings are open to the public. Public 

comment for items not on the agenda 

will be scheduled at the beginning of 

the meeting Saturday morning. Time for 

public comment may be made available 

by the council chairman during the 

presentation of various agenda items, 

and is scheduled at the end of the 

meeting for topics not on the agenda. 

While the Saturday meeting is 

tentatively scheduled from 8 a.m. to 

4:30 p.m., the meeting could conclude 

prior to 4:30 p.m. should the council 

conclude its presentations and 

discussions. Therefore, members of the 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES