Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 5 / Monday, January 8, 2024 / Notices 939 

Public Availability of Comments 

Written comments we receive 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. Moreover, 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 

If we decide to issue permits to any 

of the applicants listed in this notice, 

we will publish a notice in the Federal 

Register. 

Authority 

We publish this notice under section 

10(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 

1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 

seq.). 

Lori Nordstrom, 

Assistant Regional Director, Ecological 

Service, Midwest Region. 

[FR Doc. 2024–00159 Filed 1–5–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–HQ–ES–2020–N100; 

FXES111609C0000–245–FF09E41000; OMB 

Control Number 1018–0094] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Federal Fish and Wildlife 

Permit Applications and Reports— 

Native Endangered and Threatened 

Species 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of information collection; 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(Service), are proposing to renew an 

information collection without change. 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before February 

7, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be 

submitted within 30 days of publication 

of this notice at https://

www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. 

Find this particular information 

collection by selecting ‘‘Currently under 

Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or 

by using the search function. Please 

provide a copy of your comments to the 

Service Information Collection 

Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, MS: PRB (JAO/3W), 

5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 

22041–3803 (mail); or by email to Info_

Coll@fws.gov. Please reference OMB 

Control Number 1018–0094 in the 

subject line of your comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Madonna Baucum, Service Information 

Collection Clearance Officer, by email at 

Info_Coll@fws.gov, or by telephone at 

(703) 358–2503. Individuals who are 

hearing or speech impaired may call the 

Federal Relay Service at 1–800–877– 

8339 for TTY assistance. You may also 

view the information collection request 

(ICR) at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/ 

do/PRAMain. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 

3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), we 

provide the general public and other 

Federal agencies with an opportunity to 

comment on new, proposed, revised, 

and continuing collections of 

information. This helps us assess the 

impact of our information collection 

requirements and minimize the public’s 

reporting burden. It also helps the 

public understand our information 

collection requirements and provide the 

requested data in the desired format. 

On February 9, 2023, we published in 

the Federal Register (88 FR 8380) a 

proposed rule (RIN 1018–BF99) 

containing a notice of our intent to 

request that OMB approve the existing 

and new information collections 

contained in that rulemaking. We 

solicited comments for 60 days, ending 

on April 10, 2023. We received one 

comment addressing the information 

collection requirements contained in 

that proposed rule, which will be 

addressed in the submission to OMB 

associated with the final rule. The 

Service plans to publish the associated 

final rule, which will request OMB 

approval of the new information 

collections, in the spring of 2024. 

However, due to this collection expiring 

before the anticipated publication of 

that final rule, we are now requesting 

that OMB approve an extension, 

without change, to this collection, to 

this collection to extend the current 

expiration date. 

As part of our continuing effort to 

reduce paperwork and respondent 

burdens, we are again soliciting 

comments from the public and other 

Federal agencies on the proposed 

information collection request (ICR) that 

is described below. We are especially 

interested in public comment 

addressing the following: 

(1) Whether or not the collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

agency, including whether or not the 

information will have practical utility; 

(2) The accuracy of our estimate of the 

burden for this collection of 

information, including the validity of 

the methodology and assumptions used; 

(3) Ways to enhance the quality, 

utility, and clarity of the information to 

be collected; and 

(4) How might the agency minimize 

the burden of the collection of 

information on those who are to 

respond, including through the use of 

appropriate automated, electronic, 

mechanical, or other technological 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology, e.g., permitting 

electronic submission of response. 

Comments that you submit in 

response to this notice are a matter of 

public record. 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. 

Abstract: The Endangered Species Act 

(ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) provides 

a means to conserve the ecosystems 

upon which endangered and threatened 

species depend, to provide a program 

for the conservation of these endangered 

and threatened species, and to take the 

appropriate steps that are necessary to 

bring any endangered or threatened 

species to the point where measures 

provided for under the ESA are no 

longer necessary. Section 10(a)(1)(A) of 

the ESA authorizes us to issue permits 

for otherwise prohibited activities in 

order to enhance the propagation or 

survival of the affected species. Section 

10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA authorizes us to 

issue permits if the taking is incidental 

to the carrying out of an otherwise 

lawful activity. ESA section 10(d) 

requires that such permits be applied for 

in good faith and, if granted, that the 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
940 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 5 / Monday, January 8, 2024 / Notices 

permit not operate to the disadvantage 

of endangered species, and that the 

permit be consistent with the purposes 

of the ESA. 

Our regulations implementing the 

ESA are in chapter I, subchapter B of 

title 50 of the Code of Federal 

Regulations (CFR) (50 CFR 13 and 50 

CFR 17). The regulations stipulate 

general and specific requirements that, 

when met, allow us to issue permits to 

authorize activities that are otherwise 

prohibited. Upon receipt of a complete 

application, the Director may issue a 

permit authorizing any activity 

otherwise prohibited by § 17.21, in 

accordance with the issuance criteria of 

this section, for scientific purposes, for 

enhancing the propagation or survival, 

or for the incidental taking of 

endangered wildlife. Such permits may 

authorize a single transaction, a series of 

transactions, or a number of activities 

over a specific period of time. (See 

§ 17.32 for permits for threatened 

species.) 

We collect information associated 

with application forms to determine the 

eligibility of applicants for permits 

requested in accordance with the 

criteria in section 10 of the ESA. The 

Service uses the following permit 

application forms for activities 

associated with native endangered and 

threatened species: 

• Form 3–200–54, Enhancement of 

Survival Permits Associated with Safe 

Harbor Agreement and Candidate 

Conservation Agreement with 

Assurances; 

• Form 3–200–56, Incidental Take 

Permits Associated with a Habitat 

Conservation Plan (HCP); 

• Form 3–200–59, Scientific, 

Enhancement of Propagation, or 

Survival (i.e., Purposeful Take for 

Recovery); and 

• Form 3–200–60, Interstate 

Commerce. 

Annual reporting of the results 

subsequent to the activity authorized by 

the permit is required in most cases 

(under the authority of section 

10(a)(1)(A) and 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA 

and its implementing regulations at 50 

CFR 17). These reports allow us to 

evaluate the success of the project, 

formulate further research, and develop 

and adjust management and recovery 

plans for the species. We currently use 

the following reports specific to 

particular species (and regions, where 

appropriate): 

• Form 3–202–55a, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service Geographic Area: 

Southwestern Bat Reporting Form; 

• Form 3–202–55b, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service Geographic Area: 

Midwestern Bat Reporting Form; 

• Form 3–202–55c, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service Geographic Area: 

Southeastern Bat Reporting Form; 

• Form 3–202–55d, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service Geographic Area: 

Northeastern Bat Reporting Form; and 

• Form 3–202–55e, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service Geographic Area: 

Plains/Rockies Bat Reporting Form. 

• Form 3–202–55f, Non-Releasable 

Sea Turtle Annual Report; and 

• Form 3–202–55g, Sea Turtle 

Rehabilitation Annual Report. 

• Form 3–2523, Midwest Geographic 

Area: Freshwater Mussel Reporting 

Form; 

• Form 3–2526, Midwest Geographic 

Area: Bumble Bee Reporting Form; 

• Form 3–2530, California/Nevada/ 

Klamath Basin, OR Recovery Permit 

Annual Summary Report Form; 

• Form 3–2532, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service Geographic Area: 

Alaska Bat Reporting Form; 

• Form 3–2533, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service Geographic Area: 

Northwestern Bat Reporting Form; and 

• Form 3–2534, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service Geographic Area: 

Western Bat Reporting Form. 

Annual reporting of the results 

subsequent to the activity authorized by 

the permit is required in most cases 

(under the authority of section 

10(a)(1)(A) and section 10(a)(1)(B) of the 

ESA and its implementing regulations at 

50 CFR 17). The Service designed the 

forms to facilitate the electronic 

reporting specifically for each species. 

The Service will use the reported data 

to evaluate the success of the permitted 

project, formulate further research, and 

develop and adjust management and 

recovery plans for the species. The data 

will also inform 5-year reviews and 

species status assessments conducted 

under the ESA. 

Additionally, we require that the 

following notifications be made to the 

Service: 

• Private landowners who have an 

enhancement of survival permit (and 

accompanying safe harbor agreement or 

candidate conservation agreement with 

assurances) must notify us if their land 

management activities incidentally take 

a listed or candidate species covered 

under their permit. 

• We issue enhancement of survival 

permits to landowners, and their name 

is printed on the permit. If ownership of 

the land changes, this permit does not 

automatically transfer to the new 

landowner. Therefore, we ask the 

permittee to notify us if there is a 

change in land ownership so that we 

may update the permit; and 

• If a recovery or interstate commerce 

permit authorizes activities that include 

keeping wildlife in captivity, we ask the 

permittee to notify us if any of the 

captive wildlife escape. 

Title of Collection: Federal Fish and 

Wildlife Permit Applications and 

Reports—Native Endangered and 

Threatened Species; 50 CFR 10, 13, and 

17. 

OMB Control Number: 1018–0094. 

Form Numbers: FWS Forms 3–200– 

54, 3–200–56, 3–200–59, 3–200–60, 3– 

202–55a through 3–202–55g, 3–2523, 3– 

2526, 3–2530, and 3–2532 through 3– 

2534 (new). 

Type of Review: Extension of a 

currently approved collection. 

Respondents/Affected Public: 

Individuals; private sector; and State/ 

local/Tribal governments. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Respondents: 4,258. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Responses: 4,258. 

Estimated Completion Time per 

Response: Varies from 30 minutes to 

2,080 hours, depending on activity. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Burden Hours: 119,949. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. 

Frequency of Collection: On occasion, 

annually, one time. 

Total Estimated Annual Nonhour 

Burden Cost: $54,910 for fees associated 

with permit applications and 

amendments. 

An agency 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. 

The authority for this action is the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). 

Madonna Baucum, 

Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–00068 Filed 1–5–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[Docket No. FWS–R8–ES–2023–0251; 

FXES11140800000–245–FF08ECAR00] 

Receipt of Incidental Take Permit 

Application and Proposed Habitat 

Conservation Plan for Montebello Hills 

Phase B Project, City of Montebello, 

CA; Categorical Exclusion 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife 

Service (Service), announce receipt of 


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