77538 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 184 / Monday, September 23, 2024 / Notices 

(4) Ways to minimize the burden of 

the collection of information on those 

who are to respond; including through 

the use of appropriate automated 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology, e.g., permitting 

electronic submission of responses. 

HUD encourages interested parties to 

submit comment in response to these 

questions. 

C. Authority 

Section 3507 of the Paperwork 

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

chapter 35. 

Jeffrey D. Little, 

General Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office 

of Housing. 

[FR Doc. 2024–21668 Filed 9–20–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4210–67–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R7–NWRS–2024–0032; 

FXRS126107ISLAN–245–FF07R02000] 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

Rat Eradication From Four Uninhabited 

Aleutian Islands; Alaska Maritime 

National Wildlife Refuge, AK 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife 

Service, intend to prepare an 

environmental impact statement (EIS) 

for a proposed project to eradicate 

nonnative rats from four uninhabited 

islands (Amchitka, Attu, Great Sitkin, 

and Kiska Islands) located in the Alaska 

Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The 

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service is a cooperating agency on the 

EIS. We invite comments for 

consideration in establishing the scope 

and content of the EIS from the public 

and local, State, Tribal, and Federal 

agencies. 

DATES: 

Submitting comments: We must 

receive written data or comments by 

November 7, 2024. 

Public meeting: The Service will hold 

a public scoping meeting in Anchorage, 

Alaska. A virtual participation option 

will also be available. If you wish to 

participate virtually, contact the person 

in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT no 

later than two days prior to the meeting. 

The date, time, and location of the 

meeting will be announced through 

local media and social media, and on 

the project website (https://

www.fws.gov/ratfreealeutians). 

ADDRESSES: You may submit scoping 

comments by any one of the following 

methods: 

• In-person: At the public scoping 

meeting, you may submit written 

comments to Service personnel or to the 

court reporter monitoring the meeting 

and typing up a record. 

• Online: https://

www.regulations.gov. Search for and 

submit comments on Docket No. FWS– 

R7–NWRS–2024–0032. 

• U.S. mail: Public Comments 

Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R7– 

NWRS–2024–0032; U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W; 5275 

Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041– 

3803. 

For more information, see ‘‘Public 

Comment Procedures’’ under 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Steve Delehanty, Refuge Manager, via 

telephone at 907–226–4627, via email at 

steve_delehanty@fws.gov, or via U.S. 

mail at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Alaska Maritime National Wildlife 

Refuge, 95 Sterling Highway, Homer, 

AK, 99603. Please also visit the project 

website at https://www.fws.gov/ 

aleutianrateis. Individuals in the United 

States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of 

hearing, or have a speech disability may 

dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to 

access telecommunications relay 

services. Individuals outside the United 

States should use the relay services 

offered within their country to make 

international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the 

Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), 

intend to prepare an environmental 

impact statement (EIS) pursuant to the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA; 42 U.S.C 4321 et seq.), the 

Council on Environmental Quality’s 

regulations for implementing NEPA (40 

CFR parts 1500–1508), and the 

Department of the Interior’s NEPA 

regulations (43 CFR part 46) for a 

proposed project to eradicate nonnative 

rats from four uninhabited islands 

(Amchitka, Attu, Great Sitkin, and Kiska 

Islands) located in the Alaska Maritime 

National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge). The 

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service (APHIS) is a cooperating agency 

on the EIS. We invite comments from 

the public and local, State, Tribal, and 

Federal agencies on the scope of the 

analysis, potential alternatives, and 

identification of relevant information, 

studies, and analyses. 

Purpose and Need for the Proposed 

Action 

The purpose of the proposed action is 

to eradicate nonnative rats from 

Amchitka, Attu, Great Sitkin, and Kiska 

Islands in the Aleutian archipelago, in 

order to eliminate their impacts on 

native species and to restore natural 

island ecosystems. Nonnative rats occur 

on these four uninhabited islands, 

where they have impacted native 

wildlife populations and altered natural 

ecosystem function. 

The Refuge encompasses over 1.9 

million hectares and several thousand 

coastal islands in Alaska. The long-term 

management strategies for the Refuge 

are guided by its record of decision for 

its Final Comprehensive Conservation 

Plan/Environmental Impact Statement 

and Wilderness Review (plan) (FWS 

1988). The wildlife management goal of 

the selected management alternative in 

the plan is to protect existing fish and 

wildlife populations and habitats, 

restore endangered and other species to 

natural levels, and increase 

opportunities for wildlife viewing and 

other nonconsumptive uses. One of the 

strategies identified to meet this goal is 

the eradication of introduced predators 

and rodents. Many Refuge islands have 

had accidental and intentional 

introductions of nonendemic mammals 

(e.g., Arctic and red fox, ground 

squirrel, Norway rat, house mouse, 

caribou, reindeer, cattle, and Arctic and 

European hare). Although new 

introductions are prohibited, accidental 

introductions, particularly of rodents, 

are still of great concern. 

Action is needed because rats have 

invaded at least 12 large islands in the 

Aleutian Island archipelago, including 

Amchitka, Attu, Great Sitkin, and Kiska 

Islands, and the diversity and numbers 

of breeding birds are conspicuously low 

on islands with established populations 

of introduced rats, which is consistent 

with worldwide observations of the 

devastating direct impacts of introduced 

rats on seabirds. Most of the Aleutian 

Islands lying within the Refuge provide 

important breeding habitat for seabirds, 

including many bird species for which 

the Aleutians provide a substantial 

portion of their worldwide range. Ratcaused modifications to other 

components of the island ecosystems 

(e.g., other birds, plants, and 

invertebrates) are also evident. 

The restoration of Aleutian 

ecosystems through eradications of 

introduced predators has long been 

identified as a management priority for 

the Refuge. Introduced foxes have been 

removed from over 40 islands in the 

Aleutians, while Norway rats have been 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 184 / Monday, September 23, 2024 / Notices 77539 

successfully eradicated from 1. In 2008, 

the Refuge and partner organizations 

demonstrated that Norway rats could be 

successfully eradicated from Hawadax 

Island, and that the eradication could 

have a positive impact on native 

wildlife communities. 

Post-eradication monitoring found 

significant recoveries of terrestrial birds 

and shorebirds, and the initial 

recolonization or recovery of marine 

birds 5 years after eradication. Intertidal 

ecosystem recovery was also 

documented 11 years post-eradication. 

Proposed Action and Possible 

Alternatives 

The Service intends to eradicate 

nonnative rats from four uninhabited 

islands in the Refuge. The islands are 

remote, and eradication efforts would be 

undertaken one single island at a time, 

with years between efforts on each 

island. The Service is currently 

considering four preliminary 

alternatives and a no-action alternative. 

The Service will identify a preferred 

alternative in the final EIS. The 

following alternatives are preliminary 

and may be revised based on public 

input and internal considerations. 

• Alternative 1: The no-action 

alternative, in which nonnative rats 

remain on islands. 

• Alternative 2: This alternative 

proposes rat eradication primarily using 

bait pellets containing the rodenticide 

brodifacoum. 

• Alternative 3: This alternative 

proposes rat eradication primarily using 

bait pellets containing the rodenticide 

diphacinone. 

• Alternative 4: This alternative 

analyzes rat eradication using emerging 

genetic biocontrol technology to limit 

propagation or survival. 

• Alternative 5: This alternative 

analyzes rat eradication primarily using 

bait pellets containing the rodenticide 

norbormide. 

Summary of Expected Impacts 

The overall impact of the proposed 

action of eradicating nonnative rats is 

anticipated to have a beneficial effect on 

the islands’ ecosystems. However, the 

EIS analysis will focus on the potential 

significant impacts of each alternative. 

The Service anticipates impacts to occur 

to, but not be limited to, the following 

resources from any or all of the 

proposed alternatives: 

• Access to public lands 

• Air quality and climate 

• Aquatic and marine environments, 

including anadromous and nonanadromous fish and invertebrate 

species 

• Cultural and historical resources 

• Designated Wilderness 

• Endangered Species Act-listed species 

• Marine mammals 

• Migratory birds, including bald eagles 

• Public health and safety 

• Socioeconomics, including impacts to 

subsistence and recreational fisheries 

• Water quality 

Anticipated Permits and Authorities 

The proposed action may require the 

following permits or approvals: 

• Alaska Department of Fish and Game 

Wildlife Nuisance permit 

• Alaska Department of Natural 

Resources Fish Habitat permit 

• Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act 

section 14(h)(1) private land 

permission 

• Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act 

permit 

• Clean Water Act permit 

• Endangered Species Act section 7 

consultation 

• Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and 

Rodenticide Act section 3 pesticide 

labels 

• Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries 

Conservation Act consultations for 

essential fish habitat 

• Marine Mammal Protection Act 

authorization 

• Migratory Bird Treaty Act 

• Pesticide Use Proposal 

• State Historic Preservation Office 

section 106 consultation under the 

National Historic Preservation Act 

• Water Pollution Control Act of 1948, 

as amended, National Pollutant 

Discharge Elimination System permit 

Schedule for the Decision-Making 

Process 

The Service will review and consider 

comments received during scoping and 

incorporate substantive comments while 

writing the draft EIS. The Service 

anticipates completion of the draft EIS 

in spring 2026, at which time we will 

publish a Federal Register notice of 

availability requesting public 

comments. We will also hold a public 

meeting on the draft EIS. We anticipate 

making the final EIS available to the 

public in fall 2026. In accordance with 

40 CFR 1506.10, a record of decision 

shall not be made or issued for a 

minimum of 30 days after the 

publication of the final EIS. 

Public Comment Procedures 

Public Availability of Comments 

If you submit a comment at https://

www.regulations.gov, your entire 

comment, including any personal 

identifying information, will be posted 

on the website. If you submit a 

hardcopy comment that includes 

personal identifying information, such 

as your address, phone number, or 

email address, 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 hardcopy 

comment to withhold your personal 

identifying information from public 

review, we cannot guarantee that we 

will be able to do so. 

How To Request Reasonable 

Accommodations 

For assistance at a scoping meeting, 

please contact the point of contact in 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. 

Information regarding this project will 

be made available in alternate formats 

upon request. 

Socheata Lor, 

Acting Regional Director, Alaska Region. 

[FR Doc. 2024–21714 Filed 9–20–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[BLM_AZ_FRN_MO4500182907] 

Notice of Filing of Plats of Survey; 

Arizona 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of official filing. 

SUMMARY: The plats of survey of the 

following described land were officially 

filed in the Bureau of Land Management 

(BLM), Arizona State Office, Phoenix, 

Arizona on the dates indicated. The 

surveys announced in this notice are 

necessary for the management of lands 

administered by the agency indicated. 

ADDRESSES: These plats will be available 

for inspection in the Arizona State 

Office, Bureau of Land Management, 

One North Central Avenue, Suite 800, 

Phoenix, Arizona 85004–4427. Protests 

of any of these surveys should be sent 

to the Arizona State Director at the 

above address. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Geoffrey A. Graham, Chief Cadastral 

Surveyor of Arizona; (602) 417–9558; 

ggraham@blm.gov. Persons who use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS) at 7–1–1 to leave a 

message or question for the above 

individual. The FRS is available 24 

hours a day, 7 days a week. You will 

receive a reply during normal business 

hours. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES