Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 16 / Tuesday, January 25, 2022 / Notices 3837 

benefits to improve its approach to 

ensuring compliance with its civil 

rights, nondiscrimination and equity 

requirements, and obligations as 

outlined in federal civil rights laws such 

as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 

1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d, Section 504 of 

the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. 

794, and the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 

Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 

(the Stafford Act). Such demographic 

data concerning individuals who 

participate in or benefit from the 

Agency’s programs and activities will 

increase FEMA’s ability evaluate the 

accessibility and distributional equity of 

their programs and then make 

alterations or pivot based upon 

identified areas of concern, thereby 

demonstrating compliance with civil 

rights laws. 

Collection of Information 

Title: Generic Clearance for Civil 

Rights and Equity. 

Type of Information Collection: New 

information collection. 

OMB Number: 1660–NW133. 

FEMA Forms: Under the Generic 

Clearance, each Federal Emergency 

Management Agency component will 

submit their specific forms for the 

collection of demographics. FEMA 

Form: FF–256–FY–21–100, Generic 

Clearance Civil Rights and Equity. The 

Agency is prepared to add these 

questions to the Individuals and 

Households program registration, FF– 

104–FY–21–123 (formerly FEMA Form 

009–0–1T (English)), Tele-Registration, 

Disaster Assistance Registration, FF– 

104–FY–21–125 (formerly FEMA Form 

009–0–1Int (English)), internet, Disaster 

Assistance Registration, FF–104–FY– 

21–122 (formerly FEMA Form 009–0–1 

(English)), Paper Application/Disaster 

Assistance Registration. The 

demographic data will help the 

Individuals and Households program 

improve operational outcomes for 

vulnerable communities by using 

analysis of demographic data against 

program outcomes to evaluate whether 

any disparities in eligibility 

determinations appear to impact 

vulnerable communities. FEMA would 

then use this data to determine how to 

improve service delivery for all 

survivors. FEMA expects a burden of no 

more than 5 minutes per registration to 

answer the additional questions, with 

the entire estimated annual burden 

outlined below. 

Abstract: The Federal Emergency 

Management Agency will use the 

demographic characteristics collected 

from applicants and beneficiaries to 

assess its civil rights, nondiscrimination 

and equity requirements, and 

obligations as outlined in federal civil 

rights laws such as the Civil Rights Act, 

Rehabilitation Act, and the Stafford Act. 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

Households. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

938,800. 

Estimated Number of Responses: 

938,800. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 78,202. 

Estimated Total Annual Respondent 

Cost: $3,069,429. 

Estimated Respondents’ Operation 

and Maintenance Costs: $0. 

Estimated Respondents’ Capital and 

Start-Up Costs: $0. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to the 

Federal Government: $3,814,696. 

Comments 

Comments may be submitted as 

indicated in the ADDRESSES caption 

above. Comments are solicited to (a) 

evaluate whether the proposed data 

collection is necessary for the proper 

performance of the agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; (b) evaluate the 

accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the 

burden of the proposed collection of 

information, including the validity of 

the methodology and assumptions used; 

(c) enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) 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 

responses. 

Millicent L. Brown, 

Records Management Branch, Team Lead, 

Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, 

Mission Support, Federal Emergency 

Management Agency, Department of 

Homeland Security. 

[FR Doc. 2022–01314 Filed 1–24–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9111–19–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[Docket No. FWS–R3–ES–2021–0167; 

FXES11140300000–212] 

Receipt of Incidental Take Permit 

Application and Proposed Habitat 

Conservation Plan for the Ford Ridge 

Wind Project, Ford County, Illinois; 

Categorical Exclusion 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of 

documents; request for comment and 

information. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, have received an 

application from Ford Ridge Wind Farm 

LLC (applicant), for an incidental take 

permit (ITP) under the Endangered 

Species Act, for its Ford Ridge Wind 

Project (project). If approved, the ITP 

would be for a 6-year period and would 

authorize the incidental take of an 

endangered species, the Indiana bat, and 

a threatened species, the northern longeared bat. The applicant has prepared a 

habitat conservation plan that describes 

the actions and measures that the 

applicant would implement to avoid, 

minimize, and mitigate incidental take 

of the Indiana bat and northern longeared bat. We request public comment 

on the application, which includes the 

applicant’s proposed habitat 

conservation plan (HCP), and on the 

Service’s preliminary determination that 

this HCP qualifies as ‘‘low-effect,’’ 

categorically excluded under the 

National Environmental Policy Act. To 

make this determination, we used our 

environmental action statement and 

low-effect screening form, both of which 

are also able for public review. 

DATES: We will accept comments 

received or postmarked on or before 

February 24, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: Document availability: 

Electronic copies of the documents 

this notice announces, along with 

public comments received, will be 

available online in Docket No. FWS– 

R3–ES–2021–0167 at http://

www.regulations.gov. 

Comment submission: In your 

comment, please specify whether your 

comment addresses the proposed HCP, 

draft environmental action statement, or 

any combination of the aforementioned 

documents, or other supporting 

documents. You may submit written 

comments by one of the following 

methods: 

• Online: http://www.regulations.gov. 

Search for and submit comments on 

Docket No. FWS–R3–ES–2021–0167. 

• By hard copy: Submit comments by 

U.S. mail to Public Comments 

Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R3– 

ES–2021–0167; U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service; 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: PRB/ 

3W; Falls Church, VA 22041–3803. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kraig McPeek, Field Supervisor, 

Illinois-Iowa Ecological Services Field 

Office, by email at kraig_mcpeek@

fws.gov or telephone at 309–757–5800, 

extension 202; or Andrew Horton, 

Regional HCP Coordinator, Interior 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
3838 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 16 / Tuesday, January 25, 2022 / Notices 

Region 3, by email at andrew_horton@

fws.gov or telephone at 612–713–5337. 

Individuals who are hearing impaired 

or speech impaired may call the Federal 

Relay Service at 1–800–877–8339 for 

TTY assistance. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have 

received an application from Ford Ridge 

Wind Farm LLC (applicant) for an 

incidental take permit (ITP) under the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

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

The applicant requests the ITP to take 

the federally listed Indiana bat (Myotis 

sodalis) and northern long-eared bat 

(Myotis septentrionalis) incidental to the 

operation of 43 wind turbines with a 

total generating capacity of 121 

megawatts (MW) at the Ford Ridge 

Wind Project in Ford County, Illinois. 

While the ITP is for 6 years, the 

operational life of most new wind 

energy facilities is 30 years, and 

intensive monitoring conducted during 

this permit term will inform the need 

for future avoidance or a new long-term 

ITP for the remaining life of the project 

that will comply with a new NEPA 

analysis and habitat conservation plan 

(HCP). The applicant has prepared an 

HCP that describes the actions and 

measures that the applicant would 

implement to avoid, minimize, and 

mitigate incidental take of the covered 

species for the first 6 years. We request 

public comment on the application, 

which includes the applicant’s 

proposed HCP, and on the Service’s 

preliminary determination that this HCP 

qualifies as ‘‘low-effect,’’ categorically 

excluded under the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). To make this 

determination, we used our 

environmental action statement and 

low-effect screening form, both of which 

are also able for public review. 

Background 

Section 9 of the ESA and its 

implementing regulations prohibit the 

‘‘take’’ of animal species listed as 

endangered or threatened. Take is 

defined under the ESA as to ‘‘harass, 

harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, 

trap, capture, or collect [listed animal 

species,] or to attempt to engage in any 

such conduct’’ (16 U.S.C. 1532). 

However, under section 10(a) of the 

ESA, we may issue permits to authorize 

incidental take of listed species. 

‘‘Incidental take’’ is defined by the ESA 

as take that is incidental to, and not the 

purpose of, carrying out an otherwise 

lawful activity (16 U.S.C. 1539). 

Regulations governing incidental take 

permits for endangered and threatened 

species, respectively, are found in the 

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 

CFR 17.22 and 50 CFR 17.32. 

Applicant’s Proposed Project 

The applicant requests a 6-year ITP to 

take the federally endangered Indiana 

bat (Myotis sodalis) and threatened 

northern long-eared bat (Myotis 

septentrionalis). The applicant 

determined that take is reasonably 

certain to occur incidental to operation 

of 43 previously constructed wind 

turbines in Ford County, Illinois, 

covering approximately 13,806 acres of 

private land. The proposed conservation 

strategy in the applicant’s proposed 

HCP is designed to avoid, minimize, 

and mitigate the impacts of the covered 

activity on the covered species. The 

biological goals and objectives are to 

minimize potential take of the Indiana 

bat and northern long-eared bat through 

on-site minimization measures and to 

provide habitat conservation measures 

for the two species to offset any impacts 

from project operations. The HCP 

provides on-site avoidance and 

minimization measures, which include 

turbine operational adjustments. The 

authorized level of take from the project 

is 18 Indiana bat and 18 northern longeared bat over the 6-year permit 

duration. To offset the impacts of the 

taking of the species, the applicant will 

implement one or more of the following 

mitigation options: 

• Purchase credits from an approved 

conservation bank; 

• Contribute to an in-lieu fee 

mitigation fund; 

• Implement permittee-responsible 

mitigation project; or 

• Contribute to a white-nose 

syndrome treatment fund. 

National Environmental Policy Act 

The issuance of an ITP is a Federal 

action that triggers the need for 

compliance with NEPA. The Service has 

made a preliminary determination that 

the applicant’s project and the proposed 

mitigation measures would individually 

and cumulatively have a minor or 

negligible effect on the covered species 

and the environment. Therefore, we 

have preliminarily concluded that the 

ITP for this project would qualify for 

categorical exclusion, and the HCP 

would be low effect under our NEPA 

regulations at 43 CFR 46.205 and 

46.210. A low-effect HCP is one that 

would result in (1) minor or negligible 

effects on federally listed, proposed, and 

candidate species and their habitats; (2) 

minor or negligible effects on other 

environmental values or resources; and 

(3) impacts that, when considered 

together with the impacts of other past, 

present, and reasonable foreseeable 

similarly situated projects, would not 

result in significant cumulative effects 

to environmental values or resources 

over time. 

Next Steps 

The Service will evaluate the 

application and the comments received 

to determine whether the permit 

application meets the requirements of 

section 10(a) of the ESA. We will also 

conduct an intra-Service consultation 

pursuant to section 7 of the ESA to 

evaluate the effects of the proposed take. 

After considering the above findings, we 

will determine whether the permit 

issuance criteria of section 10(a)(l)(B) of 

the ESA have been met. If met, the 

Service will issue the requested ITP to 

the applicant. 

Request for Public Comments 

The Service invites comments and 

suggestions from all interested parties 

on the proposed HCP and screening 

form during a 30-day public comment 

period (see DATES). In particular, 

information and comments regarding 

the following topics are requested: 

1. Whether the adaptive management, 

monitoring, and mitigation provisions 

in the proposed HCP are sufficient; 

2. The requested 6-year ITP term; 

3. Any threats to the Indiana bat and 

the northern long-eared bat that may 

influence their populations over the life 

of the ITP that are not addressed in the 

proposed HCP or screening form; 

4. Any new information on whitenose syndrome effects on the Indiana 

bat and the northern long-eared bat; 

5. Whether or not the significance of 

the impact on various aspects of the 

human environment has been 

adequately analyzed; and 

6. Any other information pertinent to 

evaluating the effects of the proposed 

action on the human environment, 

including those on the Indiana bat and 

the northern long-eared bat. 

Availability of Public Comments 

You may submit comments by one of 

the methods shown under ADDRESSES. 

We will post on http://regulations.gov 

all public comments and information 

received electronically or via hardcopy. 

All comments received, including 

names and addresses, will 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 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 16 / Tuesday, January 25, 2022 / Notices 3839 

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. 

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 1500–1508; 43 CFR 

part 46). 

Lori Nordstrom, 

Assistant Regional Director, Ecological 

Services. 

[FR Doc. 2022–01426 Filed 1–24–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Office of the Secretary 

[22XD4523WS/DWSN0000.000000/ 

DS61500000/DP.61501] 

Invasive Species Advisory Committee; 

Request for Nominations 

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of request for 

nominations. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of the 

Interior, on behalf of the 

interdepartmental National Invasive 

Species Council (NISC), proposes to 

appoint new members to the Invasive 

Species Advisory Committee (ISAC). 

The Secretary of the Interior, acting as 

administrative lead, is requesting 

nominations for qualified persons to 

serve as members of the ISAC. 

DATES: Nominations must be received 

by March 28, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: Electronic nomination 

packages are preferred and should be 

sent to invasive_species@ios.doi.gov. As 

necessary, hard copy nominations can 

be sent to Stanley W. Burgiel, Executive 

Director, National Invasive Species 

Council (OS/NISC), Regular/Express 

Mail: Department of the Interior, 1849 C 

Street NW (Mailstop 3530), Washington, 

DC 20240. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kelsey Brantley, NISC Operations 

Director, at (202) 208–4122, or by email 

at Kelsey_Brantley@ios.doi.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Advisory Committee Scope and 

Objectives 

Executive Order (E.O.) 13112 

authorized the National Invasive 

Species Council (NISC) to provide 

interdepartmental coordination, 

planning, and leadership for the Federal 

Government on the prevention, 

eradication, and control of invasive 

species. This authorization was 

reiterated in E.O. 13751. NISC is 

currently comprised of the senior-most 

leadership of twelve Federal 

Departments/Agencies and four 

Executive Offices of the President. The 

Co-chairs of NISC are the Secretaries of 

the Interior, Agriculture, and 

Commerce. 

NISC provides high-level 

interdepartmental coordination of 

Federal invasive species actions and 

works with other Federal and nonFederal groups to address invasive 

species issues at the national level. 

NISC duties, consistent with E.O. 13751, 

are to provide the vision and national 

leadership necessary to coordinate, 

sustain, and expand federal efforts to 

safeguard the interests of the United 

States through the prevention, 

eradication, and control of invasive 

species, and through the restoration of 

ecosystems and other assets impacted 

by invasive species. These duties and 

work priorities are further identified 

and outlined in NISC’s annual Work 

Plans. 

The Invasive Species Advisory 

Committee (ISAC) advises NISC. ISAC is 

chartered under the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act (FACA; 5 U.S.C. 

appendix 2). At the request of NISC, 

ISAC provides advice to NISC members 

on topics related to NISC’s 

aforementioned duties, as well as 

emerging issues prioritized by the 

Administration. As a multi-stakeholder 

advisory committee, ISAC is intended to 

play a key role in recommending plans 

and actions to be taken in different 

sectors, geographies, and/or scales to 

accomplish the activities set forth in 

NISC Work Plans. It is hoped that, 

collectively, ISAC will represent the 

views of the broad range of 

stakeholders, communities, and 

individuals knowledgeable of and 

affected by invasive species. NISC is 

requesting nominations for individuals 

to serve on the ISAC. 

Membership Criteria: Prospective 

members of ISAC must have knowledge 

in the prevention, eradication, and/or 

control of invasive species, as well as 

demonstrate a high degree of capacity 

for: Advising individuals in leadership 

positions, teamwork, project 

management, tracking relevant Federal 

government programs and policy 

making procedures, and networking 

with and representing their peercommunity of interest. ISAC members 

need not be scientists. Membership from 

a wide range of disciplines and 

professional sectors is encouraged. 

At this time, we are particularly 

interested in applications from 

representatives of: Non-federal 

government agencies (e.g., state, 

territorial, tribal, local); academia, 

research institutions, and scientific 

societies; the private sector and 

industry/trade associations; 

conservation and land management 

organizations; landowners, farmers, 

ranchers, foresters, and other resource 

users; public health specialists; 

education and outreach specialists; 

regional organizations; and citizen 

scientists, recreationists, and other 

public interest groups. Additionally, 

ISAC membership will include one 

representative from each of the 

following organizations, serving in a 

non-voting ex officio capacity: The 

Association of Fish and Wildlife 

Agencies (AFWA); the National 

Association of Conservation Districts 

(NACD); the National Association of 

State Departments of Agriculture 

(NASDA); the National Plant Board 

(NPB); the Native American Fish and 

Wildlife Society (NAFWS); and the 

North American Invasive Species 

Management Association (NAISMA). 

After consultation with the other 

members of NISC, the Secretary of the 

Interior will appoint members to ISAC. 

Members will be selected based on their 

individual qualifications as detailed in 

their nomination package, as well as the 

overall need to achieve a balanced 

representation of viewpoints, subject 

matter expertise, regional knowledge, 

and communities of interest. 

ISAC will hold approximately one or 

two in-person or virtual meetings per 

year. Between meetings, ISAC members 

are expected to participate in committee 

and subcommittee work via web-based 

meetings, teleconferences, and email 

exchanges. Members of the ISAC and its 

subcommittees serve without pay. 

However, while away from their homes 

or regular places of business in the 

performance of services of the ISAC, 

members may be reimbursed for travel 

expenses, including per diem in lieu of 

subsistence, in the same manner as 

persons employed intermittently in the 

government service, as authorized by 

section 5703 of title 5, United States 

Code. Employees of the Federal 

Government ARE NOT eligible for 

nomination or appointment to ISAC. 

Individuals who are federally 

registered lobbyists are ineligible to 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES