27658 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 89 / Monday, May 9, 2022 / Notices 

Application No. Applicant Species Location Activity Type of take Permit 

action 

PER0039248 .. Jacob Powell, 

Sheridan, 

WY.

Rusty patched bumble 

bee (Bombus 

affinis), Poweshiek 

skipperling (Oarisma 

poweshiek), and Dakota skipper 

(Hesperia dacotae).

IA, IL, IN, MA, ME, MI, 

MN, ND, OH, SD, 

VA, WI, WV.

Conduct presence/absence surveys, conduct studies to document habitat use, 

conduct population 

monitoring, and 

evaluate potential 

impacts.

Capture, handle, and 

release.

New. 

PER0039249 .. Meredith 

Hoggatt, 

Pittsboro, IN.

Indiana bat (Myotis 

sodalis), northern 

long-eared bat 

(Myotis 

septentrionalis), and 

gray bat (Myotis 

grisescens).

AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, 

FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, 

KS, KY, LA, MA, 

MD, MI, MN, MO, 

MS, MT, NC, ND, 

NE, NH, NJ, NY, 

OH, OK, PA, RI, 

SC, SD, TN, TX, VI, 

VT, WI, WV, WY.

Conduct presence/absence surveys, conduct studies to document habitat use, 

conduct population 

monitoring, and 

evaluate potential 

impacts.

Capture by mistnet 

and harp traps, handle, radio-tag, collect 

DNA samples, band, 

and release.

New. 

PER0039255 .. Ryan 

Schwegman, 

College Corner, OH.

Thirteen freshwater 

mussel species.

AR, DE, IA, IL, IN, KS, 

KY, MD, MI, MN, 

MO, NY, OH, OK, 

PA, TN, TX, VA, WI, 

WV.

Conduct presence/absence surveys, conduct studies to document habitat use, 

conduct population 

monitoring, and 

evaluate potential 

impacts.

Capture, handle, mark, 

relocate, collect for 

propagation purposes, and release.

New. 

TE26953C ...... Karen Goodell, 

Newark, OH.

Rusty patched bumble 

bee (Bombus affinis).

Add: new locations — 

PA, MD, VA, WV — 

to existing authorized location: OH.

Conduct presence/absence surveys, conduct studies to document habitat use, 

conduct population 

monitoring, and 

evaluate potential 

impacts.

Capture, handle, and 

release.

Amend. 

PER0039690 .. Amy Toth, 

Ames, IA.

Rusty patched bumble 

bee (Bombus affinis).

IA, IL ........................... Conduct presence/absence surveys, conduct studies to document habitat use, 

conduct population 

monitoring, and 

evaluate potential 

impacts.

Capture, handle, mark, 

release, DNA sample, pollen sample.

New. 

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 

Services. 

[FR Doc. 2022–09875 Filed 5–6–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[Docket No. FWS–R3–ES–2022–0040; 

FXES11140300000–223] 

Draft Environmental Assessment and 

Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan; 

Receipt of an Application for an 

Incidental Take Permit, Jordan Creek 

Wind Energy Center, Warren and 

Benton Counties, Indiana 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comment and information. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, have received an 

application from Jordan Creek Wind 

LLC (applicant), a subsidiary of NextEra 

Energy Resources LLC, for an incidental 

take permit (ITP) under the Endangered 

Species Act, for its Jordan Creek Wind 

Energy Center (project). If approved, the 

ITP would be for a 30-year period and 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 89 / Monday, May 9, 2022 / Notices 27659 

would authorize the incidental take of 

an endangered species, the Indiana bat, 

and a threatened species, the northern 

long-eared 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 long-eared bat. We also 

announce the availability of a draft 

environmental assessment, which has 

been prepared in response to the permit 

application in accordance with the 

requirements of the National 

Environmental Policy Act. We request 

public comment on the application and 

associated documents. 

DATES: We will accept comments 

received or postmarked on or before 

June 8, 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–2022–0040 at 

https://www.regulations.gov. 

Comment submission: Please specify 

whether your comment addresses the 

proposed HCP, draft EA, or both. You 

may submit written comments by one of 

the following methods: 

• Online: https:// 

www.regulations.gov. Search for and 

submit comments on Docket No. FWS– 

R3–ES–2022–0040. 

• By hard copy: Submit comments by 

U.S. mail to Public Comments 

Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R3– 

ES–2022–0040; U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service; 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: PRB/ 

3W; Falls Church, VA 22041–3803. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Scott Pruitt, Field Supervisor, Indiana 

Ecological Services Field Office by 

email at scott_pruitt@fws.gov, or 

telephone at 812–334–4261, extension 

214; or Andrew Horton, Regional HCP 

Coordinator, Interior Region 3, by email 

at andrew_horton@fws.gov or telephone 

at 612–713–5337. 

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: 

Background 

Section 9 of the Endangered Species 

Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 

U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), 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 such 

conduct’’ (16 U.S.C. 1538). 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. Regulations governing 

incidental take permits for endangered 

and threatened species, respectively, are 

found in the Code of Federal 

Regulations at 50 CFR 17.22 and 50 CFR 

17.32. 

Applicant’s Proposed Project 

The applicant requests a 30-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 146 wind turbines that have a total 

generating capacity of 404 megawatts 

and cover approximately 70,904 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 Indiana bats 

and northern long-eared bats through 

on-site minimization measures and to 

provide habitat conservation measures 

for Indiana bats and northern long-eared 

bats to offset any impacts from 

operations of the project. The HCP 

provides on-site avoidance and 

minimization measures, which include 

turbine operational adjustments. The 

authorized level of take from the project 

is 193 Indiana bats and 97 northern 

long-eared bats over the 30-year project 

duration. To offset the impacts of the 

taking of Indiana bats and northern 

long-eared bats, the applicant proposes 

to protect known maternity colony 

habitat and staging/swarming habitat. 

National Environmental Policy Act 

The issuance of an ITP is a Federal 

action that triggers the need for 

compliance with NEPA. We prepared a 

draft EA that analyzes the 

environmental impacts on the human 

environment resulting from three 

alternatives: A no-action alternative, the 

proposed action, and a more restrictive 

alternative consisting of feathering at a 

rate of wind speed that results in less 

impacts to bats. 

Next Steps 

The Service will evaluate the permit 

application and the comments received 

to determine whether the 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 

during a 30-day public comment period 

(see DATES). In particular, information 

and comments regarding the following 

topics are requested: 

1. The environmental effects that 

implementation of any alternative could 

have on the human environment; 

2. Whether or not the significance of 

the impact on various aspects of the 

human environment has been 

adequately analyzed; 

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 EA; and 

4. Any other information pertinent to 

evaluating the effects of the proposed 

action on the human environment. 

Availability of Public Comments 

You may submit comments by one of 

the methods shown under ADDRESSES. 

We will post on https://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 

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. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
27660 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 89 / Monday, May 9, 2022 / Notices 

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). 

Lori Nordstrom, 

Assistant Regional Director, Ecological 

Services. 

[FR Doc. 2022–09837 Filed 5–6–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[Docket No. FWS–R3–ES–2022–0003; 

FXES11140300000–223] 

Draft Environmental Assessment and 

Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan 

Amendment; Receipt of an Application 

for an Incidental Take Permit 

Amendment, Fowler Ridge Wind Farm, 

Benton County, Indiana 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comments and information. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, have received an 

application from Fowler Ridge Wind 

Farm LLC, Fowler Ridge II Wind Farm 

LLC, Fowler Ridge III Wind Farm LLC, 

and Fowler Ridge IV Wind Farm LLC, 

collectively referred to as Fowler Ridge 

(applicant), to amend an existing 

incidental take permit (ITP) under the 

Endangered Species Act, for its Fowler 

Ridge Wind Farm (project). If approved, 

the ITP would be extended for an 

additional 10-year period and would 

add authorization of incidental take of 

a threatened species, the northern longeared bat, to the currently existing 

authorization to incidentally take the 

endangered Indiana bat. The applicant 

has prepared a proposed habitat 

conservation plan amendment that 

describes the actions and measures that 

the applicant would implement to 

avoid, minimize, and mitigate 

incidental take of the Indiana bat and 

northern long-eared bat. We also 

announce the availability of a draft 

environmental assessment, which has 

been prepared in response to the permit 

application in accordance with the 

requirements of the National 

Environmental Policy Act. We request 

public comment on the application and 

associated documents. 

DATES: We will accept comments 

received or postmarked on or before 

June 8, 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–2022–0003 at 

http://www.regulations.gov. 

Comment submission: In your 

comment, please specify whether your 

comment addresses the proposed HCP, 

draft EA, or any combination of the 

aforementioned documents, or other 

supporting documents. You may submit 

written comments by one of the 

following methods: 

• Online: https://

www.regulations.gov. Search for and 

submit comments on Docket No. FWS– 

R3–ES–2022–0003. 

• By hard copy: Submit comments by 

U.S. mail to Public Comments 

Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R3– 

ES–2022–0003; U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service; 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: PRB/ 

3W; Falls Church, VA 22041–3803. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Scott Pruitt, Field Supervisor, Indiana 

Ecological Services Field Office, by 

email at scott_pruitt@fws.gov, or by 

telephone at 812–334–4261, extension 

214; or Andrew Horton, Regional HCP 

Coordinator, Interior Region 3, by email 

at andrew_horton@fws.gov, or by 

telephone at 612–713–5337. 

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: 

Background 

Section 9 of the Endangered Species 

Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 

U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), 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 such 

conduct’’ (16 U.S.C. 1538). 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. 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 to amend their 

current 21-year ITP (TE95012A–0). The 

proposed HCP amendment, if approved, 

would extend the current permit term 

by 10 years. Because of the time already 

elapsed since the original issuance of 

the ITP, this extension would result in 

an amended ITP with a total 23-year 

permit term (2022–2044). In addition, 

the HCP amendment would add 

authorization to incidentally take the 

federally threatened northern long-eared 

bat (Myotis septentrionalis) to the ITP, 

and would in effect increase the 

allowable take of the federally 

endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis), 

due to the permit term extension. The 

applicant determined that take is 

reasonably certain to occur incidental to 

operation of the 420 wind turbines at 

the project. The proposed conservation 

strategy in the applicant’s proposed 

HCP amendment 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 Indiana bats and northern long-eared 

bats through on-site minimization 

measures and to provide habitat 

conservation measures for Indiana bats 

and northern long-eared bats to offset 

any impacts from operations of the 

project. The HCP amendment provides 

on-site avoidance and minimization 

measures, which include turbine 

operational adjustments. The estimated 

level of take from the project is 120 

northern long-eared bats over the 24- 

year project duration and an additional 

151 Indiana bats (above the 184 Indiana 

bats already authorized in the original 

ITP) due to the 10-year extension. To 

offset the impacts of the taking of 

Indiana bats and northern long-eared 

bats, the applicant proposes to protect 

known maternity colony habitat. 

National Environmental Policy Act 

The issuance of an ITP amendment is 

a Federal action that triggers the need 

for compliance with NEPA. We 

prepared a draft EA that analyzes the 

environmental impacts on the human 

environment resulting from three 

alternatives: A no-action alternative, the 

applicants’ proposed alternative, and an 

alternative that provides coverage of 

only the northern long-eared bat. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES