1660 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 8 / Tuesday, January 13, 2015 / Notices 

geographical range, while preserving extant 

genetic diversity. 

2. Ensure existing and future populations 

are protected from incompatible uses, such as 

road maintenance. 

3. Reduce herbivory by slugs, snails, and 

gophers to the point that it does not affect the 

species at a population level. 

As Baker’s larkspur meets 

reclassification criteria, we will review 

its status and consider it for downlisting 

on the Federal Lists of Endangered and 

Threatened Wildlife and Plants. 

Public Comments Solicited 

We solicit written comments on the 

draft recovery plan described in this 

notice. All comments received by the 

date specified above will be considered 

in development of a final recovery plan 

for Baker’s larkspur. You may submit 

written comments and information by 

mail or in person to the Sacramento 

Fish and Wildlife Office at the above 

address (see ADDRESSES). 

Public Availability of Comments 

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. 

Authority 

We developed this recovery plan 

under the authority of section 4(f) of the 

Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f). We publish this 

notice under section 4(f) of the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

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

Dated: January 7, 2015. 

Alexandra Pitts, 

Acting Regional Director, Pacific Southwest 

Region. 

[FR Doc. 2015–00392 Filed 1–12–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R8–ES–2014–N240; FF08E00000– 

FXES11120800000–145] 

Draft Environmental Assessment and 

Proposed Wright Solar Park MultiSpecies Habitat Conservation Plan, 

Merced County, California 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability and 

request for comment; permit 

application, draft environmental 

assessment, proposed habitat 

conservation plan. 

SUMMARY: This notice advises the public 

that we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (Service), have prepared a draft 

environmental assessment (EA) under 

the National Environmental Policy Act 

of 1969, as amended (NEPA), in 

response to an application from Wright 

Solar Park, LLC (the applicant) for an 

incidental take permit (ITP) pursuant to 

the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (Act). The applicant has 

prepared the draft Wright Solar Park 

Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) to 

describe and implement a conservation 

plan that will minimize and mitigate 

environmental effects associated with 

the construction, operation, 

maintenance, and decommissioning of 

an up-to-200-megawatt photovoltaic 

power generating facility and 

implementation of conservation actions 

associated with the Habitat 

Conservation Plan in Merced County, 

California. We also announce a 60-day 

public comment period on the permit 

application, including the draft EA and 

the proposed HCP. We request data, 

comments, new information, or 

suggestions from the public, other 

concerned governmental agencies, the 

scientific community, Tribes, industry, 

or any other interested party. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, please 

send your written comments by March 

16, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: Please address written 

comments to Mike Thomas, Chief, 

Conservation Planning Division, 

Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 

2800 Cottage Way, W–2605, 

Sacramento, CA 95825. Alternatively, 

you may send comments by facsimile to 

(916) 414–6713. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Mike Thomas, Chief, Conservation 

Planning Division, or Eric Tattersall, 

Deputy Assistant Field Supervisor, at 

the address in ADDRESSES or at (916) 

414–6600 (telephone). If you use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf, 

please call the Federal Information 

Relay Service at (800) 877–8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

notice advises the public that we, the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), 

have prepared a draft environmental 

assessment (EA) under the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as 

amended (NEPA), in response to an 

application from Wright Solar Park, LLC 

(the applicant) for an incidental take 

permit (ITP) pursuant to the Endangered 

Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). 

The application addresses the proposed 

incidental take (take) of three animal 

species proposed as ‘‘covered species’’ 

within a 5,181-acre permit area during 

a proposed permit term of 40 years. The 

applicant has prepared the draft Wright 

Solar Park Habitat Conservation Plan 

(HCP) to describe and implement a 

conservation plan that will minimize 

and mitigate environmental effects 

associated with the construction, 

operation, maintenance, and 

decommissioning of an up-to-200- 

megawatt photovoltaic power generating 

facility and implementation of 

conservation actions associated with the 

Habitat Conservation Plan in Merced 

County, California. We also announce a 

90-day public comment period on the 

permit application, including the draft 

EA and the proposed HCP. We request 

data, comments, new information, or 

suggestions from the public, other 

concerned governmental agencies, the 

scientific community, Tribes, industry, 

or any other interested party. 

We publish this notice under the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321–4347 

et seq.; NEPA), and its implementing 

regulations in the Code of Federal 

Regulations (CFR) at 40 CFR parts 1500– 

1508, as well as in compliance with 

section 10(c) of the Endangered Species 

Act (16 U.S.C. 1531–1544 et seq.; Act). 

Availability of Documents 

You may obtain copies of the draft EA 

and the draft HCP from the individuals 

in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, or 

from the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife 

Office Web site at http://www.fws.gov/

sacramento. Copies of these documents 

are also available for public inspection, 

by appointment, during regular business 

hours, at the Sacramento Fish and 

Wildlife Office (see ADDRESSES). 

Background Information 

Section 9 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531– 

1544 et seq.) and Federal regulations (50 

CFR part 17) prohibit the taking of fish 

and wildlife species listed as 

endangered or threatened under section 

4 of the Act. ‘‘Take’’ of federally listed 

fish or wildlife is defined under the Act 

as to ‘‘harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, 

wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or 

attempt to engage in such conduct’’ (16 

U.S.C. 1532(19). The term ‘‘harm’’ is 

defined in the regulations as ‘‘an act 

which actually kills or injures wildlife. 

Such act may include significant habitat 

modification or degradation where it 

actually kills or injures wildlife by 

significantly impairing essential 

behavioral patterns, including breeding, 

feeding, or sheltering’’ (50 CFR 17.3). 


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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 8 / Tuesday, January 13, 2015 / Notices 1661 

However, under specified 

circumstances, the Service may issue 

permits that allow the take of federally 

listed fish and wildlife species, 

provided that the take that occurs is 

incidental to, but not the purpose of, an 

otherwise lawful activity. 

Regulations governing permits for 

endangered and threatened species are 

at 50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32, respectively. 

Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Act contains 

provisions for issuing such incidental 

take permits to non-Federal entities for 

the take of endangered and threatened 

species, provided the following criteria 

are met: 

(1) The taking will be incidental; 

(2) The applicants will minimize and 

mitigate the impact of such taking to the 

maximum extent practicable; 

(3) The applicants will develop a 

proposed HCP and ensure that adequate 

funding for the HCP will be provided; 

(4) The taking will not appreciably 

reduce the likelihood of the survival 

and recovery of the species in the wild; 

and 

(5) The applicants will carry out any 

other measures that the Service may 

require as being necessary or 

appropriate for the purposes of the HCP. 

The draft HCP addresses, and the 

applicant seeks incidental take 

authorization for, three animal species 

(two federally endangered and one 

federally threatened). The proposed 

permit would provide take 

authorization for all species identified 

in the draft HCP as covered species. 

The following two federally listed as 

endangered species are proposed to be 

included as covered species in the 

proposed HCP: 

Blunt-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia 

sila) 

San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis 

mutica) 

The following federally listed as 

threatened species is proposed to be 

included as a covered species in the 

proposed HCP: 

Central California distinct population 

segment of the California tiger 

salamander (Ambystoma californiense) 

Implementation of activities proposed 

for coverage under the proposed ITP 

includes the following general 

categories: 

(1) Construction and operation 

activities within solar sites; 

(2) Management and maintenance 

activities within movement corridors; 

(3) Management activities within the 

areas designated for conservation 

(conservation sites), including 

monitoring and reporting actions; 

(4) Activities associated with 

implementation of the conservation 

program specified in the draft HCP; 

(5) Decommissioning; and 

(6) Implementation of the 

conservation program. 

Construction-related activities could 

include grading and compaction, 

trenching, paving of access roads, 

installation of solar arrays, 

meteorological stations, transmission 

lines, septic leech fields, fencing, and 

landscaping. Construction of solar 

facilities is anticipated to be completed 

over a 26-month period from the 

commencement of the initial 

development, and is anticipated to be 

complete by late 2016. Operationrelated activities could include solar 

panel maintenance, on-site parking, 

operation of solar modules, inspection, 

repair of equipment, and operation of 

lighting. Typical activities associated 

with decommissioning of the solar 

energy facility include removal of all 

solar electric systems, buildings, 

cabling, electrical components; breaking 

up of concrete pads and foundations; 

removal of access roads; additional 

grading; and replacement of soil 

disturbed from decommissioning. 

Preservation/enhancement and 

conservation plan management 

activities could include vegetation 

control (i.e., grazing and mowing), fence 

installation, and special status species 

monitoring (i.e., surveys such as 

trapping, use of remote cameras, and 

spotlighting). 

The proposed covered activities 

related to development, operations, 

maintenance and decommissioning of 

the solar sites would result in the 

permanent or temporary disturbance of 

up to 2,731 acres of existing land cover 

within the proposed 5,181-acre permit 

area. The proposed covered activities 

related to management of the 

conservation sites would also result in 

some disturbance of land cover, but 

overall these actions are expected to 

benefit the covered species. The solar 

site parcels encompass 2,731 acres, and 

conservation sites total 2,450 acres. The 

covered lands within the solar park area 

consist of low rolling hills, and are 

currently actively used as dry-farmed 

agricultural land. Surrounding land uses 

include open space, rangeland, active 

and inactive agricultural land, and some 

existing and potential urban 

development. The proposed HCP 

conservation strategy prescribes 

conditions for implementing each 

covered activity that avoid or minimize 

potential take of the covered species, 

and identifies mitigation for species 

impacts that cannot be avoided. 

National Environmental Policy Act 

Compliance 

Our proposed permit issuance 

decision triggers compliance with 

NEPA, which requires that 

environmental information be available 

to public officials and citizens before 

Federal decisions are made and before 

Federal actions are taken. We prepared 

the draft EA to inform the public of the 

proposed HCP; our proposed permit 

action; alternatives to that action; the 

environmental impacts of the 

alternatives, including the proposed 

action; and any irreversible 

commitments of resources; and to 

address comments received during early 

public scoping efforts. 

Alternatives in the Draft Environmental 

Assessment 

The Service is providing notice of the 

availability of our draft EA, which 

evaluates the impacts of the Proposed 

Action Alternative (including the HCP), 

and a No Action Alternative. 

No Action Alternative: Under the No 

Action Alternative, we would not issue 

an incidental take permit to the 

applicant; the applicant would not 

implement an HCP and would avoid the 

take of the proposed covered species. 

The No Action Alternative would not 

address the applicant’s underlying 

needs, would not contribute to meeting 

the State of California’s renewable 

energy goals, and would not assist with 

the offset of carbon emissions. The 

5,181 acres identified as the permit area 

would likely remain as agricultural land 

and undisturbed open space, and the 

2,731 acres identified as conservation 

sites would not be permanently 

conserved. As a result, there would be 

no conservation benefit to covered 

species as a result of the Proposed 

Action. Agricultural activities, such as 

disking and harvesting, would likely 

continue, resulting in continued 

reduced habitat quality as a result of 

frequent vegetation removal and soil 

disturbance within the solar park area. 

Proposed Action Alternative: Under 

the Proposed Action Alternative, we 

would issue an incidental take permit 

for the applicant’s proposed HCP, which 

includes the covered activities and the 

conservation measures described in 

Background Information, and described 

with more detail in the applicant’s 

proposed Wright Solar Park Habitat 

Conservation Plan. 

Public Comments 

We request data, comments, new 

information, or suggestions from the 

public, other concerned governmental 

agencies, the scientific community, 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
1662 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 8 / Tuesday, January 13, 2015 / Notices 

Tribes, industry, or any other interested 

party on this notice. We particularly 

seek comments on the following: 

(1) Biological information concerning 

the species; 

(2) Relevant data concerning the 

species; 

(3) Additional information concerning 

the range, distribution, population size, 

and population trends of the species; 

(4) Current or planned activities in the 

subject area and their possible impacts 

on the species; and 

(5) The presence of archeological 

sites, buildings and structures, historic 

events, sacred and traditional areas, and 

other historic preservation concerns, 

which are required to be considered in 

project planning by the National 

Historic Preservation Act; and 

(6) Identification of any other 

environmental issues that should be 

considered with regard to the proposed 

transmission line and permit action. 

You may submit your comments and 

materials by one of the methods listed 

in ADDRESSES. Comments and materials 

we receive, as well as supporting 

documentation we used in preparing the 

EA, will be available for public 

inspection by appointment, during 

normal business hours, at our office (see 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). 

Public Availability of Comments 

Before including your address, phone 

number, or other personal identifying 

information in your comment, you 

should be aware that your entire 

comment—including your personal 

identifying information—might 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. 

Next Steps 

Issuance of an incidental take permit 

is a Federal proposed action subject to 

compliance with NEPA. We will 

evaluate the application, associated 

documents, and any public comments 

we receive to determine whether the 

application meets the requirements of 

NEPA regulations and section 10(a) of 

the Act. If we determine that those 

requirements are met, we will issue a 

permit to the applicant for the 

incidental take of desert tortoise. We 

will make our final permit decision no 

sooner than 30 days after the public 

comment period closes. 

Dated: January 7, 2015. 

Paul B. McKim, 

Acting Deputy Regional Director, Fish and 

Wildlife Service, Pacific Southwest Region, 

Sacramento, California. 

[FR Doc. 2015–00390 Filed 1–12–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Indian Affairs 

[DR.5B814.IA001213] 

Renewal of Agency Information 

Collection for Tribal Energy Resource 

Agreements 

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of request for comments. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 

Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs is 

seeking comments on the renewal of 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) approval for the collection of 

information titled ‘‘Tribal Energy 

Resource Agreements’’ (TERAs) under 

the Office of Indian Energy and 

Economic Development Office (IEED) 

authorized by OMB Control Number 

1076–0167. This information collection 

expires March 31, 2015. 

DATES: Submit comments on or before 

March 16, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on the information collection to Mr. 

Stephen Manydeeds, Chief, Division of 

Energy and Mineral Development, 

13922 Denver West Parkway, Suite 200, 

Lakewood, CO 80401; facsimile: (303) 

969–5273; email: Stephen.Manydeeds@

bia.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Stephen Manydeeds, telephone: (720) 

407–0600. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

The Energy Policy Act of 2005, 25 

U.S.C. 3503 authorizes the Secretary of 

the Interior to approve individual Tribal 

Energy Resource Agreements (TERAs). 

The intent of these agreements is to 

promote tribal oversight and 

management of energy and mineral 

resource development on tribal lands 

and further the goal of Indian selfdetermination. A TERA offers a tribe an 

alternative for developing energy-related 

business agreements and awarding 

leases and granting rights-of-way for 

energy facilities without having to 

obtain further approval from the 

Secretary. 

This information collection 

conducted under TERA regulations at 

25 CFR 224 will allow IEED to 

determine the capacity of tribes to 

manage the development of energy 

resources on tribal lands. Information 

collection: 

• Enables IEED to engage in a consultation 

process with tribes that is designed to foster 

optimal pre-planning of development 

proposals and speed up the review and 

approval process for TERA agreements; 

• Provides wide public notice and 

opportunity for review of TERA agreements 

by the public, industry, and government 

agencies; 

• Ensures that the public has an avenue for 

review of the performance of tribes in 

implementing a TERA; 

• Creates a process for preventing damage 

to sensitive resources as well as ensuring that 

the public has fully communicated with the 

tribe in the petition process; 

• Ensures that a tribe is fully aware of any 

attempt by the Department of the Interior to 

resume management authority over energy 

resources on tribal lands; and 

• Ensures that the tribal government fully 

endorses any relinquishment of a TERA. 

II. Request for Comments 

The Assistant Secretary—Indian 

Affairs requests your comments on this 

collection concerning: (a) The necessity 

of this information collection for the 

proper performance of the functions of 

the agency, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

(b) The accuracy of the agency’s 

estimate of the burden (hours and cost) 

of the collection of information, 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; (c) 

Ways we could enhance the quality, 

utility, and clarity of the information to 

be collected; and (d) Ways we could 

minimize the burden of the collection of 

the information on the respondents. 

Please note that an agency may not 

conduct or sponsor, and an individual 

need not respond to, a collection of 

information unless it has a valid OMB 

Control Number. 

It is our policy to make all comments 

available to the public for review at the 

location listed in the ADDRESSES section. 

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. 

III. Data 

OMB Control Number: 1076–0167. 

Title: Tribal Energy Resource 

Agreements. 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES