Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 124 / Tuesday, June 30, 2009 / Notices 31305 

of the Federally endangered fish species 

amber darter (Percina antesella) and 

Etowah darter (Etheostoma etowahae), 

and the Federally threatened Cherokee 

darter (Etheostoma scotti), incidental to 

the applicants’ regulation of 

development and construction in their 

respective jurisdictions. The applicants 

request ITPs under the Endangered 

Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended. 

The Applicants’ HCP describes the 

mitigation and minimization measures 

proposed to address the effects on the 

species. 

DATES: We must receive any written 

comments on the ITP applications, EA, 

and HCP at our Regional Office (see 

ADDRESSES) on or before August 31, 

2009. 

ADDRESSES: Documents will be available 

for public inspection by appointment 

during normal business hours at, and 

are available from, the Fish and Wildlife 

Service’s Regional Office, 1875 Century 

Boulevard, Suite 200, Atlanta, GA 30345 

(Attn: David Dell); or Fish and Wildlife 

Service, West Park Center, Suite D, 105 

West Park Drive, Athens, GA 30606. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

David Dell, Regional HCP Coordinator 

(see ADDRESSES), telephone: 404/679– 

7313; or Ms. Robin Goodloe, Field 

Office Project Manager (see ADDRESSES), 

at 706/613–9493, ext. 221. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We 

announce the availability of a proposed 

HCP, 13 accompanying ITP 

applications, and an EA, which analyzes 

the take of the amber darter, Etowah 

darter, and Cherokee darter incidental to 

programs in the 13 applicant counties 

and municipalities. The applicants 

request 25-year ITPs under section 

10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species 

Act of 1973 (Act; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), 

as amended. 

We specifically request information, 

views, and opinions from the public via 

this notice on our proposed Federal 

action, including identification of any 

other aspects of the human environment 

not already identified in the EA 

pursuant to NEPA regulations (40 CFR 

1506.6). Further, we specifically solicit 

information regarding the adequacy of 

the HCP per 50 CFR parts 13 and 17. 

An assessment of the likely 

environmental impacts associated with 

the implementation of the Etowah River 

HCP, the EA considers the 

environmental consequences of two 

alternatives and the proposed action. 

The proposed action alternative is 

issuance of the ITPs and 

implementation of the HCP as submitted 

by the Applicants. The HCP covers 

activities associated with the new 

development and redevelopment of land 

by participating local governments and 

private entities, except for: (1) 

Construction of sewer lines, (2) 

stormwater runoff from roads 

constructed by jurisdictions, and (3) 

utility crossings of streams that are not 

part of a larger common plan of 

development or sale. The HCP also 

addresses water supply planning by 

participating local governments and 

their partners. Avoidance, 

minimization, and mitigation measures 

include stormwater management, 

riparian buffers, erosion and sediment 

control, stream crossing requirements, 

and a reservoir siting protocol. 

Public Comments 

If you wish to comment, you may 

submit comments by any one of several 

methods. Please reference ‘‘Etowah 

River HCP’’ in such comments. You may 

mail comments to the Fish and Wildlife 

Service’s Regional Office (see 

ADDRESSES). You may also comment via 

the Internet to david_dell@fws.gov. 

Please include your name and return 

address in your Internet message. If you 

do not receive a confirmation from us 

that we have received your Internet 

message, contact us directly at either 

telephone number listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. 

Finally, you may hand-deliver 

comments to either of our offices listed 

under ADDRESSES. Before including your 

address, phone number, e-mail 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. 

Covered Area 

The area covered by the Etowah 

Aquatic HCP includes all those portions 

of the Etowah basin that are in Bartow, 

Cherokee, Cobb, Dawson, Forsyth, 

Paulding, and Pickens Counties, 

Georgia, including all municipalities 

that lie within that area, as well as the 

portion of the City of Roswell (Roswell 

lies in another county not participating 

in the HCP) that lies within the Etowah 

Basin. The entire covered area 

encompasses 3,773 km2 or 

approximately 932,000 ac. The 

following counties and municipalities 

have applied for ITPs under the Etowah 

Aquatic HCP: 

Bartow County ................... TE179735–0 

Cherokee County ............... TE179736–0 

Paulding County ................ TE179734–0 

Pickens County .................. TE179722–0 

The City of Acworth ........... TE179730–0 

City of Ball Ground ............ TE179731–0 

City of Canton .................... TE179727–0 

City of Dawsonville ............ TE179723–0 

City of Dallas ..................... TE179724–0 

City of Holly Springs .......... TE179733–0 

City of Roswell ................... TE179732–0 

City of Waleska ................. TE179726–0 

City of Woodstock ............. TE179728–0 

Next Steps 

We will evaluate these ITP 

applications, including the HCP and any 

comments we receive, to determine 

whether these applications meet the 

requirements of section 10(a)(1)(B) of 

the Act. We will also evaluate whether 

issuance of the section 10(a)(1)(B) ITPs 

complies with section 7 of the 

Endangered Species Act by conducting 

an intra-Service section 7 consultation. 

We will use the results of this 

consultation, in combination with the 

above findings, in our final analysis to 

determine whether or not to issue the 

ITPs. If we determine that the 

requirements are met, we will issue the 

ITPs for the incidental take of the amber 

darter, Etowah darter, and Cherokee 

darter. 

Authority 

We provide this notice under section 

10 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) 

and NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1506.6). 

Dated: June 9, 2009. 

Cynthia K. Dohner, 

Deputy Regional Director. 

[FR Doc. E9–15401 Filed 6–29–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

New Merced Wild and Scenic River 

Comprehensive Management Plan; 

Yosemite National Park; Mariposa and 

Madera Counties, CA; Notice of Intent 

To Prepare Environmental Impact 

Statement 

Summary: Pursuant to the National 

Environmental Policy Act (Pub. L. 91– 

190) and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act 

(Pub. L. 90–542), the National Park 

Service is reopening public scoping for 

planning and environmental impact 

analysis for a new Merced Wild and 

Scenic River Comprehensive 

Management Plan and Environmental 

Impact Statement (NMRP/EIS) in 

Yosemite National Park. The NMRP/EIS 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES6
31306 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 124 / Tuesday, June 30, 2009 / Notices 

will serve as a comprehensive 

‘‘blueprint’’ sufficient to guide future 

management of the Merced River 

corridor in Yosemite National Park. 

Background: In 1987, Congress 

designated 122 miles of the Merced 

River and its South Fork as Wild and 

Scenic, including the 81 miles within 

Yosemite National Park and the El 

Portal Administrative Site. The National 

Park Service (NPS) completed the 

Merced Wild and Scenic River 

Comprehensive Management Plan/Final 

Environmental Impact Statement in 

August 2000. Soon after, two citizens’ 

groups filed suit in the U.S. District 

Court for the Eastern District of 

California, resulting in the production of 

the Merced Wild and Scenic River 

Revised Comprehensive Management 

Plan/Supplemental Environmental 

Impact Statement (MCMP/SEIS) in 

2005. Subsequent court proceedings 

culminated in a 2006 U.S. District Court 

decision that invalidated the park’s 

MCMP/SEIS and ordered the NPS to 

prepare a new comprehensive 

management plan. On January 9, 2007, 

the NPS proposed a 33-month timeline 

to the court for the preparation of the 

NMRP/EIS, which would result in a 

Record of Decision on September 30, 

2009. The NPS initiated public scoping 

for the NMRP on March 28, 2007; a 

Notice of Intent to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement was 

published on April 11, 2007 in the 

Federal Register (public scoping lasted 

74 days, closing on June 10, 2007). 

Concurrently, the NPS appealed U.S. 

District Court’s decision that the 2005 

MCMP/SEIS was invalid. On March 27, 

2008 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 

Ninth Circuit (Ninth Circuit) issued an 

opinion affirming the judgment of the 

District Court and expanding the scope 

of what the NPS had previously 

understood must be included in a 

legally valid Merced Wild and Scenic 

River Comprehensive Management Plan. 

Consequently the NPS is reopening 

public scoping for the NMRP/EIS so as 

to provide additional opportunity for 

public involvement in developing a new 

plan. 

The NMRP/EIS will address: resource 

protection; existing and potential 

development of lands and facilities; user 

capacities; and the kinds and amounts 

of use which the river area can sustain 

without impacting values for which it 

was designated. It will identify specific 

management measures that will be used 

to protect and enhance the 

outstandingly remarkable values (ORVs) 

for each of the river segments, including 

the scenic, recreational, geological, fish 

and wildlife, historic, cultural or other 

similar values. In addition, the NMRP/ 

EIS will address the quantity and 

mixture of recreation and other public 

uses that may be permitted without 

adverse impact to the ORVs, including 

a discussion of the maximum number of 

people that may be received at the river 

while protecting and enhancing the 

values for which the Merced and South 

Fork Merced were included in the Wild 

and Scenic Rivers system. 

Scoping and Public Meetings: The 

purpose of re-opening scoping is to 

receive any new public comments about 

issues and concerns that should be 

addressed in the New MRP/EIS, 

including a suitable range of 

alternatives, appropriate mitigation 

measures, and the nature and extent of 

potential environmental impacts. Given 

that all prior scoping comments remain 

under consideration, at this time only 

pertinent information or concerns not 

previously provided need to be 

submitted. Broad participation of 

interested individuals and organizations 

is important to the planning and 

analysis process. During this concluding 

phase, the public is invited to share new 

concerns that should be considered in 

the development of the draft NMRP/EIS. 

Yosemite National Park will also further 

consult tribal, federal, state, and local 

governments. The renewed opportunity 

for scoping will be posted on the park 

Web site, and press releases will be 

distributed to local and regional media. 

Dates, times, specific locations, and 

additional information will be released 

through regional and local news 

sources, and updates will be posted at 

www.nps.gov/yose/planning/mrp. In 

addition, updates regarding future 

public involvement opportunities, 

including workshops for alternatives 

formulation and later release of the draft 

NRMP/EIS for public review, will be 

similarly announced in regional news 

media and on the park’s Web site, and 

through direct mailings. 

Written comments should be 

addressed to the Superintendent, Attn: 

Merced River Plan, Yosemite National 

Park, PO Box 577, Yosemite National 

Park, CA 95389, or faxed to (209) 379– 

1294, and must be postmarked or 

transmitted not later than 60 days from 

the publication date of this NOI in the 

Federal Register (immediately upon 

confirmation of this date it will be 

posted on the park’s Web site and 

announced via local and regional press). 

Before including your address, phone 

number, e-mail address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, be advised 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 from public review your 

personal identifying information, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Decision Process: At this time it is 

expected that following due 

consideration of all comments on the 

draft NRMP/EIS as may be received, the 

final NMRP/EIS would be made 

available during spring-summer 2012, 

with preparation of a Record of Decision 

anticipated during September, 2012. As 

a delegated EIS the official responsible 

for final approval of the NMRP/EIS is 

the Regional Director, Pacific West 

Region. Subsequently the official 

responsible for implementing the 

approved new Merced Wild and Scenic 

River Comprehensive Management Plan 

would be the Superintendent, Yosemite 

National Park. 

Dated: March 10, 2009. 

Jonathan B. Jarvis, 

Regional Director, Pacific West Region. 

[FR Doc. E9–15429 Filed 6–29–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–FY–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLNVS0100.L51010000.ER0000.

LVRWF09F8770; NVN–085077 and NVN– 

085801; 09–08807; TAS: 14X5017] 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Proposed NextLight Renewable 

Power, LLC, Silver State North Solar 

Project and Silver State South Solar 

Project, Primm, NV 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969, as amended (NEPA), the Bureau of 

Land Management (BLM), Las Vegas 

Field Office, will prepare one 

environmental impact statement (EIS) 

for two proposed solar energy projects 

located on public lands in Clark County, 

Nevada. Publication of this notice 

initiates the beginning of the scoping 

process to solicit public comments and 

identify issues. 

DATES: This notice initiates the public 

scoping process. Comments on issues 

may be submitted in writing until July 

30, 2009. The date(s) and location(s) of 

any scoping meetings will be 

announced at least 15 days in advance 

through local news media and the BLM 

Web site at: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/ 

en/fo/lvfo.html. 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES6