44436 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 183 / Friday, September 22, 2017 / Notices 

for reporting and drawing funds: 97.030, 

Community Disaster Loans; 97.031, Cora 

Brown Fund; 97.032, Crisis Counseling; 

97.033, Disaster Legal Services; 97.034, 

Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA); 

97.046, Fire Management Assistance Grant; 

97.048, Disaster Housing Assistance to 

Individuals and Households In Presidentially 

Declared Disaster Areas; 97.049, 

Presidentially Declared Disaster Assistance— 

Disaster Housing Operations for Individuals 

and Households; 97.050, Presidentially 

Declared Disaster Assistance to Individuals 

and Households—Other Needs; 97.036, 

Disaster Grants—Public Assistance 

(Presidentially Declared Disasters); 97.039, 

Hazard Mitigation Grant. 

Brock Long, 

Administrator, Federal Emergency 

Management Agency. 

[FR Doc. 2017–20191 Filed 9–21–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9111–23–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R8–MB–2017–N049; FF08M00000– 

FXMB12310800000–145] 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement; 

Hycroft Mining Company; Request for 

Take Permits Under the Bald and 

Golden Eagle Protection Act 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement; notice 

of scoping meeting and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (Service), intend to 

prepare a joint environmental impact 

statement (EIS) with the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM). We are a 

cooperating agency with the BLM on the 

development of this EIS. The BLM will 

be analyzing potential impacts of their 

decision regarding Hycroft Resource and 

Development Incorporated’s (Hycroft/ 

applicant) proposed expansion as 

described in BLM’s notice of intent 

published in December 2014. This EIS 

will also analyze impacts associated 

with the Service’s eagle take permit 

decisions. The Service will evaluate the 

applicant’s Eagle Conservation Plan 

(ECP), which describes their request to 

remove inactive golden eagle nests and 

their request for incidental take 

authorization for impacts resulting from 

removing eagle nests, mining 

operations, and expansion of the 

existing facility. We are considering the 

applicant’s request, as allowed under 

the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection 

Act (Eagle Act), for nest removal for the 

purpose of resource development and 

recovery operations and incidental take. 

The BLM has already conducted public 

scoping regarding the proposed 

expansion of the Hycroft mine. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, please 

send your written comments by 

November 21, 2017. Public scoping 

meetings will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 

p.m. on Tuesday, October 10, 2017, at 

the Hyatt Place Reno-Tahoe Airport, 

1790 East Plumb Lane, Reno, NV 89502; 

and on Wednesday, October 11, 2017, at 

the Winnemucca Convention Center, 50 

West Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, 

NV 89445. 

ADDRESSES: To request further 

information or submit written 

comments, please use one of the 

following methods, and note that your 

information request or comment is in 

reference to the Hycroft Mine Eagle 

Conservation Plan EIS. 

• Email: fw8_eaglepermits@fws.gov. 

Include ‘‘Hycroft Mine Eagle 

Conservation Plan EIS’’ in the subject 

line of the message. 

• U.S. Mail: Heather Beeler, 

Migratory Bird Program, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, Pacific Southwest 

Regional Office, 2800 Cottage Way, 

W–2605, Sacramento, CA 95825. 

• Fax: Heather Beeler, Migratory Bird 

Program, (916) 414–6486; Attn: Hycroft 

Mine Eagle Conservation Plan EIS 

Scoping. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Heather Beeler, Migratory Bird Program, 

at the address shown above or at (916) 

414–6651 (telephone). If you use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf, 

please call the Federal Relay Service at 

(800) 877–8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the 

Service, intend to prepare a joint 

environmental impact statement (EIS) 

with the BLM in response to Hycroft’s 

permit application to remove inactive 

golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) nests 

and for incidental take under the Eagle 

Act. Hycroft submitted a draft Eagle 

Conservation Plan (ECP) as part of their 

permit application. The draft ECP is a 

comprehensive plan that addresses the 

removal of inactive golden eagle nests 

and also provides measures to avoid, 

minimize, and mitigate for the loss of 

golden eagle nesting territories. The 

draft EIS will evaluate the impacts of 

several alternatives related to the 

proposed issuance of permits by the 

Service to allow the removal of inactive 

golden eagle nests for natural resource 

extraction and authorization of 

incidental take, including the potential 

loss of up to two golden eagle breeding 

territories. The Hycroft mine is located 

near the historical town of Sulphur, in 

Pershing and Humboldt Counties, 

Nevada. 

We provide this notice to (1) describe 

the proposed action; (2) advise other 

Federal and State agencies, potentially 

affected tribal interests, and the public 

of our intent to prepare an EIS; (3) 

announce the initiation of a 60-day 

public scoping period; and (4) obtain 

suggestions and information on the 

scope of issues and possible alternatives 

to be included in the EIS. We are 

particularly interested in comments 

regarding the creation of new golden 

eagle nest sites or territories, a potential 

mitigation option. 

We also announce plans for public 

scoping meetings and the opening of a 

public comment period. We request 

data, comments, new information, or 

suggestions from the public, 

governmental agencies, the scientific 

community, tribes, industry, or any 

other interested party. 

We publish this notice in accordance 

with 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 at 40 CFR 1500– 

1508, as well as section 668a of the 

Eagle Act (16 U.S.C. 668a–668d). 

Background 

Golden eagles are protected under the 

Eagle Act, which prohibits take of both 

bald and golden eagles and eagle nests. 

‘‘Take’’ under the Eagle Act includes 

any actions that pursue, shoot, shoot at, 

poison, wound, kill, capture, trap, 

collect, destroy, molest, and disturb 

eagles. ‘‘Disturb’’ is further defined in 

50 CFR 22.3 as ‘‘to agitate or bother a 

bald or golden eagle to a degree that 

causes, or is likely to cause, based on 

the best scientific information available 

(1) injury to an eagle, (2) a decrease in 

its productivity, by substantially 

interfering with normal breeding, 

feeding, or sheltering behavior, or (3) 

nest abandonment, by substantially 

interfering with normal breeding, 

feeding, or sheltering behavior.’’ 

The BLM will be the lead agency in 

development of the EIS, and will be 

evaluating the applicant’s request for 

the proposed expansion of their 

operations at the Hycroft Mine. The 

current mining operations were 

approved by BLM in a record of 

decision (ROD) issued in August of 

2012. 

During biological surveys conducted 

in 2011 and 2012 for BLM’s 2012 EIS, 

a golden eagle nest and two older nests 

were discovered on an outcrop at the 

northern end of the Silver Camel 

feature. Mining of the Silver Camel 

feature and the occurrence of the nests 

Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 183 / Friday, September 22, 2017 / Notices 44437 

were both analyzed in BLM’s 2012 EIS. 

The BLM’s 2012 ROD required further 

coordination with the Service regarding 

potential nest removal. 

In April 2014, Hycroft submitted a 

plan of operations modification for the 

phase II expansion of the mine to the 

BLM. The phase II expansion includes 

a proposal to construct a tailings storage 

facility. Three golden eagle nests were 

identified within the proposed footprint 

of the tailings storage facility. 

In this current joint EIS, BLM will 

analyze potential impacts of Hycroft’s 

proposed expansion as described in 

BLM’s notice published on December 

30, 2014 (79 FR 78469), and the Service 

will analyze impacts related to our Eagle 

Act take permit decisions. 

Scope for Eagle Permit Analysis 

All eagle permit alternatives 

considered in the EIS should conform to 

the Eagle Act permit issuance criteria 

for nest removal for the purpose of 

resource development and recovery 

operations, as allowed under 50 CFR 

22.25, and for incidental take as allowed 

under 50 CFR 22.26. The draft EIS will 

identify and analyze direct, indirect, 

and cumulative impacts of the proposed 

Eagle Act permit requests and 

alternatives associated with several 

resource areas, including biological 

resources, Native American religious 

concerns, air quality, noise, water 

resources, cultural resources, 

socioeconomics, and climate change. 

We will also consider evaluation of 

additional resource areas if issues of 

concern specific to the proposed action 

are identified during the public scoping 

process. The purpose of the public 

scoping process for the EIS is to 

determine relevant issues that will 

influence the scope of the 

environmental analysis, including 

potential alternatives, and the extent to 

which those issues and impacts will be 

analyzed in the EIS. We will evaluate a 

minimum of three alternatives. 

Applicant’s Proposal 

Hycroft has requested permits under 

the Eagle Act for nest removal 

associated with resource development 

and recovery, and incidental take for 

anticipated impacts, including the 

potential loss of nesting territories, 

associated with mining operations as 

described in the ECP. 

Hycroft is requesting authorization for 

removal of three golden eagle nests on 

the Silver Camel feature within the 

existing mine area and up to the three 

nests within the proposed tailings 

facility footprint. Nest removals would 

likely affect two different golden eagle 

breeding territories. Specific activities 

requested and being considered include 

the following: 

1. Removal of golden eagle nests. 

2. Implementation of mitigation 

measures to offset the loss of nesting 

territories and provide a no net loss to 

golden eagles in the local area breeding 

population, including, but not limited 

to: 

a. Creation of new nest sites, possibly 

on abandoned mine high walls; 

b. Offsite nest rehabilitation; and 

c. Retrofitting electric utility power 

poles to minimize the potential for 

electrocutions. 

3. Monitoring to evaluate project 

impacts and the effectiveness of the 

mitigation measures. Monitoring efforts 

would generally include: 

a. Monitoring of golden eagle nests 

located within the plan area and a 10- 

mile radius surrounding the plan area; 

and 

b. Monitoring of the offsite nests 

created or rehabilitated for the 

establishment of golden eagle use and 

creation of new breeding territories. 

Public Comments 

We request data, comments, new 

information, or suggestions from the 

public, other governmental agencies, the 

scientific community, Tribes, industry, 

or any other interested party on this 

notice. We are particularly interested in 

comments regarding the creation of new 

golden eagle nest sites or territories, a 

potential mitigation option. We will 

consider these comments in developing 

the draft EIS. 

Public Availability of Comments 

You may submit your comments and 

materials by one of the methods listed 

above in ADDRESSES. 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. 

Scoping Meetings 

See DATES for the dates and times of 

our public meetings. The primary 

purpose of these meetings and public 

comment period is to provide the public 

with a general understanding of the 

background of the proposed action and 

to solicit suggestions and information 

on the scope of issues and alternatives 

we should consider when drafting the 

EIS. Comments will be accepted at the 

meetings. An interpreter and/or court 

reporter will be present when deemed 

necessary. Comments can also be 

submitted by methods listed in the 

ADDRESSES section. Once the draft EIS is 

complete and made available for review, 

there will be additional opportunity for 

public comment on the content of these 

documents. 

Persons needing reasonable 

accommodations in order to attend and 

participate in the public meetings 

should contact the Pacific Southwest 

Region’s Migratory Bird Office using 

one of the methods listed above in 

ADDRESSES as soon as possible. In order 

to allow sufficient time to process 

requests, please make contact no later 

than one week before the public 

meeting. Information regarding this 

proposed action is available in 

alternative formats upon request. 

Authority 

We provide this notice under section 

668a of the Eagle Act (16 U.S.C. 668– 

668c) and NEPA regulations (40 CFR 

1501.7, 40 CFR 1506.6, and 40 CFR 

1508.22). 

Jody Holzworth, 

Acting Deputy Regional Director, Pacific 

Southwest Region, Sacramento, California. 

[FR Doc. 2017–20053 Filed 9–21–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–HQ–ES–2017–N120; 

FXES11130900000–178–FF09E32000; OMB 

Control Number 1018–0095] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget for Review 

and Approval; Endangered and 

Threatened Wildlife, Experimental 

Populations 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of information collection; 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(Service), are proposing to renew an 

information collection. 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before October 

23, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on 

this information collection request (ICR) 

to the Office of Management and 

Budget’s Desk Officer for the 

Department of the Interior by email at 

OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov; or via