30-Day Notice

52344

Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 168 / Wednesday, August 29, 2012 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–HQ–WSR–2012–N210;
FVWF941009000007B–XXX–FF09W23000;
FVWF511009000007B–XXX–FF09W23000]

Proposed Information Collection;
Annual Certification of Hunting and
Sport Fishing Licenses Issued
AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service) will ask the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) to
approve the information collection (IC)
described below. As required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and
as part of our continuing efforts to
reduce paperwork and respondent
burden, we invite the general public and
other Federal agencies to take this
opportunity to comment on this IC. This
IC is scheduled to expire on February
28, 2013. We may not conduct or
sponsor and a person is not required to
respond to a collection of information
unless it displays a currently valid OMB
control number.
DATES: To ensure that we are able to
consider your comments on this IC, we
must receive them by October 29, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the
IC to the Service Information Collection
Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, MS 2042–PDM, 4401
North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA
22203 (mail); or [email protected]
(email). Please include ‘‘1018–0007’’ in
the subject line of your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To
request additional information about
this IC, contact Hope Grey at
[email protected] (email) or 703–358–
2482 (telephone).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:

TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

I. Abstract
The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife
Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669 et seq.)
and the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish
Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777 et seq.
except 777e–1) provide authority for
Federal assistance to the States for
management and restoration of fish and
wildlife. These Acts and our regulations
in the Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR) at 50 CFR part 80, subpart D,
require that States, territories, and the
District of Columbia annually certify
their hunting and fishing license sales.
States, territories, and the District of
Columbia that receive grants under
these Acts use FWS Forms 3–154a (Part
I—Certification) and 3–154b (Part II—

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Summary of Hunting and Sport Fishing
Licenses Issued) to certify the number
and amount of hunting and fishing
license sales. We use the information
collected to apportion and distribute
funds according to the formula specified
in each Act.
II. Data
OMB Control Number: 1018–0007.
Title: Annual Certification of Hunting
and Sport Fishing Licenses Issued, 50
CFR part 80, subpart D.
Service Form Number(s): 3–154a, 3–
154b.
Type of Request: Extension of a
currently approved collection.
Description of Respondents: States,
territories (Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, Guam, U.S. Virgin
Islands, and American Samoa), and
District of Columbia.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: Annually.
Estimated Annual Number of
Respondents: 56.
Estimated Total Annual Responses:
112.
Estimated Time per Response:
Average of 12 hours for FWS Form 3–
154a and 20 hours for FWS Form 3–
154b.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 1,792.
III. Comments
We invite comments concerning this
information collection on:
• Whether or not the collection of
information is necessary, including
whether or not the information will
have practical utility;
• The accuracy of our estimate of the
burden for this collection of
information;
• Ways to enhance the quality, utility,
and clarity of the information to be
collected; and
• Ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on
respondents.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or
summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this IC. 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.

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Dated: August 21, 2012.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy and Directives
Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2012–21291 Filed 8–28–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–HQ–FHC–2012–N209;
FXHC11220900000Z2–112–FF09F20000]

Information Collection Request Sent to
the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for Approval; Land-Based Wind
Energy Guidelines
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
AGENCY:

We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service) have sent an Information
Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for
review and approval. We summarize the
ICR below and describe the nature of the
collection and the estimated burden and
cost. This information collection is
scheduled to expire on September 30,
2012. We may not conduct or sponsor
and a person is not required to respond
to a collection of information unless it
displays a currently valid OMB control
number. However, under OMB
regulations, we may continue to
conduct or sponsor this information
collection while it is pending at OMB.
DATES: You must submit comments on
or before September 28, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments and
suggestions on this information
collection to the Desk Officer for the
Department of the Interior at OMB–
OIRA at (202) 395–5806 (fax) or
[email protected] (email).
Please provide a copy of your comments
to the Service Information Collection
Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, MS 2042–PDM, 4401
North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA
22203 (mail), or [email protected]
(email). Please include ‘‘1018–0148’’ in
the subject line of your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To
request additional information about
this ICR, contact Hope Grey at
[email protected] (email) or 703–358–
2482 (telephone). You may review the
ICR online at http://www.reginfo.gov.
Follow the instructions to review
Department of the Interior collections
under review by OMB.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
OMB Control Number: 1018–0148.
Title: Land-Based Wind Energy
Guidelines.
SUMMARY:

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52345

Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 168 / Wednesday, August 29, 2012 / Notices
Service Form Number: None.
Type of Request: Extension of a
currently approved collection.

Description of Respondents:
Developers and operators of wind
energy facilities.
Number of
respondents

TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Activity (reporting and recordkeeping)

Number of
responses

Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
Completion
time per
response

Total annual
burden
hours

Nonhour
burden cost
per
response

Total annual
nonhour
burden cost

Tier 1 (Desktop Analysis) ................................................
Tier 2 (Site Characterization) ...........................................
Tier 3 (Pre-construction studies) .....................................
Tier 4 (Post-construction fatality monitoring and habitat
studies) .........................................................................
Tier 5 (Other post-construction studies ...........................

150
110
80

150
110
80

83
375
2,880

12,450
41,250
230,400

$2,000
4,000
23,000

$300,000
440,000
1,840,000

50
10

50
10

2,550
2,400

127,500
24,000

95,000
191,000

4,750,000
1,910,000

TOTALS ....................................................................

400

400

....................

435,600

....................

9,240,000

Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden
Cost: $9,240,000. Costs will depend on
the size and complexity of issues
associated with each project. These
expenses may include, but are not
limited to: Travel expenses for site
visits, studies conducted, and meetings
with the Service and other Federal and
State agencies; training in survey
methodologies; data management;
special transportation such as all-terrain
vehicle or helicopter; equipment needed
for acoustic, telemetry, or radar
monitoring, and carcass storage.
Abstract: In January 2012, we
requested that OMB approve, on an
emergency basis, our request to collect
information associated with the LandBased Wind Energy Guidelines
(Guidelines). We asked for emergency
approval because of the potential
negative effects that proposed wind
energy facilities may have on wildlife
and their habitat. OMB approved our
request and assigned OMB Control No.
1018–0148, which expires September
30, 2012. We are asking OMB to extend
the approval for this information
collection for 3 years.
As wind energy production increased,
both developers and wildlife agencies
recognized the need for a system to
evaluate and address the potential
negative impacts of wind energy
projects on species of concern. These
voluntary Guidelines (http://
www.fws.gov/windenergy) provide a
structured, scientific process for
addressing wildlife conservation
concerns at all stages of land-based
wind energy development. They also
promote effective communication
among wind energy developers and
Federal, State, tribal, and local
conservation agencies. When used in
concert with appropriate regulatory
tools, the Guidelines will be the best
practical approach for conserving
species of concern.
The Guidelines discuss various risks
to ‘‘species of concern’’ from wind

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energy projects, including collisions
with wind turbines and associated
infrastructure; loss and degradation of
habitat from turbines and infrastructure;
fragmentation of large habitat blocks
into smaller segments that may not
support sensitive species; displacement
and behavioral changes; and indirect
effects such as increased predator
populations or introduction of invasive
plants. The Guidelines assist developers
in identifying species of concern that
may potentially be affected by proposed
projects, including, but not limited to:
• Migratory birds;
• Bats;
• Bald and golden eagles and other
birds of prey;
• Prairie and sage grouse; and
• Listed, proposed, or candidate
endangered and threatened species.
The Guidelines follow a tiered
approach. The wind energy developer
begins at Tier 1 or Tier 2, which entails
gathering of existing data to help
identify any potential risks to wildlife
and their habitats at proposed wind
energy project sites. The developer then
proceeds through subsequent tiers, as
appropriate, to collect information in
increasing detail until the level of risk
is adequately ascertained and a decision
on whether or not to develop the site
can be made. Many projects may not
proceed beyond Tier 1 or 2, when
developers become aware of potential
barriers, including high risks to wildlife.
Developers would only have an interest
in adhering to the Guidelines for those
projects that proceed beyond Tier 1 or
2.
At each tier level, wind energy
developers and operators should retain
documentation to provide to the
Service. Such documentation may
include copies of correspondence with
the Service, results of pre- and postconstruction studies conducted at
project sites, bird and bat conservation
strategies, or any other record that
supports a developer’s adherence to the

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Guidelines. The extent of the
documentation will depend on the
conditions of the site being developed.
Sites with greater risk of impacts to
wildlife and habitats will likely involve
more extensive communication with the
Service and longer durations of pre- and
post-construction studies than sites with
little risk.
Distributed or community-scale wind
energy projects are unlikely to have
significant adverse impacts to wildlife
and their habitats. The Guidelines
recommend that developers of these
small-scale projects do the desktop
analysis described in Tier 1 or Tier 2
using publicly available information to
determine whether they should
communicate with the Service. Since
such project designs usually include a
single turbine associated with existing
development, conducting a Tier 1 or
Tier 2 analysis for distributed or
community-scale wind energy projects
should incur limited nonhour burden
costs. These analyses are conducted
using readily available existing
information, so the nature of these costs
may include travel to project sites. For
such projects, if there is no potential
risk identified, a developer will have no
need to communicate with the Service
regarding the project or to conduct
studies described in Tiers 3, 4, and 5.
Adherence to the Guidelines is
voluntary. Following the Guidelines
does not relieve any individual,
company, or agency of the responsibility
to comply with applicable laws and
regulations. Developers of wind energy
projects have a responsibility to comply
with the law; for example, they must
obtain incidental take authorization for
species protected by the Endangered
Species Act (ESA) and/or Bald and
Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA).
Comments: On April 2, 2012, we
published in the Federal Register (77
FR 19683) a notice of our intent to
request that OMB renew approval for
this information collection. In that

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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 168 / Wednesday, August 29, 2012 / Notices

notice, we solicited comments for 60
days, ending on June 1, 2012. We
received one comment regarding
permits for the take of migratory birds,
but the comment did not address the
information collection requirements. We
did not make any changes to the
information collection.
We again invite comments concerning
this information collection on:
• Whether or not the collection of
information is necessary, including
whether or not the information will
have practical utility;
• The accuracy of our estimate of the
burden for this collection of
information;
• Ways to enhance the quality, utility,
and clarity of the information to be
collected; and
• Ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on
respondents.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. 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 OMB in your comment to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that it will be done.

DATES:

Dated: August 21, 2012.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy and Directives
Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Introduction

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

With this notice, we continue the CCP
process for Hamden Slough National
Wildlife Refuge, which we began by
publishing a notice of intent in the
Federal Register (75 FR 7289) on
February 18, 2010. For more about the
initial process and the history of this
refuge, see that notice.

Fish and Wildlife Service

Background

[FWS–R3–R–2012–N121;
FXRS1265030000S3–123–FF03R06000]

The National Wildlife Refuge System
Administration Act of 1966, as amended
by the National Wildlife Refuge System
Improvement Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C.
668dd–668ee) (Administration Act),
requires us to develop a CCP for each
national wildlife refuge. The purpose in
developing a CCP is to provide refuge
managers with a 15-year strategy for
achieving refuge purposes and
contributing toward the mission of the
National Wildlife Refuge System
(NWRS), consistent with sound
principles of fish and wildlife
management, conservation, legal
mandates, and Service policies. In
addition to outlining broad management
direction on conserving wildlife and
their habitats, CCPs identify wildlifedependent recreational opportunities

[FR Doc. 2012–21290 Filed 8–28–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

Hamden Slough National Wildlife
Refuge, Becker County, MN
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for comments.
AGENCY:

We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of a draft comprehensive
conservation plan (CCP) and
environmental assessment (EA) for the
Hamden Slough National Wildlife
Refuge (Refuge, NWR) for public review
and comment. In this draft CCP/EA we
describe how we propose to manage the
refuge for the next 15 years.

SUMMARY:
TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

To ensure consideration, we
must receive your written comments by
September 28, 2012. We will hold open
house-style meetings during the
comment period to receive comments
and provide information on the draft
plan. In addition, we will use special
mailings, newspaper articles, Internet
postings, and other media
announcements to inform people of
opportunities for input.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments or
requests for more information by any
one of the following methods:
• Email: [email protected]. Include
‘‘Hamden Slough Draft CCP/EA’’ in the
subject line of the message.
• Fax: Attention: Refuge Manager,
Hamden Slough NWR, 218–847–4156.
• U.S. Mail: Attention: Ryan Frohling,
Refuge Manager, Hamden Slough NWR
(managed by Detroit Lakes Wetland
Management District), 26624 N. Tower
Road, Detroit Lakes, MN 56501.
• In-Person Drop Off: You may drop
off comments during regular business
hours at the above addresses.
You will find the draft CCP/EA, as
well as information about the planning
process and a summary of the CCP, on
the planning Web site: http://
www.fws.gov/midwest/planning/
hamdenslough/index.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ryan Frohling, 218–847–4431.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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available to the public, including
opportunities for hunting, fishing,
wildlife observation and photography,
and environmental education and
interpretation. We will review and
update the CCP at least every 15 years
in accordance with the Administration
Act.
Each unit of the NWRS was
established for specific purposes. We
use these purposes as the foundation for
developing and prioritizing the
management goals and objectives for
each refuge within the NWRS mission,
and to determine how the public can
use each refuge. The planning process is
a way for us and the public to evaluate
management goals and objectives that
will ensure the best possible approach
to wildlife, plant, and habitat
conservation, while providing for
wildlife-dependent recreation
opportunities that are compatible with
each refuge’s establishing purposes and
the mission of the NWRS.
Additional Information
The draft CCP/EA may be found at
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/planning/
hamdenslough/index.html. That
document incorporates an EA, prepared
in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (43
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). The draft CCP/EA
includes detailed information about the
planning process, refuge, issues, and
management alternatives considered
and proposed. The EA includes
discussions of three alternative refuge
management options. The Service’s
preferred alternative is reflected in the
draft CCP.
The alternatives analyzed in detail
include:
• Alternative A: Current Management
(No Action)—This alternative reflects
the current management direction of
Hamden Slough NWR. It provides the
baseline against which to compare other
alternatives. For NEPA purposes, this is
referred to as the ‘‘No Action’’
alternative.
• Alternative B: Wetland Focus—This
alternative would focus on increasing
the quantity and quality of habitat for
waterfowl. Acquisition and full
restoration of Pierce Lake would be
emphasized over the next 15 years. The
hydrologic regime would better emulate
natural seasonal and long-term
variability. More diverse, sustainable
vegetation patterns would be restored
on Refuge wetlands.
• Alternative C: Wetland and Prairie
Focus (Preferred Alternative)—This
alternative would focus on increasing
the quantity and quality of habitat for
wetland and grassland birds.
Acquisition and full restoration of

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