[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 187 (Tuesday, September 27, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59732-59733]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-24752]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R2-ES-2011-N155; 20124-1112-0000-F2]


Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Habitat 
Conservation Plan for Oncor Electric Delivery Facilities in 100 Texas 
Counties

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; correction.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, correct a previously 
published notice that announced the availability of the draft 
environmental impact statement (DEIS) and the draft Oncor Electric 
Delivery Company, LLC, habitat conservation plan (HCP). Due to an 
inadvertent error, the prior notice mischaracterized the alternatives 
evaluated in the draft environmental impact statement. We correct the 
descriptions of the alternatives in this notice. The error was not in 
the DEIS or the HCP, but only in our previous notice.

DATES: Comments: We must receive written comments on the draft 
environmental impact statement and draft habitat conservation plan on 
or before close of business (4:30 p.m. CDT) October 13, 2011.
    Public meetings: Up to nine public meetings will take place 
throughout Oncor's proposed 100-county permit area through September 
28, 2011. Exact meeting locations and times will be announced in local 
newspapers, on the Austin Ecological Services Office Web site (http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/AustinTexas/), and on Oncor's Web site (http://www.oncor-eis-hcp.com) at least 2 weeks prior to each meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Adam Zerrenner, Field Supervisor, 
by U.S. mail at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 10711 Burnet Road, 
Suite 200, Austin, TX 78758, or by phone at (512) 490-0057.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On July 15, 2011, we published a notice in the Federal Register (76 
FR 41808) that announced that Oncor Electric Delivery Company, LLC, has 
applied under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of 
1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) (Act), for an incidental take 
permit (ITP) (TE-40918A-0). The requested ITP, which would be in effect 
for a period of 30 years if granted, would authorize incidental take of 
11 federally listed species. The proposed incidental take would occur 
in 100 Texas counties that comprise the Applicant's service area, 
excluding Williamson and Travis counties and with the addition of 
Runnels County, and would result from activities associated with 
maintenance and repair of existing electric facilities and installation 
and operation of new facilities.
    The July 15, 2011, notice (76 FR 41808) provided information about 
Oncor's draft habitat conservation plan (HCP) and our draft 
environmental impact statement (DEIS) prepared under the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). Please refer 
to that notice for further information, including details about public 
meetings, ways to obtain copies of the documents, and comment 
submission.
    Due to an inadvertent error, the July 15, 2011, Federal Register 
notice did not accurately reflect the three alternatives explored in 
the DEIS. Therefore, we correct our description of the alternatives 
below in this document. Please note that all the documents we made 
available from the date of publication of our earlier notice (July 15, 
2011) are correct. If you already obtained any documents for review, 
you do not need to get new copies. The only error was in the text of 
our notice.

Alternatives

    The DEIS examines three alternatives:
    1. No Action--Project-Based Consultation--Project-by-project 
consultations or ITPs. This alternative

[[Page 59733]]

would require Oncor to seek authorization on a project-by-project basis 
to address incidental take resulting from their actions, as needed, 
through section 7 of the Act or under section 10(a)(1)(B).
    2. Preferred Alternative--Proposed Alternative with 30-year 
Duration--Issuance of an ITP by the Service for covered activities in 
the 100-county permit area, pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Act. 
This is the Applicant's preferred alternative. The activities that 
would be covered by the ITP are general activities associated with new 
construction, maintenance, and emergency response and restoration, 
including stormwater discharges from construction sites, equipment 
access, and surveying. Construction activities covered for new 
facilities include new overhead transmission and distribution lines, 
new support facilities such as substations and switching stations, 
underground electric installation, and second-circuit addition on 
existing structures. Maintenance activities would include vegetation 
management within rights of way, expansion of existing support 
facilities, line upgrades, insulator replacement, and maintenance of 
underground electric facilities. The requested ITP will cover the 100-
county permit area. The requested term of the permit is 30 years.
    To meet the requirements of a section 10(a)(1)(B) ITP, the 
Applicant has developed and will implement the draft HCP, which 
describes the conservation measures the Applicant has agreed to 
undertake to minimize and mitigate for incidental take of the covered 
species to the maximum extent practicable. As described in the draft 
HCP, the Applicant anticipates that incidental take would not 
appreciably reduce the likelihood of the survival and recovery of these 
species in the wild.
    3. Proposed Alternative with 50-year Duration--Issuance of an ITP 
by the Service for covered activities in the 100-county permit area, 
pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Act. This alternative would 
cover the same activities as the preferred alternative, but for a 
longer period of time. The requested term of the permit is 50 years.

Authority

    We provide this notice under section 10(c) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 
1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (50 CFR 17.22) and NEPA 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (40 CFR 
1506.6).

Joy E. Nicholopoulos,
Acting Regional Director, Southwest Region, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
[FR Doc. 2011-24752 Filed 9-26-11; 8:45 am]
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