[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 143 (Friday, July 25, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43504-43505]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-17551]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R2-ES-2014-N120; FXES11130200000-145-FF02ENEH00]


Oil and Gas Industry Conservation Plan for the American Burying 
Beetle in Oklahoma; Finding of No Significant Impact for Environmental 
Assessment; Receipt of an Incidental Take Permit Application for 
Participation From Canyon Creek Energy Operating

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for public comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, make available the 
final Environmental Assessment (EA), Finding of No Significant Impact 
(FONSI), Response to Comments, and the final Oil and Gas Industry 
Conservation Plan Associated With Issuance of Endangered Species Act 
Section 10(a)(1)(B) Permits for the American Burying Beetle in Oklahoma 
(ICP). We also invite the public to comment on an application from 
Canyon Creek Energy Operating, for incidental take of the federally 
listed American burying beetle resulting from activities associated 
with the construction, operation, maintenance, repair, and 
decommissioning of oil and gas pipelines and related well field 
activities in Oklahoma, under the ICP. The final ICP, final EA, FONSI, 
and Response to Comments are available for review; however, we are not 
accepting comments on these final, approved documents. We are only 
accepting comments on the applicant's incidental take application.

DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments on the application 
from Canyon Creek Energy Operating, for incidental take of the 
federally listed American burying beetle must be received on or before 
August 25, 2014.

ADDRESSES: You may obtain copies of all documents and submit comments 
on the applicant's application by one of the following methods. Please 
refer to the permit number (TE-38404B) when requesting documents or 
submitting comments.
    [cir] U.S. Mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of 
Endangered Species--HCP Permits, P.O. Box 1306, Room 6034, Albuquerque, 
NM 87103.
    [cir] Electronically: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marty Tuegel, Branch Chief, by U.S. 
mail at Environmental Review, P.O. Box 1306, Room 6034, Albuquerque, NM 
87103; or by telephone at 505-248-6651.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Final Environmental Assessment, Finding of No Significant Impact, 
Response to Comments, and Oil and Gas Industry Conservation Plan

    We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, make available the final 
Environmental Assessment (EA), Finding of No Significant Impact 
(FONSI), Response to Comments, and the final Oil and Gas Industry 
Conservation Plan Associated With Issuance of Endangered Species Act 
Section 10(a)(1)(B) Permits for the American Burying Beetle in Oklahoma 
(ICP). Drafts of the EA and ICP were made available for comment on 
April 16, 2014 (79 FR 21480), and were approved on May 21, 2014.
    Under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 
et seq.), this notice advises the public that we, the Service, have 
analyzed the impacts to the human environment related to the issuance 
of incidental take permits (ITPs) under ESA section 10(a)(1)(B) to oil 
and gas companies (applicants) who agree to the conditions in the ICP. 
The ICP is a habitat conservation plan (HCP) that will address take of 
the ABB that is incidental to covered activities associated with oil 
and gas development, including geophysical exploration (seismic) and 
the construction, operation, maintenance, repair, and decommissioning 
of oil and gas pipelines and well field infrastructure. The ICP 
includes measures necessary to minimize and mitigate impacts to the 
covered species and their habitats to the maximum extent practicable. 
Any ITPs issued under the ICP will be in effect from the date of 
issuance for a period of up to 24 months for construction, and up to 20 
years of operation, maintenance, repairs, and decommissioning, pursuant 
to the ICP. The ICP Planning Area covers 45 Oklahoma counties: Adair, 
Atoka, Bryan, Carter, Cherokee, Choctaw, Cleveland, Coal, Craig, Creek, 
Delaware, Garvin, Haskell, Hughes, Johnson, Kay, Latimer, Le Flore, 
Lincoln, Love, Marshall, Mayes, McClain, McCurtain, McIntosh, Murray, 
Muskogee, Noble, Nowata, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, 
Payne, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Pushmataha, Rogers, Seminole, 
Sequoyah, Tulsa, Wagoner, and Washington.
    Activities associated with the construction, operation, 
maintenance, repair, and decommissioning of oil and gas pipelines and 
related well field activities as described in the ICP were developed 
through a collaborative effort between the Service, oil and gas 
companies in Oklahoma, and other stakeholders. To meet the requirements 
of a section 10(a)(1)(B) ITP, the applicant agrees to the conditions in 
the ICP, which describes the conservation measures to minimize and 
mitigate for incidental take of the covered species to the maximum 
extent practicable.

Application Available for Review and Comment

    We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite local, State, 
Tribal, and Federal agencies, and the public to comment on the 
application from Canyon Creek Energy Operating, for incidental take 
under the ICP of the federally listed American burying beetle 
(Nicrophorus americanus; ABB) resulting from activities associated with 
geophysical exploration (seismic), development, extraction, or 
transport of crude oil, natural gas, and/or other petroleum products, 
and construction,

[[Page 43505]]

maintenance, operation, repair, and decommissioning of oil and gas 
pipelines and well field infrastructure within 45 counties in Oklahoma. 
Please refer to permit number TE-38404B when requesting application 
documents and when submitting comments.
    Documents and other information the applicants have submitted with 
this application are available for review, subject to the requirements 
of the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) and Freedom of Information Act (5 
U.S.C. 552).

Permit TE-38404B

    Applicant: Canyon Creek Energy Operating, Tulsa, OK. Applicant 
requests a new permit for oil and gas upstream and midstream 
production, including geophysical exploration (seismic) and 
construction, maintenance, operation, repair, and decommissioning of 
oil and gas well field infrastructure, as well as construction, 
maintenance, operation, repair, decommissioning, and reclamation of oil 
and gas gathering, transmission, and distribution pipeline 
infrastructure within Oklahoma.

Public Availability of Comments

    Written comments we receive become part of the public record 
associated with this action. 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 request in your comment that we withhold 
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so. We will not consider anonymous 
comments. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and from 
individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of 
organizations or businesses, will be made available for public 
disclosure in their entirety.

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).

    Dated: July 9, 2014.
Joy E. Nicholopoulos,
Acting Regional Director, Southwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2014-17551 Filed 7-24-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P