[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 56 (Thursday, March 23, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17610-17611]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-05952]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-R3-ES-2022-0147; FXES11140300000-234]


Draft Environmental Assessment and Proposed Habitat Conservation 
Plan for Crescent Wind Project, Hillsdale County, Michigan; Reopening 
of Public Comment Period

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; reopening of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are reopening the 
public comment period on our January 27, 2023, notice that announced 
our draft environmental assessment evaluating an incidental take permit 
(ITP) application received from Consumers Energy Company (applicant). 
The ITP application includes the Crescent Wind Project Habitat 
Conservation Plan, which is also under review. The applicant is 
requesting incidental take coverage of the Indiana bat and the northern 
long-eared bat. We invite comment from the public and local, State, 
Tribal, and Federal agencies. Comments previously submitted need not be 
resubmitted, because they will be fully considered.

DATES: The comment period for the draft habitat conservation plan and 
draft environmental assessment, notice of which was published on 
January 27, 2023 (88 FR 5372), is reopened. Comments submitted online 
at https://www.regulations.gov must be received or postmarked on or 
before April 6, 2023.

ADDRESSES: 
    Document availability: Electronic copies of the documents this 
notice announces, along with public comments received, are available 
online in Docket No. FWS-R3-ES-2022-0147 at https://www.regulations.gov.
    Comment submission: Please specify whether your comment addresses 
the proposed habitat conservation plan, draft environmental assessment, 
any combination of the aforementioned documents, or other documents. 
You may submit written comments by one of the following methods:
     Online: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for and submit 
comments on Docket No. FWS-R3-ES-2022-0147.
     By hard copy: Submit comments by U.S. mail to Public 
Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS-R3-ES-2022-0147; U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service; 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: PRB/3W; Falls Church, VA 
22041-3803.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Hicks, Field Supervisor, 
Michigan Ecological Services Field Office, by email at 
[email protected], or by telephone at 517-351-6274; or Andrew Horton, 
Regional HCP Coordinator, Midwest Region, by email at 
[email protected], or by telephone at 612-713-5337. Individuals in 
the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a 
speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United 
States should use the relay services offered within their country to 
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On January 27, 2023 (88 FR 5372), we, the 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, published a Federal Register notice 
announcing the availability for public comment of an application from 
Consumers Energy Company for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the 
Endangered Species Act (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), for its Crescent 
Wind Project (project). The comment period closed on February 27, 2023.
    If approved, the ITP would be for a 30-year period and would 
authorize the incidental take of two endangered species, the Indiana 
bat (Myotis sodalis) and northern long-eared bat (Myotis 
septentrionalis). The applicant prepared a habitat conservation plan 
(HCP) that

[[Page 17611]]

describes the actions and measures that the applicant would implement 
to avoid, minimize, and mitigate incidental take of the Indiana bat and 
northern long-eared bat.
    With this notice, we are reopening the public comment period on the 
EA and HCP to provide requested appendices to the HCP not originally 
provided during the initial comment period (see DATES and ADDRESSES).

Availability of Public Comments

    You may submit comments by one of the methods shown in ADDRESSES. 
We will post on https://www.regulations.gov all public comments and 
information received electronically or via hardcopy. All comments 
received, including names and addresses, will become part of the 
administrative 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. 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 Endangered 
Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations 
(50 CFR 17.22) and the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 
4371 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (40 CFR 1506.6; 43 CFR 
part 46).

Lori Nordstrom,
Assistant Regional Director, Ecological Services.
[FR Doc. 2023-05952 Filed 3-22-23; 8:45 am]
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