60-Day Notice

19683

Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 63 / Monday, April 2, 2012 / Notices

Number of
respondents

Activity

Recordkeeping .................................................................................................

20

20

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

62

62

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.

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
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: To ensure that we are able to
consider your comments on this IC, we
must receive them by June 1, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the
IC to the Service Information Collection
Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife
Service, MS 2042–PDM, 4401 North
Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203
(mail); or INFOCOL@fws.gov (email).
Please include ‘‘1018–0148’’ in the
subject line of your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To
request additional information about
this IC, contact Hope Grey at
INFOCOL@fws.gov (email) or 703–358–
2482 (telephone).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Dated: March 27, 2012.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy and Directives
Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

I. Abstract
In January 2012, we requested that
OMB approve, on an emergency basis,
our request to collect information
associated with the Land-Based 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 going to ask
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

[FR Doc. 2012–7837 Filed 3–30–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R9–FHC–2011–N266;
FXHC11220900000Z2–112–FF09F20000]

Proposed Information Collection;
Land-Based Wind Energy Guidelines
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Number of
responses

Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
AGENCY:

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

SUMMARY:

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17:42 Mar 30, 2012

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Completion
time per
response
(hours)
10

Total annual
burden hours
200
456

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
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 Tiers 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 Tiers 1
and 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 post-

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19684

Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 63 / Monday, April 2, 2012 / Notices

construction studies conducted at
project sites, bird and bat conservation
strategies, or any other record that
supports a developer’s adherence to the
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
ACTIVITY (reporting and recordkeeping)

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

NUMBER of
respondents

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

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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.
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

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17:42 Mar 30, 2012

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NUMBER of
responses

II. Data
OMB Control Number: 1018–0148.
Title: Land-Based Wind Energy
Guidelines.
Service Form Number: None.
Type of Request: Extension of a
currently approved collection.
Description of Respondents:
Developers and operators of wind
energy facilities.
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

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
400

50
10
400

2,550
2,400
........................

127,500
24,000
435,600

$95,000
$191,000
........................

$4,750,000
$1,910,000
$9,240,000

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.
Dated: March 26, 2012.
Tina A.Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy and Directives
Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2012–7840 Filed 3–30–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCAD01000 L12200000.AL 0000]

Meeting of the California Desert
District Advisory Council
Notice is hereby given, in
accordance with Public Laws 92–463
and 94–579, that the California Desert
District Advisory Council (DAC) to the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM),

SUMMARY:

PO 00000

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).

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U.S. Department of the Interior, will
meet in formal session on Saturday,
April 21, 2012, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
in Ridgecrest, Calif. at a location to be
noticed at least 15 days prior to the
meeting. There also will be a field trip
on Friday, April 20, from 8 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. on BLM-administered lands.
Field trip details will be posted on the
DAC web page, http://www.blm.gov/ca/
st/en/info/rac/dac.html, when finalized.
Agenda topics for the Saturday
meeting will include updates by council
members, the BLM California Desert
District manager, five field office
managers, and council subgroups. Final
agenda items will be posted on the DAC
web page listed above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: All DAC
meetings are open to the public. Public
comment for items not on the agenda
will be scheduled at the beginning of
the meeting Saturday morning. Time for
public comment may be made available
by the council chairman during the
presentation of various agenda items,
and is scheduled at the end of the
meeting for topics not on the agenda.
While the Saturday meeting is
tentatively scheduled from 8 a.m. to
4:30 p.m., the meeting could conclude
prior to 4:30 p.m. should the council
conclude its presentations and
discussions. Therefore, members of the

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