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were both analyzed in BLM’s 2012 EIS.
The BLM’s 2012 ROD required further
coordination with the Service regarding
potential nest removal.
In April 2014, Hycroft submitted a
plan of operations modification for the
phase II expansion of the mine to the
BLM. The phase II expansion includes
a proposal to construct a tailings storage
facility. Three golden eagle nests were
identified within the proposed footprint
of the tailings storage facility.
In this current joint EIS, BLM will
analyze potential impacts of Hycroft’s
proposed expansion as described in
BLM’s notice published on December
30, 2014 (79 FR 78469), and the Service
will analyze impacts related to our Eagle
Act take permit decisions.
Scope for Eagle Permit Analysis
All eagle permit alternatives
considered in the EIS should conform to
the Eagle Act permit issuance criteria
for nest removal for the purpose of
resource development and recovery
operations, as allowed under 50 CFR
22.25, and for incidental take as allowed
under 50 CFR 22.26. The draft EIS will
identify and analyze direct, indirect,
and cumulative impacts of the proposed
Eagle Act permit requests and
alternatives associated with several
resource areas, including biological
resources, Native American religious
concerns, air quality, noise, water
resources, cultural resources,
socioeconomics, and climate change.
We will also consider evaluation of
additional resource areas if issues of
concern specific to the proposed action
are identified during the public scoping
process. The purpose of the public
scoping process for the EIS is to
determine relevant issues that will
influence the scope of the
environmental analysis, including
potential alternatives, and the extent to
which those issues and impacts will be
analyzed in the EIS. We will evaluate a
minimum of three alternatives.
Applicant’s Proposal
Hycroft has requested permits under
the Eagle Act for nest removal
associated with resource development
and recovery, and incidental take for
anticipated impacts, including the
potential loss of nesting territories,
associated with mining operations as
described in the ECP.
Hycroft is requesting authorization for
removal of three golden eagle nests on
the Silver Camel feature within the
existing mine area and up to the three
nests within the proposed tailings
facility footprint. Nest removals would
likely affect two different golden eagle
breeding territories. Specific activities

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requested and being considered include
the following:
1. Removal of golden eagle nests.
2. Implementation of mitigation
measures to offset the loss of nesting
territories and provide a no net loss to
golden eagles in the local area breeding
population, including, but not limited
to:
a. Creation of new nest sites, possibly
on abandoned mine high walls;
b. Offsite nest rehabilitation; and
c. Retrofitting electric utility power
poles to minimize the potential for
electrocutions.
3. Monitoring to evaluate project
impacts and the effectiveness of the
mitigation measures. Monitoring efforts
would generally include:
a. Monitoring of golden eagle nests
located within the plan area and a 10mile radius surrounding the plan area;
and
b. Monitoring of the offsite nests
created or rehabilitated for the
establishment of golden eagle use and
creation of new breeding territories.
Public Comments
We request data, comments, new
information, or suggestions from the
public, other governmental agencies, the
scientific community, Tribes, industry,
or any other interested party on this
notice. We are particularly interested in
comments regarding the creation of new
golden eagle nest sites or territories, a
potential mitigation option. We will
consider these comments in developing
the draft EIS.
Public Availability of Comments
You may submit your comments and
materials by one of the methods listed
above in ADDRESSES. Before including
your address, phone number, or other
personal identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment—including your
personal identifying information—might
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.
Scoping Meetings
See DATES for the dates and times of
our public meetings. The primary
purpose of these meetings and public
comment period is to provide the public
with a general understanding of the
background of the proposed action and
to solicit suggestions and information
on the scope of issues and alternatives
we should consider when drafting the
EIS. Comments will be accepted at the
meetings. An interpreter and/or court

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reporter will be present when deemed
necessary. Comments can also be
submitted by methods listed in the
ADDRESSES section. Once the draft EIS is
complete and made available for review,
there will be additional opportunity for
public comment on the content of these
documents.
Persons needing reasonable
accommodations in order to attend and
participate in the public meetings
should contact the Pacific Southwest
Region’s Migratory Bird Office using
one of the methods listed above in
ADDRESSES as soon as possible. In order
to allow sufficient time to process
requests, please make contact no later
than one week before the public
meeting. Information regarding this
proposed action is available in
alternative formats upon request.
Authority
We provide this notice under section
668a of the Eagle Act (16 U.S.C. 668–
668c) and NEPA regulations (40 CFR
1501.7, 40 CFR 1506.6, and 40 CFR
1508.22).
Jody Holzworth,
Acting Deputy Regional Director, Pacific
Southwest Region, Sacramento, California.
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–HQ–ES–2017–N120;
FXES11130900000–178–FF09E32000; OMB
Control Number 1018–0095]

Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget for Review
and Approval; Endangered and
Threatened Wildlife, Experimental
Populations
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection;
request for comment.
AGENCY:

In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), are proposing to renew an
information collection.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before October
23, 2017.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments on
this information collection request (ICR)
to the Office of Management and
Budget’s Desk Officer for the
Department of the Interior by email at
OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov; or via
SUMMARY:

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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 183 / Friday, September 22, 2017 / Notices

facsimile to (202) 395–5806. Please
provide a copy of your comments to the
Service Information Collection
Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, MS: BPHC, 5275
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041–
3803 (mail); or by email to Info_Coll@
fws.gov. Please reference OMB Control
Number 1018–0095 in the subject line of
your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To
request additional information about
this ICR, contact Madonna L. Baucum,
Service Information Collection
Clearance Officer, by email at Info_
Coll@fws.gov, or by telephone at (703)
358–2503. You may also view the ICR
at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/
PRAMain.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, we provide the
general public and other Federal
agencies with an opportunity to
comment on new, proposed, revised,
and continuing collections of
information. This helps us assess the
impact of our information collection
requirements and minimize the public’s
reporting burden. It also helps the
public understand our information
collection requirements and provide the
requested data in the desired format.
A Federal Register notice with a 60day public comment period soliciting
comments on this collection of
information was published on May 31,
2017 (82 FR 24989). We received one
comment that did not address the
information collection. No changes were
made in response to that comment.
We are again soliciting comments on
the proposed ICR that is described
below. We are especially interested in
public comment addressing the
following issues: (1) Is the collection
necessary to the proper functions of the
Service; (2) will this information be
processed and used in a timely manner;
(3) is the estimate of burden accurate;
(4) how might the Service enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (5) how
might the Service minimize the burden
of this collection on the respondents,
including through the use of
information technology.
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 us in your comment to

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withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Abstract: Section 10(j) of the
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA),
as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.),
authorizes the Secretary of the Interior
to establish experimental populations of
endangered or threatened species.
Because individuals of experimental
populations are protected under the
ESA, the information we collect is
important for monitoring the success of
reintroduction and recovery efforts. This
is a nonform collection (meaning there
is no designated form associated with
this collection). Information collection
requirements for experimental
populations of vertebrate endangered
and threatened species are found in 50
CFR 17.84. We collect three categories
of information, which are specific to
each species and are described within
50 CFR 17.84:
(1) General take or removal. Take is
defined by the ESA as ‘‘[to] harass,
harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill,
trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to
engage in any such conduct.’’ In this IC,
take most commonly takes the form of
human-related mortality, including
unintentional taking incidental to
otherwise lawful activities (e.g.,
highway mortalities); animal husbandry
actions authorized to manage the
population (e.g., translocation or
providing aid to sick, injured, or
orphaned individuals); take in defense
of human life; take related to defense of
property (if authorized); or take in the
form of authorized harassment.
(2) Specimen collection, recovery, or
reporting of dead individuals. This
information documents incidental or
authorized scientific collection. Most of
the information collected addresses the
reporting of sightings of experimental
population animals or the inadvertent
discovery of an injured or dead
individual.
(3) Depredation-related take. Involves
take for management purposes where
livestock depredation is documented,
and may include authorized harassment
or authorized lethal take of
experimental population animals in the
act of attacking livestock. See 50 CFR
17.84 for specific provisions of
harassment for each species within this
section.
The information that we collect
includes:
• Name, address, and phone number
of reporting party.
• Species involved.
• Type of incident.
• Quantity of take.

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• Location and time of the reported
incident.
• Description of the circumstances
related to the incident.
Service recovery specialists use this
information to determine the success of
reintroductions in relation to
established recovery plan goals for the
experimental populations of vertebrate
endangered and threatened species
involved. In addition, this information
helps us to assess the effectiveness of
control activities in order to develop
better means to reduce problems with
livestock for those species where
depredation is a problem.
Title of Collection: Endangered and
Threatened Wildlife, Experimental
Populations, 50 CFR 17.84.
OMB Control Number: 1018–0095.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Extension of a
currently approved collection.
Respondents/Affected Public:
Individuals and households, private
sector, and State/local/tribal
governments.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Respondents: 105.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 105.
Estimated Completion Time per
Response: 30 minutes.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Burden Hours: 55.
Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
Total Estimated Annual Nonhour
Burden Cost: The only foreseeable
nonhour burden cost to respondents
would be a small cost for making a
telephone call or sending a facsimile.
However, we do not expect that this
would occur often and any costs would
be negligible.
An agency 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.
The authority for this action is the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
Madonna L. Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
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