DENVER – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public comment on the Nebraska Public Power District’s (NPPD) application for a permit for take of the federally endangered American burying beetle. NPPD’s proposed R-Project is a 225-mile long, 345-kilovolt transmission line that would cross portions of the Sandhills in north-central Nebraska. The R-Project is intended to enhance the reliability of NPPD’s electric transmission system, relieve congestion from existing lines, and provide opportunities for development of renewable energy projects, including wind power, in Nebraska, but will also impact habitat for the beetle and other protected wildlife.
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibits “take” of a listed species, meaning that under the act, the Service can issue permits for the "incidental take" of endangered and threatened species – take that is the unintended result of otherwise lawful activities – as long as the applicant designs and implements a comprehensive habitat conservation plan (HCP) that both minimizes and mitigates harm to the impacted species during the proposed project.
In its HCP for the R-Project, NPPD is proposing to fully offset the potential take of American burying beetle by setting aside 500 acres of suitable beetle habitat for protection and management. The HCP also identifies measures to avoid take of other federally threatened and endangered species may that occur along the R-Project route, including the whooping crane. NPPD prepared a draft Migratory Bird Conservation Plan to minimize impacts to migratory birds, which are diverse and abundant along certain areas of the R-Project route, and to bald and golden eagles in an effort to comply with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. NPPD also prepared a draft land restoration plan that details the measures they will voluntarily implement to restore beetle habitat, fragile sandy soils and other habitats disturbed by R-Project activities.
Along with NPPD’s permit application and draft HCP, the Service is also publishing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on the project for public review. The Service will be publishing a notice of availability (NOA) for the DEIS and HCP in the Federal Register today to alert the public that this and other draft documents are ready for public review and input. All of these draft documents are available for review at https://www.regulations.gov
Once the NOA is published, public comments will be accepted for 60 days. The Service will consider all public comments and analyze impacts to these resources before making a decision on permit issuance. The Service is confident on finding the balance between conserving protected species and the need for responsible energy development, taking seriously state and local input. The public will be able to submit comments electronically via www.regulations.gov. Comments will also be accepted via U.S. mail or hand-delivery to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 9325 South Alda Road, Wood River, Nebraska, 68883.
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