New Deadlines for Public Comment on Draft Environmental Documents

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-HQ-R-2013-N233; FXRS12650900000-145-FF09R20000]

New Deadlines for Public Comment on Draft Environmental Documents

AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

We announce new deadlines for the public to submit input on several draft documents prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. We are taking this action in regard to draft documents and scoping periods that were open for comment during the recent lapse in Federal appropriations. To ensure that we receive the best possible input to guide our decisionmaking, we want to provide the public adequate time to review and comment on the draft documents.

DATES:

See

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

for the new comment period end dates.

ADDRESSES:

See each original

Federal Register

notice for information on where to submit comments. The

Federal Register

citations and links to the notices are in

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

See the contact information in the original

Federal Register

notices. The

Federal Register

citations and links to the notices are in

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), published notices in the

Federal Register

in August, September, and October that announced the availability of various documents for public review. These documents included a draft environmental impact statement (EIS)/environmental impact report and draft environmental assessments (EA) prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, as amended (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and related documents, such as draft comprehensive conservation plans (CCP). The

Federal Register

notices directed interested parties to contact Service personnel and Web sites for information about these draft documents. As a result of the recent lapse in Federal appropriations, these personnel and Web sites were unavailable for 16 days.

To ensure compliance with our responsibilities under NEPA and to provide the public increased access to Service sources of information, we are allowing additional time for public

input on these draft documents. We are also extending the comment periods for scoping for an upcoming CCP and EIS for one national wildlife refuge and an upcoming CCP and EA for another refuge and for either an EIS or EA for a proposed habitat conservation plan. The following table provides relevant information that will help the public get access to the draft documents and submit comments:

Title of

Federal Register

notice

Federal Register

citation

New comment

period end date

Web link

Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Commerce City, CO; Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Impact Statement; Two Ponds National Wildlife Refuge, Arvada, CO; Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment

78 FR 48183; August 7, 2013

November 15, 2013

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-08-07/pdf/2013-19052.pdf.

South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, Phase 2 (Ponds R3, R4, R5, S5, A1, A2W, A8, A8S, A19, A20, and A21) at the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge; Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report

78 FR 56921; September 16, 2013

December 2, 2013

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-09-16/pdf/2013-22438.pdf.

Habitat Conservation Plan for the Community of Los Osos, San Luis Obispo County, CA; Notice of Intent

78 FR 57651; September 19, 2013

November 20, 2013

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-09-19/pdf/2013-22778.pdf.

Notice of Availability of the Draft Southeast Missouri Ozarks Regional Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment

78 FR 57875; September 20, 2013

December 4, 2013

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-09-20/pdf/2013-22953.pdf.

DeSoto and Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuges; Washington County, Nebraska, and Harrison and Pottawattamie Counties, Iowa; Draft Environmental Assessment and Comprehensive Conservation Plan

78 FR 57876; September 20, 2013

November 8, 2013

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-09-20/pdf/2013-22956.pdf.

Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Lincoln County, WY; Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment

78 FR 58340; September 23, 2013

November 4, 2013

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-09-23/pdf/2013-23107.pdf.

Golden Eagles; Programmatic Take Permit Application; Draft Environmental Assessment; Shiloh IV Wind Project, Solano County, California

78 FR 59710; September 27, 2013

November 29, 2013

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-09-27/pdf/2013-23732.pdf.

Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, Authorized Within the Twenty Counties That Lie Along the Missouri River From Kansas City to St. Louis, MO; Draft Environmental Assessment and Comprehensive Conservation Plan

78 FR 60306; October 1, 2013

November 20, 2013

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-10-01/pdf/2013-23733.pdf.

For information about these draft documents and related issues, contact the person listed in the relevant notice under

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

.

Authority:

We issue this notice under the authority of the National Environmental Policy Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).

Dated: October 25, 2013.

Tina A. Campbell,

Chief, Division of Policy and Directives Management.

[FR Doc. 2013-25738 Filed 10-29-13; 8:45 am]

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