Receipt of an Application for an Amended Incidental Take Permit Amendment for the Great Pathfinder Habitat Conservation Plan, Hamilton and Boone Counties, IA; Categorical Exclusion

Issuing agencies

Abstract

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received an application from Great Pathfinder Wind LLC (applicant), to amend an existing incidental take permit under the Endangered Species Act, for its Great Pathfinder Wind Project. We request public comment on the application, which includes the applicant's proposed amended habitat conservation plan, and the Service's preliminary determination that the proposed permitting action may be eligible for a categorical exclusion pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality's National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations, the Department of the Interior's (DOI) NEPA regulations, and the DOI Departmental Manual. To make this preliminary determination, we prepared a draft environmental action statement and low-effect screening form, both of which are also available for public review. We invite comment from the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies.