2022-25217: Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the R-Project Transmission Line Revised Habitat Conservation Plan, Nebraska

Summary

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), provide this notice to open a public scoping period and announce virtual public scoping meetings, in accordance with requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act and its implementing regulations. The scoping period is associated with the preparation of a supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) to the February 2019 Final Environmental Impact Statement on Issuance of an Incidental Take Permit and Implementation of a Habitat Conservation Plan for the R-Project Transmission Line. Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD, applicant) is preparing a revised habitat conservation plan (HCP) in support of its anticipated resubmission of an application for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for activities it will undertake in constructing, operating, and maintaining a new transmission line (known as the R-Project) in central Nebraska. The SEIS will evaluate the impacts on the human environment related to the proposed issuance of the ITP and implementation of the HCP, including addressing the issues identified by the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado in its remand of the ITP that FWS issued June 12, 2019.

The agency’s own summary, as published.