Overview
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) to evaluate the proposed issuance of an Incidental Take Permit to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).
MDC prepared a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) to streamline compliance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA). A primary goal of the HCP is to obtain an Incidental Take Permit from the Service for three bat species protected by ESA, as well as two at-risk bat species, resulting from specific MDC activities that would be conducted under the HCP.
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to evaluate the environmental effects of proposed agency actions as part of their decision-making process. The Service's issuance of an Incidental Take Permit is a federal action subject to NEPA review. To comply with NEPA, the Service prepared an EA to analyze and disclose the potential impacts of the issuance of an Incidental Take Permit and implementation of the HCP.
This site is intended to provide information on the NEPA compliance process, including information on how to comment and provide input on the EA.
Project Updates
- The final HCP and final EA were issued on February 23, 2022. The Service signed a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) to conclude the NEPA process, issued a Biological Opinion (BO) to conclude the ESA Section 7 consultation process, and signed Findings and Recommendations for an ITP. All documents can be accessed here.
- The full draft HCP and draft EA were released simultaneously for public review on September 15, 2021. The comment period for the draft EA is 30 days, from September 15, 2021 to October 15, 2021. The draft HCP can be accessed here and draft EA here.
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