[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 81 (Wednesday, April 27, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23619-23621]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-10143]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R2-ES-2010-N282; 20124-1112-0000-F2]
Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement and
Associated Documents for Development in Bexar County and the City of
San Antonio, TX
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent; announcement of public scoping meetings;
request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), advise the
public that we intend to prepare a draft Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) to evaluate the impacts of, and alternatives to, the proposed
issuance of an incidental take permit (ITP)under the Endangered Species
Act of 1973, as amended (Act), to Bexar County, Texas, and the City of
San Antonio, Texas (applicants). The ITP would authorize incidental
take of five Federally listed species resulting from residential,
commercial, and other development activities associated with the
proposed Southern Edwards Plateau (SEP) Regional Habitat Conservation
Plan (RHCP), which includes Bexar and surrounding counties. We also
announce plans for a series of public scoping meetings throughout the
proposed plan area and the opening of a public comment period.
DATES: Written comments on alternatives and issues to be addressed in
the draft EIS must be received by July 26, 2011. Public scoping
meetings will be held at various locations throughout the proposed
seven-county plan area. Public scoping meetings will be held between
May1, 2011 and June 15, 2011. Exact meeting locations and times will be
announced in local newspapers and on the Service's Austin Ecological
Services Office Web site, http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/AustinTexas/,
at least 2 weeks prior to each meeting.
ADDRESSES: To request further information or submit written comments,
use one of the following methods, and note that your information
request or comment is in reference to the SEP RHCP/EIS:
E-mail: Allison Arnold@fws.gov;
U.S. Mail: Field Supervisor, Austin Ecological Services
Field Office, 10711 Burnet Road, Suite 200, Austin, TX 78758-4460;
Telephone: 512/490-0057; or
Fax: 512/490-0974.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is published in compliance with
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and its implementing regulations (40 CFR 1506.6),
and section 10(c) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The Service
intends to gather the information necessary to determine impacts and
alternatives to support a decision regarding the potential issuance of
an ITPto the applicants under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Act, and the
implementation of the supporting draft RHCP.
The applicants propose to develop an RHCP as part of their
application for an ITP. The proposed RHCP will include measures
necessary to minimize and mitigate the impacts, to the maximum extent
practicable, of potential proposed taking of Federally listed species
and the habitats upon which they depend, resulting from residential,
commercial, and other development activities within the proposed plan
area, to include Bexar and surrounding counties.
Background
Section 9 of the Act prohibits taking of fish and wildlife species
listed as endangered or threatened under section 4 of the Act. Under
the Act, the term ``take'' means to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot,
wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any
such conduct. The term ``harm'' is defined in the regulations as
significant habitat modification or degradation that results in death
or injury to listed species by significantly impairing essential
behavioral patterns, including breeding, feeding, or sheltering (50 CFR
17.3). The term ``harass'' is defined in the regulations as to carry
out actions that create the likelihood of injury to listed species to
such an extent as to significantly disrupt normal behavioral patterns,
which include, but are not limited to, breeding, feeding, or sheltering
(50 CFR 17.3). However, the Service may, under specified circumstances,
issue permits that allow the take of Federally listed species, provided
that the take that occurs is incidental to, but not as the purpose of,
[[Page 23620]]
an otherwise lawful activity. Regulations governing permits for
endangered and threatened species are at 50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32,
respectively.
Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Act contains provisions for issuing such
incidental take permits to non-Federal entities for the take of
endangered and threatened species, provided the following criteria are
met: (1) The taking will be incidental; (2) the applicants will, to the
maximum extent practicable, minimize and mitigate the impact of such
taking; (3) the applicants will develop a draft RHCP and ensure that
adequate funding for the plan will be provided; (4) the taking will not
appreciably reduce the likelihood of the survival and recovery of the
species in the wild; and (5) the applicants will carry out any other
measures that the Service may require as being necessary or appropriate
for the purposes of the RHCP.
Thus, the purpose of issuing a programmatic ITP is to allow the
applicants, under their respective City or County authority, to
authorize development while conserving the covered species and their
habitats. Implementation of a programmatic multispecies habitat
conservation plan, rather than a species-by-species/project-by-project
approach, will maximize the benefits of conservation measures for
covered species and eliminate expensive and time-consuming efforts
associated with processing individual ITPs for each project within the
applicants' proposed seven-county plan area. The Service expects that
the applicants will request ITP coverage for a period of 30 years.
Scoping Meetings
The purpose of scoping meetings is to provide the public with a
general understanding of the background of the proposed RHCP and
activities that would be covered by the draft RHCP, alternative
proposals under consideration for the draft EIS, and the Service's role
and steps to be taken to develop the draft EIS for the draft RHCP.
The meeting format will consist of a 1-hour open house prior to the
formal scoping meeting. The open house format will provide an
opportunity to learn about the proposed action, permit area, and
species covered. The open house will be followed by a formal
presentation of the proposed action, summary of the NEPA process, and
presentation of oral comments from the public. A court reporter will be
present at each meeting, and an interpreter will be present when deemed
necessary. The primary purpose of these meetings and public comment
period is to solicit suggestions and information on the scope of issues
and alternatives for the Service to consider when drafting the EIS.
Oral and written comments will be accepted at the meetings. Comments
can also be submitted to persons listed in the ADDRESSES section. Once
the draft EIS and draft RHCP are completed and made available for
review, there will be additional opportunity for public comment on the
content of these documents through an additional public hearing and
comment period.
Alternatives
The proposed action presented in the draft EIS will be compared to
the No-Action alternative. The No-Action alternative represents
estimated future conditions to which the proposed action's estimated
future conditions can be compared. Other alternatives considered,
including impacts associated with each alternative evaluated, will also
be addressed in the draft EIS.
No-Action Alternative
Because the proposed covered activities (development activities)
are vital in providing services to accommodate future population
growth, energy, and infrastructure demand, these activities would
continue regardless of whether a 10(a)(1)(B) permit is requested or
issued. The applicants would continue to avoid and minimize impacts to
protected species' habitat. Where potential impacts to Federally
protected species within the proposed permit area could not be avoided,
they would be minimized and mitigated through individual formal or
informal consultation with the Service, when applicable, or applicants
would potentially seek an individual section 10(a)(1)(B) ITP on a
project-by-project basis. Although future activities by the applicants
would be similar to those covered by the RHCP, not all activities would
necessitate an incidental take permit or consultation with the Service.
Thus, under this alternative, numerous individual section 10(a)(1)(B)
permit applications would likely be filed over the 30-year project
period. This project-by-project approach would be more time-consuming
and less efficient; and could result in an isolated independent
mitigation approach.
Proposed Alternative
The proposed action is the issuance of an ITP for the covered
species for development activities within the proposed permit area for
a period of 30 years. The proposed RHCP, which must meet the
requirements of section 10(a)(2)(A) of the Act by providing measures to
minimize and mitigate the effects of the potential incidental take of
covered species to the maximum extent practicable, would be developed
and implemented by the applicants. This alternative could allow for a
comprehensive mitigation approach for unavoidable impacts and reduce
the permit processing effort for the Service.
Activities proposed for coverage under the proposed permit will be
otherwise lawful activities that would occur consistent with the RHCP
and include, but are not limited to: (1) Construction, use, and/or
maintenance of public or private land development projects, (e.g.,
single- and multi-family homes, residential subdivisions, farm and
ranch improvements, commercial or industrial projects, government
offices, and park infrastructure); (2) construction, maintenance, and/
or improvement of roads, bridges, and other transportation
infrastructure; (3) installation and/or maintenance of utility
infrastructure (e.g. transmission or distribution lines and facilities
related to electric, telecommunication, water, wastewater, petroleum or
natural gas, and other utility products or services); (4) the
construction, use, maintenance, and/or expansion of schools, hospitals,
corrections or justice facilities, and community service development or
improvement projects; (5) construction, use, or maintenance of other
public infrastructure and improvement projects (e.g., projects by
municipalities, counties, school districts); (6) any management
activities that are necessary to manage potential habitat for the
covered species within the RHCP system that could temporarily result in
incidental take; and (7) the construction, use, maintenance and/or
expansion of quarries, gravel mining, or other similar extraction
projects.
It is anticipated that the following species will be included as
covered species in the RHCP: The golden-cheeked warbler (Dendroica
chrysoparia), black-capped vireo (Vireo atricapilla), Madla Cave
meshweaver (Cicurina madla), and two ground beetle species, each of
which has no common name (Rhadine exilis and Rhadine infernalis). For
these covered species, the applicants would seek incidental take
authorization. Six Federally listed endangered species have been
recommended for inclusion as covered species: Robber Baron Cave
meshweaver (Cicurina baronia), Bracken Bat Cave meshweaver (Cicurina
venii), Government Canyon Bat Cavemeshweaver (Cicurina vespera),
Government Canyon Bat Cave spider (Neoleptoneta microps), Cokendolpher
Cave harvestman (Texella
[[Page 23621]]
cokendolpheri), and Helotes mold beetle (Batrisodes venyivi). Seven
additional species have been identified as potentially affected by the
proposed covered activities and maybe considered for inclusion in the
RHCP: Whooping crane (Grus americana), big red sage (Salvia
penstemonoides), to busch fishhook cactus (Sclerocactus brevihamatus
ssp tobuschii), bracted twistflower (Streptanthus bracteatus), golden
orb (Quadrula aurea), Texas pimpleback (Quadrula petrina), and Texas
fatmucket (Lampsilis bracteata). Incidental take authorization for
these additional species may be necessary during the term of the ITP.
Inclusion of these species will be determined during the RHCP planning
and development process. The RHCP may include conservation measures to
benefit these species, where practicable, and support research to help
fill data gaps regarding the biology, habitat, distribution, and/or
management of these species, even if incidental take coverage is not
requested under the ITP.
Candidate and Federally listed species not likely to be taken by
the covered activities, and therefore not covered by the proposed ITP,
may also be addressed in the draft RHCP to explain why the applicants
believe these species will not be taken.
Counties included in the proposed permit area are Bexar, Medina,
Bandera, Kerr, Kendall, Blanco, and Comal Counties.
Public Availability of Comments
Written comments we receive become part of the public record
associated with this action. Before including your address, phone
number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in
your comment, you should be aware that the entire comment--including
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available
at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Environmental Review
The Service will conduct an environmental review to analyze the
proposed action, as well as other alternatives evaluated and the
associated impacts of each. The draft EIS will be the basis for the
impact evaluation for each species covered and the range of
alternatives to be addressed. The draft EIS is expected to provide
biological descriptions of the affected species and habitats, as well
as the effects of the alternatives on other resources, such as
vegetation, wetlands, wildlife, geology and soils, air quality, water
resources, water quality, cultural resources, land use, recreation,
water use, local economy, and environmental justice.
Following completion of the environmental review, the Service will
publish a notice of availability and a request for comment on the draft
EIS and the applicants' permit application, which will include the
draft RHCP. The draft EIS and draft RHCP are expected to be completed
and available to the public in late 2011.
Joy E. Nicholopoulos,
Acting Regional Director, Region 2, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
[FR Doc. 2011-10143 Filed 4-26-11; 8:45 am]
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