[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 227 (Wednesday, November 25, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73810-73811]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-29995]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-ES-2015-N214; FXES11120400000-167-FF04EF2000]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Receipt of
Application for an Incidental Take Permit; Availability of Low-Effect
Habitat Conservation Plan and Associated Documents; Polk County, FL
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment/information.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of an incidental take permit (ITP) and a Habitat
Conservation Plan (HCP). Verano Land Investment, LLC (applicant)
requests ITP TE67461B-0 under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (Act). The applicant anticipates taking about 4 acres of
feeding, breeding, and sheltering habitat used by the sand skink
(Neoseps reynoldsi) and blue-tailed mole skink (Eumeces egregius
lividus) (skinks) incidental to land preparation and construction in
Polk County, Florida. The applicant's HCP describes proposed
minimization measures and mitigation measures to address the effects of
development on the covered species.
DATES: We must receive your written comments on the ITP application and
HCP on or before December 28, 2015.
ADDRESSES: See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for
information on how to submit your comments on the ITP application and
HCP. You may obtain a copy of the ITP application and HCP by writing
the South Florida Ecological Services Office, Attn: Permit number
TE67461B-0, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1339 20th Street, Vero
Beach, FL 32960-3559. In addition, we will make the ITP application and
HCP available for public inspection by appointment during normal
business hours at the above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Alfredo Begazo, South Florida
Ecological Services Office (see ADDRESSES); telephone: 772-469 -4234.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Submitting Comments
If you wish to comment on the ITP application or HCP, you may
submit comments by any one of the following methods:
Email: alfredo_begazo@fws.gov. Use ``Attn: Permit number
``TE67461B-0'' as your message subject line.
Fax: Alfredo Begazo, 772-469-4234, Attn.: Permit number ``TE67461B-
0.''
U.S. mail: Alfredo Begazo, South Florida Ecological Services Field
Office, Attn: Permit number ``TE67461B-0,'' U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 1339 20th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960-3559.
In-person drop-off: You may drop off comments or request
information during regular business hours at the above office address.
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comments, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
request in your comments that your personal identifying information be
withheld from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able
to do so.
Applicant's Proposed Project
We received an application from the applicant for an incidental
take permit, along with a proposed habitat conservation plan. The
applicant requests an ITP under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Act (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). If we approve the application, the applicant
anticipates taking a total of approximately 4 acres of skink breeding,
feeding, and sheltering habitat, incidental to land preparation and
construction in Section 25, Township 25 South, Range 26 East, Polk
County, Florida. The applicant currently has neither a time-frame for
development, nor a specific site plan; however, development of this
parcel would likely include construction of one or more structures, a
parking area, and installation of associated utilities.
The applicant proposes to minimize impacts to skinks by preserving
a total of 8 acres of skink-occupied habitat off site. The Service
listed the skinks as threatened in 1987 (November 6, 1987; 52 FR
20715), effective December 7, 1987.
[[Page 73811]]
Our Preliminary Determination
The Service has made a preliminary determination that the
applicant's project, including the mitigation measures, will
individually and cumulatively have a minor or negligible effect on the
species covered in the HCP. Therefore, issuance of the ITP is a ``low-
effect'' action and qualifies as a categorical exclusion under the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (40 CFR 1506.6), as provided
by the Department of the Interior Manual (516 DM 2 Appendix 1 and 516
DM 6 Appendix 1). We base our preliminary determination that issuance
of the ITP qualifies as a low-effect action on the following three
criteria: (1) Implementation of the project would result in minor or
negligible effects on federally listed, proposed, and candidate species
and their habitats; (2) Implementation of the project would result in
minor or negligible effects on other environmental values or resources;
and (3) Impacts of the project, considered together with the impacts of
other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable similarly situated
projects, would not result, over time, in cumulative effects to
environmental values or resources that would be considered significant.
This preliminary determination may be revised based on our review of
public comments that we receive in response to this notice.
Next Steps
The Service will evaluate the HCP and comments submitted thereon to
determine whether the application meets the requirements of section
10(a) of the Act. The Service will also evaluate whether issuance of
the section 10(a)(1)(B) ITP complies with section 7 of the Act by
conducting an intra-Service section 7 consultation. The results of this
consultation, in combination with the above findings, will be used in
the final analysis to determine whether or not to issue the ITP. If it
is determined that the requirements of the Act are met, the ITP will be
issued.
Authority: We provide this notice under Section 10 of the
Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and NEPA regulations
(40 CFR 1506.6).
Dated: November 13, 2015.
Roxanna Hinzman,
Field Supervisor, South Florida Ecological Services Office.
[FR Doc. 2015-29995 Filed 11-24-15; 8:45 am]
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