[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 167 (Monday, August 29, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59238-59239]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-20671]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R2-ES-2016-N111; FXES11130200000-167-FF02ENEH00]
Draft Safe Harbor Agreement Amendment and Application for an
Enhancement of Survival Permit for the Phoenix Reach of the Rio Salado
Environmental Restoration Project
AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; receipt of application.
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SUMMARY: The City of Phoenix (applicant) has applied to the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (Service) for an amendment to their enhancement of
survival permit pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (Act), as
amended. The requested amendment would authorize incidental take of the
yellow-billed cuckoo as a result of operation and maintenance
activities associated with the Rio Salado Project. We invite the public
to review and comment on the permit application and the associated
draft safe harbor agreement amendment (amendment).
DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be received on or
before September 28, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents
Internet: You may obtain copies of the documents on the
Service's Web site at http://www.fws.gov/arizonaes/.
U.S. Mail: Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Arizona Ecological Services Office, 9828 North 31st Avenue,
#C3, Phoenix, Arizona 85051-2517 (602-242-0210). You may also obtain a
copy by telephone request to the Field Supervisor.
In-Person: Copies of the application, draft amendment, or
other related documents are also available for public inspection and
review at the following locations, by appointment and written request
only, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.:
[cir] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 500 Gold Avenue SW., Room
6034, Albuquerque, NM 87201.
[cir] Arizona Ecological Services Office, 9828 North 31st Avenue,
#C3, Phoenix, Arizona 85051-2517 (602-242-0210).
Persons wishing to review the application may obtain a copy by
writing to the Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O.
Box 1306, Room 4102, Albuquerque, NM 87103, Attention: Branch Chief,
Environmental Review.
Comment submission: You may submit written comments by one of the
following methods:
Electronically: fw2_hcp_permits@fws.gov.
By hard copy: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona
Ecological Services Office, 2321 West Royal Palm Road, Suite 103, North
31st Avenue, #C3, Phoenix, AZ 85021-4951; or by fax to 602-242-2513.
Please refer to permit number TE205294-1 when submitting comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nichole Engelmann, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, 2321 West Royal Palm Road, Suite 103, Phoenix, AZ
85021-4951, 602/242-0210 x237, or by email at
Nichole_Engelmann@fws.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The City of Phoenix (applicant) has applied
to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for an amendment to
their enhancement of survival permit pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(A) of
the Endangered Species Act (Act; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), as amended.
The requested amendment, which will expire on June 8, 2061, to coincide
with the expiration date of the original permit (50 years from the
issuance date of June 8, 2011), would authorize incidental take of the
yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) as a result of operation and
maintenance activities associated with the Rio Salado Project. We
invite the public to review and comment on the permit application and
the associated draft safe harbor agreement amendment (amendment).
The applicant plans to continue to conduct operation and
maintenance activities associated with the Rio Salado Project,
including maintenance of vegetation, roads, trails, water delivery
[[Page 59239]]
system, flood control capacity, and storm water facilities. The Rio
Salado Project, Phoenix Reach, is a cooperative project between the
applicant and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to restore, enhance, and
maintain 595 acres of native riparian and wetland vegetation along the
Salt River from 24th Street to 19th Avenue.
Section 9 of the Act prohibits the ``taking'' of threatened or
endangered species. However, the Service, under limited circumstances,
may issue permits to take threatened and endangered wildlife species
when such taking is incidental to, and not the purpose of, otherwise
lawful activities.
The Service has made a preliminary determination that the approval
of the draft amendment and permit amendment application qualify for
categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), as provided by the Department of the
Interior implementing regulations at 43 CFR 46.205, 46.210, and 46.215.
Public Availability of Comments
Written comments we receive become part of the public record
associated with this action. Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in
your comment, 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 comment that we withhold
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so. We will not consider anonymous
comments. All submissions from organizations or businesses, and from
individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of
organizations or businesses, will be made available for public
disclosure in their entirety.
Authority
We provide this notice under section 10(c) of the Act and its
implementing regulations (50 CFR 17.22), and the National Environmental
Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4371 et seq.) and its implementing regulations
(40 CFR 1506.6).
Joy E. Nicholopoulos,
Acting Regional Director, Southwest Region, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
[FR Doc. 2016-20671 Filed 8-26-16; 8:45 am]
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