[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 227 (Tuesday, November 28, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56261-56262]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-25650]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R2-ES-2017-N108; FXES11140200000-178-FF02ENEH00]


Notice of Availability; Draft Environmental Assessment for a
Draft Amendment To Add the Northern Mexican Gartersnake to the Lower
Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of documents; request for public
comment.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as the lead Federal
agency, along with the Bureau of Reclamation as a cooperating agency
and the implementing agency for the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species
Conservation Program (LCR MSCP), announce the availability of a draft
environmental assessment (EA) under the National Environmental Policy
Act. The draft EA evaluates the impacts of, and alternatives to,
amendment of the existing Endangered Species Act permit for the LCR
MSCP, in order to add the northern Mexican gartersnake as a covered
species, and the impacts of implementation of the amended LCR MSCP.

DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be received or
postmarked on or before December 28, 2017. Any comments we receive
after the closing date or not postmarked by the closing date may not be
considered in the final decision on this action.

ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents:
     Internet: You may obtain copies of the draft EA, which
includes the draft amendment to the LCR MSCP, on the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service's Web site at https://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/arizona/.
     U.S. Mail: A limited number of CD-ROM and printed copies
of the draft EA and associated draft amendment to the LCR MSCP are
available, by request, from the Field Supervisor, Arizona Ecological
Services Field Office, 9828 N. 31st Avenue #C3, Phoenix, AZ 85051; by
phone at 602-242-0210; or by fax at 602-242-2513. Please note that your
request is in reference to the draft amended LCR MSCP for northern
Mexican gartersnake.
     In-Person: Copies of the draft EA and associated draft
amendment to the LCR MSCP 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 87102.
    [cir] Arizona Ecological Services Office (Phoenix; see information
under U.S. Mail, above).
    Submitting Comments: You may submit comments by one of the
following methods.
     U.S. Mail: Arizona Ecological Services Office (Phoenix;
see information under U.S. Mail, Obtaining Documents, above).
     Electronically: incomingazcorr@fws.gov or
fw2_hcp_permits@fws.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Spangle, Field Supervisor (see
contact information for Arizona Ecological Services Field Office
(Phoenix) in ADDRESSES.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), as the lead Federal agency, along with the Bureau of
Reclamation (Reclamation) as a cooperating agency and the implementing
agency for the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program
(LCR MSCP), announce the availability of a draft environmental
assessment (EA) under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as
amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.; NEPA). The draft EA evaluates the
impacts of, and alternatives to, amendment of an existing permit for
the LCR MSCP under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of
1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), in order to add the
northern Mexican gartersnake (Thamnophis eques) as a covered species,
as well as the impacts of implementation of the amended LCR MSCP.
    Under the proposed amendment, there are no proposed changes to
covered actions; no changes to the covered area; and no extension of
the time period of permit coverage. Permittees with existing LCR MSCP
certificates of inclusion are bound by the terms and conditions of
their existing requirements. The amendment is not expected to trigger
any new environmental consequences that were not identified in the LCR
MSCP final programmatic environmental impact statement/environmental
impact report (LCR MSCP EIS/EIR), which was prepared for the original
LCR MSCP, or any new impacts to local economies or cultural resources.
Nor are there any expected changes to direct, indirect, and cumulative
effects, beyond those identified for biological resources.
    Coverage for incidental take of the northern Mexican gartersnake
will include the entire program area, as defined in the record of
decision (ROD) for the LCR MSCP EIS/EIR, dated April 2005. This
includes areas up to and including the full-pool elevation of Lakes
Mead, Mohave, and Havasu and the historical floodplain of the Colorado
River to the Southerly International Boundary with Mexico. The ROD also
included off-site conservation areas for implementing the LCR MSCP. The
LCR MSCP, with Reclamation as the implementing agency, will manage 512
acres of LCR MSCP-created marsh for the northern Mexican gartersnake.
Of the 5,940 acres of LCR MSCP-created cottonwood-willow, 984 acres
will be managed near marshes for the northern Mexican gartersnake.

Background

    The original LCR MSCP permit was approved on April 4, 2005 (69 FR
75556), and extends through April 30, 2055. The LCR MSCP is a combined
ESA section 10(a)(1)(B) and ESA section 7 approach to ESA compliance
for implementation of covered activities for non-Federal (section 10)
and Federal (section 7) participants.
    The LCR MSCP is a habitat-based program that is responsible for the
creation and management of land-cover types that benefit multiple
covered species, including 5,940 acres of cottonwood-willow; 1,320
acres of honey mesquite; 512 acres of marsh; and 360 acres of
backwater.
    The LCR MSCP currently includes measures necessary to minimize and
mitigate impacts to the 26 listed and unlisted species and their
habitats covered by the plan. Take of covered species is incidental to
covered activities associated with river operations and, water and
power

[[Page 56262]]

delivery to Arizona, California, and Nevada. The LCR MSCP provides
incidental take coverage to the following listed species;
Razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus) Endangered
Bonytail chub (Gila elegans) Endangered
Humpback chub (Gila cypha) Endangered
Yuma Ridgway's (clapper) rail (Rallus obsoletus [=longirostris]
yumanensis) Endangered
Southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) Endangered
Yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) Threatened

    During the initial development of the LCR MSCP in 2005, the
northern Mexican gartersnake was not considered for coverage, because
the species was believed to be extirpated within the planning area.
However, subsequently, the species was found to be present. On July 8,
2014, the Service listed the northern Mexican gartersnake as threatened
under the ESA, and critical habitat was proposed, including portions of
the Bill Williams River. In 2012, northern Mexican gartersnakes were
detected in portions of the Bill Williams River, between Alamo Dam and
the Colorado River. In 2015, the northern Mexican gartersnake was
confirmed at the LCR MSCP's Beal Lake Conservation Area on Havasu
National Wildlife Refuge, on the east side of the Colorado River, where
it had been considered extirpated.

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 ESA (16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (50 CFR 17.22) and NEPA
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (40 CFR
1506.6).

Amy Lueders,
Regional Director, Southwest Region, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
[FR Doc. 2017-25650 Filed 11-27-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P