[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 103 (Tuesday, June 1, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29275-29276]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-11411]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2021-0050; FXES11140400000-212-FF04EF4000]
Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed
Habitat Conservation Plan for the Sand Skink, Lake County, FL;
Categorical Exclusion
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment and information.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt
of an application from PMDW Ventures, LLC (applicant) for an incidental
take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The applicant
requests the ITP to take the federally listed sand skink incidental to
construction in Lake County, Florida. We request public comment on the
application, which includes the applicant's proposed habitat
conservation plan (HCP), and the Service's preliminary determination
that
[[Page 29276]]
this HCP qualifies as ``low-effect,'' categorically excluded, under the
National Environmental Policy Act. To make this determination, we used
our environmental action statement and low-effect screening form, both
of which are also available for public review.
DATES: We must receive your written comments on or before July 1, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: You may obtain copies of the documents
online in Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2021-0050 at http://www.regulations.gov.
Submitting Comments: If you wish to submit comments on any of the
documents, you may do so in writing by any of the following methods:
Online: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2021-0050.
U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-R4-ES-2021-0050; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin M. Gawera, by telephone at (904)
731-3121 or via email at erin_gawera@fws.gov. Individuals who are
hearing or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-
877-8339 for TTY assistance.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service),
announce receipt of an application from PMDW Ventures, LLC for an
incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973,
as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The applicant requests the
ITP to take the federally listed sand skink (Neoseps reynoldsi)
incidental to the construction of a commercial development (project) in
Lake County, Florida. We request public comment on the application,
which includes the applicant's proposed habitat conservation plan
(HCP), and on the Service's preliminary determination that this HCP
qualifies as ``low-effect,'' categorically excluded, under the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4231 et seq.). To make this
determination, we used our environmental action statement and low-
effect screening form.
Project
The applicant requests a 5-year ITP to take sand skinks through the
conversion of approximately 3.79 acres (ac) of occupied sand skink
foraging and sheltering habitat incidental to the construction of a
commercial development (Hartle Road) located on a 10.3-ac parcel in
Section 26, Township 22S, Range 26E, Lake County, Florida, identified
by Parcel ID Alternate Key Numbers 1648181 and 1648173. The applicant
proposes to mitigate for take of the sand skinks by purchasing 7.58
credits from Backbone Conservation Bank or another Service-approved
Conservation Bank. The Service would require the applicant to purchase
the credits prior to engaging in activities associated with the
project.
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, be aware that
your entire comment, including your personal identifying information,
may be made available to the public. While you may request that we
withhold your personal identifying information, we cannot guarantee
that we will be able to do so.
Our Preliminary Determination
The Service has made a preliminary determination that the
applicant's project, including land clearing, infrastructure building,
landscaping, and the proposed mitigation, would individually and
cumulatively have a minor or negligible effect on sand skinks and the
environment. Therefore, we have preliminarily concluded that the ITP
for this project would qualify for categorical exclusion and that the
HCP is low effect under our NEPA regulations at 43 CFR 46.205 and
46.210. A low-effect HCP is one that would result in (1) minor or
negligible effects on federally listed, proposed, and candidate species
and their habitats; (2) minor or negligible effects on other
environmental values or resources; and, (3) impacts that, when
considered together with the impacts of other past, present, and
reasonably foreseeable similarly situated projects, would not over time
result in significant cumulative effects to environmental values or
resources.
Next Steps
The Service will evaluate the application and the comments received
to determine whether to issue the requested permit. We will also
conduct an intra-Service consultation pursuant to section 7 of the ESA
to evaluate the effects of the proposed take. After considering the
above findings, we will determine whether the permit issuance criteria
of section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA have been met. If met, the Service
will issue ITP number ESPER0006990 to PMDW Ventures, LLC.
Authority
The Service provides this notice under section 10(c) of the ESA (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (50 CFR 17.32)
and NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (40
CFR 1506.6 and 43 CFR 46.305).
Gianfranco Basili,
Acting Field Supervisor, Jacksonville Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2021-11411 Filed 5-28-21; 8:45 am]
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