[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 115 (Thursday, June 15, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39270-39271]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-12785]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2023-0078; FXES11140400000-234-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 comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt
of an application from Park Square Commercial (Fruitland Park
Apartments--Regent Street) (applicant) for an incidental take permit
(ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The applicant requests the ITP
to take the federally listed sand skink (Neoseps reynoldsi) incidental
to the construction of a residential development 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 the proposed permitting action
may be eligible for a categorical exclusion pursuant to the Council on
Environmental Quality's National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
regulations, the Department of the Interior's (DOI) NEPA regulations,
and the DOI Departmental Manual. To make this preliminary
determination, we prepared a draft environmental action statement and
low-effect screening form, both of which are also available for public
review. We invite comment from the public and local, State, Tribal, and
Federal agencies.
DATES: We must receive your written comments on or before July 17,
2023.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may obtain copies of the documents online
in Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2023-0078; at https://www.regulations.gov.
Submitting Comments: If you wish to submit comments on any of the
documents, you may do so in writing by one of the following methods:
Online: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2023-0078;
U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-R4-ES-2023-0078; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lindsay Needs, by U.S. mail (see
ADDRESSES), by telephone at 772-469-4226, or via email at
[email protected]. Individuals in the United States who are deaf,
deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711
(TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services.
Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services
offered within their country to make international calls to the point-
of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service),
announce receipt of an application from Park Square Commercial
(Fruitland Park Apartments--Regent Street) (applicant) 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 and operation of a residential
development in Lake County, Florida. We request public comment on the
application, which includes the applicant's habitat conservation plan
(HCP), and on the Service's preliminary determination that this
proposed ITP qualifies as low effect, and may qualify for a categorical
exclusion pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality's National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations (40 CFR 1501.4), the
Department of the Interior's (DOI) NEPA regulations (43 CFR 46), and
the DOI's Departmental Manual (516 DM 8.5(C)(2)). To make this
preliminary determination, we prepared a draft environmental action
statement and low effect screening form, both of which are also
available for public review. We invite comment from the public and
local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies.
Proposed Project
The applicant requests a 5-year ITP to take sand skinks via the
conversion of approximately 6.82 acres (ac) of occupied nesting,
foraging, and sheltering sand skink habitat incidental to the proposed
construction and operation of a residential development on 38.09-ac on
Parcel #s 16-19-24-0001-000-00100, 10-19-24-0003-0000-8300, 15-19-24-
0002-0001-0200, 09-19-24-0400-045-00100, 09-19-24-0400-045-00104, 09-
19-24-0400-045-00101, 09-19-24-0400-045-00102, and 09-19-24-0400-045-
00103 in Sections 34 Township 3 South, Range 69 East, Lake County,
Florida. The applicant proposes to mitigate for take of sand skinks by
purchasing credits equivalent
[[Page 39271]]
to 13.64 ac of sand skink-occupied habitat within the Lake Livingston
Conservation Bank or another Service-approved conservation bank. The
Service would require the applicant to purchase the credits prior to
engaging in any construction phase of 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 proposed project--including the construction of multiple
housing products, associated infrastructure, stormwater facilities, and
amenities--would individually and cumulatively have a minor effect on
sand skinks and the environment and may qualify for application of a
categorical exclusion pursuant to the Council on Environmental
Quality's NEPA regulations, DOI's NEPA regulations, and the DOI
Departmental Manual. A low-effect incidental take permit is one that
would result in (1) minor or nonsignificant effects on species covered
in the HCP; (2) nonsignificant effects on the human environment; and
(3) impacts that, when added together with the impacts of other past,
present, and reasonably foreseeable actions, would not result in
significant cumulative effects to the human environment.
Next Steps
The Service will evaluate the application and the comments to
determine whether to issue the requested ITP. 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 preceding and
other matters, 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 PER1368039 to Park Square Commercial.
Authority
The Service provides this notice under section 10(c) of the
Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and its implementing
regulations (50 CFR 17.32) and the National Environmental Policy Act
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (40 CFR 1500-
1508 and 43 CFR 46).
Robert L. Carey,
Manager, Division of Environmental Review, Florida Ecological Services
Office.
[FR Doc. 2023-12785 Filed 6-14-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P