Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report and Receipt of an Application for an Incidental Take Permit for the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan

The County of Riverside (County), Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, Riverside County Transportation Commission, Riverside County Parks and Open Space District, Riverside County Waste Department, California Department of Transportation, California Department of Parks and Recreation, and 14 western Riverside County cities (Applicants) have applied to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for an incidental take permit pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The Service is requesting public comment on the Draft Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP) and draft Implementing Agreement. The Applicants seek a permit to authorize incidental take of 146 species, including unlisted species that may become listed during the term of the permit. An incidental take permit is required to authorize take of listed species during urban and rural development in the approximately 1.26 million-acre (1,967 square-mile) Plan Area in western Riverside County. The proposed term of the permit is 75 years. A Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which is the Federal portion of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR), has been prepared jointly by the Service and the County of Riverside to analyze the impacts of the MSHCP and is also available for public review. The analyses provided in the Draft EIS/EIR are intended to inform the public of our proposed action, alternatives, and associated impacts; address public comments received during the scoping period for the Draft EIS/EIR; disclose the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental effects of the proposed action and each of the alternatives; and indicate any irreversible commitment of resources that would result from implementation of the proposed action.