[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 209 (Monday, October 29, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54370-54371]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-23566]
[[Page 54370]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R6-ES-2018-0075; FF06E23000-189-FXES11140600000]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Wayne County,
Utah, Incidental Take Permit Application; Range-Wide General
Conservation Plan for Utah Prairie Dog
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for public comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of several documents related to an incidental take permit
(ITP) application under the Endangered Species Act. If approved, the
permit would authorize Wayne County, Utah, to incidentally take Utah
Prairie Dogs through under an existing Range-wide General Conservation
Plan for Utah Prairie Dogs (GCP). We provide this notice to seek
comments from the public and Federal, Tribal, State, and local
governments.
DATES: We will accept comments received or postmarked on or before
November 28, 2018. Comments submitted electronically using
regulations.gov (see ADDRESSES) must be received by 11:59 p.m. eastern
time on the closing date.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents:
Internet: You may obtain copies of the application and
related documents, as well as any comments and other materials that we
receive, in Docket No. FWS-R6-ES-2018-0075 at http://www.regulations.gov.
U.S. Mail: Copies of the application and related documents
are available from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Utah Ecological
Services Field Office, 2369 W Orton Circle, #50, West Valley City, UT
84119. Please note that your request is in reference to the ``Wayne
County, UT, ITP.''
In-person: Copies of the application and related documents
will also be available for public inspection by appointment (call 801-
975-3330) during normal business hours at the Utah Ecological Services
Field Office (address above).
Submitting Comments: You may submit comments by one of the
following methods. Please specify that your comments are regarding the
``Wayne County, UT, ITP.''
Online: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-R6-ES-2018-0075.
U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing,
Attn: Docket No. FWS-R6-ES-2018-0075; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service;
MS: BPHC; 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
We request that you send comments by only the methods described
above. We will post all comments on http://www.regulations.gov. This
generally means that we will post any personal information you provide
(see Public Comments under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Romin, 801-975-3330, ext. 142
(phone), or laura_romin@fws.gov (email). If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf, hard-of-hearing, or speech
disabled, please call the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), announce the availability of an incidental take permit
application from Wayne County, Utah. The permit would allow Wayne
County to be a master permit holder under the Service's Utah prairie
dog General Conservation Plan (GCP) (see Background). The Endangered
Species Act, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and our
implementing regulations in part 17 of title 50 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR), provide for the issuance of such permits and require
that we invite public comment before issuing permits for activities
involving endangered or threatened species.
Background
Section 9 of the ESA and its implementing regulations prohibit take
of fish and wildlife species listed as endangered or threatened (16
U.S.C. 1538). Under section 3 of the ESA, the term ``take'' means to
``harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or
collect, or attempt to engage in any such conduct'' (16 U.S.C.
1532(19)).
Under section 10(a) of the ESA, the Service may issue permits to
authorize incidental take of listed fish and wildlife species.
``Incidental take'' is defined by the ESA as take that is incidental
to, and not the purpose of, carrying out an otherwise lawful activity.
Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA contains provisions for issuing
incidental take permits to non-Federal entities for the incidental take
of endangered and threatened species, provided in part that a
conservation plan is developed and implemented. Regulations governing
permits for listed fish and wildlife species are at 50 CFR 17.22.
In April 2018, the Service completed a GCP to provide a streamlined
mechanism for authorizing incidental take of Utah prairie dogs that may
result from residential and commercial development activities across
the range of the species in central and southwest Utah. The GCP
fulfilled requirements of the ESA for issuing permits to authorize take
of Utah prairie dogs incidental to development activities. The GCP
includes measures to minimize and mitigate the impacts of the take;
these measures include prairie dog translocations, habitat and plague
management at translocation sites, and the protection of occupied Utah
prairie dog habitats, all of which are consistent with our recovery
objectives for this species.
The GCP operates under either of two permitting structures: (1)
Master permits and (2) individual permits. Wayne County's permit
application is for a master permit. Under the master permit structure,
project proponents would contact Wayne County (i.e., master permit
holder) for a certificate of inclusion. Wayne County would provide take
authorization for Utah prairie dogs through the certificates of
inclusion to project proponents who agree to adhere to the conditions
of the GCP and the county's master permit.
We previously issued master permits under the GCP to Iron, Beaver,
and Garfield Counties. We propose, at this time, to issue a 10-year
master permit for incidental take of the Utah prairie dog in Wayne
County, if Wayne County's application demonstrates commitments to
implement the requirements of the GCP, thereby meeting all ESA section
10(a)(1)(B) permit issuance criteria.
Public Comments
We request information, views, and opinions from the public
specifically on our proposed Federal action, the issuance of a master
incidental take permit to Wayne County. Written comments received
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 may 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. All
submissions from organizations or
[[Page 54371]]
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 for incidental take
permits (50 CFR 17.22).
Dated: August 9, 2018.
Laura Romin,
Utah Deputy Field Supervisor, Mountain-Prairie Region, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Salt Lake City, Utah.
[FR Doc. 2018-23566 Filed 10-26-18; 8:45 am]
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