[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 92 (Monday, May 13, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 20908]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-09712]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-ES-2019-0046; FXES11130400000EA-123-FF04EF1000]
Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed
Habitat Conservation Plan for the Sand Skink, Orange County, FL;
Categorical Exclusion
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment and information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt
of an application from Orange County Utilities (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 Orange 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 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 June 12,
2019.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may obtain copies of the documents online
in Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2019-0046 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-2019-0046.
U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing,
Attn: Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2019-0046, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
MS: BPHC, 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.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service),
announce receipt of an application from Orange County Utilities
(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 of a water
reclamation facility (project) in Orange 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 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, both of which are also
available for public review.
Project
Orange County Utilities requests a 20-year ITP to take sand skinks
incidental to the conversion of approximately 8.84 acres of occupied
skink foraging and sheltering habitat for the construction of a water
reclamation facility located on a 49.18-acre parcel in Sections 16 and
17, Township 23 South, Range 27 East, Orange County, Florida. The
applicant proposes to mitigate for take of the skinks by purchasing
17.68 credits in the Lake Wales Ridge Conservation Bank and/or another
Service-approved sand skink bank. The Service would require the
applicant to purchase the credits prior to engaging in activities
associated with the project on the parcel.
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 measures, would individually
and cumulatively have a minor or negligible effect on the skinks and
the environment. Therefore, we have preliminarily concluded that the
ITP for this project would qualify for categorical exclusion and 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 TE 21560D-0 to Orange County Utilities.
Authority
The Service provides this notice under section 10(c) (16 U.S.C.
1539(c)) of the ESA and NEPA regulation 40 CFR 1506.6.
Jay B. Herrington,
Field Supervisor, Jacksonville Field Office, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2019-09712 Filed 5-10-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P