[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 186 (Wednesday, September 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50470-50471]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-20729]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-ES-2019-N129; FXES11130400000EA-123-FF04EF1000]
Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed
Habitat Conservation Plan for the Alabama Beach Mouse, Baldwin County,
AL; Categorical Exclusion
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment and information.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce
receipt of an application from Creek Holdings, LLC (applicant), for an
incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The
applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed Alabama beach
mouse incidental to construction in Baldwin County, Alabama. 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 October 25,
2019.
ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: Documents are available for public
inspection by appointment during
[[Page 50471]]
regular business hours at either of the following locations:
Atlanta Regional Office, Ecological Services, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, 1875 Century Boulevard, Atlanta, GA 30345.
Alabama Ecological Services Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 1208 Main Street, Daphne, Alabama.
Submitting Comments: If you wish to submit comments on any of the
documents, you may do so by one of the following methods. Please
reference TE33502D-0 in all comments. For additional guidance on
submitting comments, please see Public Comments under SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION.
U.S. mail: You may mail comments to the Service's Atlanta
Regional Office.
Hand-delivery: You may hand-deliver comments to the
Atlanta or Alabama Offices.
Email: You may email comments to david_dell@fws.gov.
Please include your name and email address in your email message. If
you do not receive an email confirmation from us that we have received
your email message, contact us directly at either telephone number in
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David Dell, Regional HCP
Coordinator, at the Atlanta Regional Office (see ADDRESSES) or Mr.
William Lynn, Project Manager, at the Alabama Ecological Services
Office (see ADDRESSES) or by telephone at 251-441-5868. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), please call the Federal
Relay Service at 800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), announce receipt of an application from Creek Holdings, LLC
(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 Alabama beach
mouse (Peromyscus polionotus ammobates) incidental to the construction
of seven single family homes and amenities development (project) in
Baldwin County, Alabama. 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 also are available for public
review.
Project
The applicant requests a 50-year ITP to take Alabama beach mice
incidental to the conversion of approximately 0.63 acres of occupied
Alabama beach mouse habitat for the construction of seven single family
homes with amenities on a 2.83-acre parcel in Baldwin County, Alabama.
The applicant proposes to implement standard minimization and
mitigation measures to mitigate for take of the species. The standard
mitigation and minimization measures include reducing the construction
footprint on each of the seven lots by 0.10 acres or less and shifting
the development south to increase habitat continuity for the species.
The applicant will also install fully shielded exterior lighting and
tinted windows within the development, landscape with native
vegetation, construct driveways with materials that will not disperse
in a storm surge, and implement refuse control measures during
construction as well as require that future residents utilize such
measures and restore species' habitat after tropical storms. The use of
exterior rodenticide and ownership of free-roaming cats will be
prohibited within the development. Monitoring of the onsite Alabama
beach mouse population will occur via fall and spring trapping surveys
conducted twice a year for 50 years. The Service would require the
applicant to ensure the availability of funding for this HCP is
available 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 minimization and mitigation measures,
would individually and cumulatively have a minor or negligible effect
on the Alabama beach mouse 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)(l)(B) of the ESA have been met. If met, the Service
will issue ITP number TE33502D-0 to Creek Holdings, LLC.
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.
William J. Pearson,
Field Supervisor, Alabama Field Office, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2019-20729 Filed 9-24-19; 8:45 am]
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