[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 15 (Thursday, January 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3940-3941]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [http://www.gpo.gov/]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01067]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2019-0117; FXES11130400000EA-123-FF04EF1000]
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 comment and information.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt
of an application from Holland Development, Inc. (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 Lake 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.
[[Page 3941]]
DATES: We must receive your written comments on or before February 24,
2020.
ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: You may obtain copies of the documents
online in Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2019-0117 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-2019-0117.
U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing,
Attn: Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2019-0117; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
MS: JAO/1N, 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 [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service),
announce receipt of an application from Holland Development, Inc. 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 housing development (project) in
Lake 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, which are also available for public review.
Project
Holland Development, Inc. requests a 5-year ITP to take sand skinks
by converting approximately 2.8 acres of occupied skink foraging and
sheltering habitat incidental to the construction of a housing
development on a 26.89-acre property with parcel ID number 09-22-26-
0700-017000000 in Section 19, Township 22 South, Range 26 East, Lake
County, Florida. The applicant proposes to mitigate for take of the
sand skinks by purchasing 5.6 credits from the Lake Wales Ridge
Conservation Bank or another Service-approved sand skink conservation
bank. The Service would require the applicant to make this purchase
prior to engaging in activities associated with 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 project, including land clearing, infrastructure building,
landscaping, and the proposed mitigation measure, would individually
and cumulatively have a minor or negligible effect on sand 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 result in
significant cumulative effects to environmental values or resources
over time.
Next Steps
The Service will evaluate the application and the comments 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
preceding 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 57069D-0 to Holland Development, Inc.
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 Herrington,
Field Supervisor, Jacksonville Field Office, South Atlantic-Gulf &
Mississippi-Basin Regions.
[FR Doc. 2020-01067 Filed 1-22-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P