[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 48 (Wednesday, March 11, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14238-14239]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04958]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-ES-2019-N029; 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 Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt
of an application from Michael McKoy (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 April 10,
2020.
ADDRESSES: Obtaining documents: Documents are available for public
inspection by appointment during regular business hours at either of
the following locations or by email:
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, AL 36526.
Email a request to William_Lynn@fws.gov, please reference
TE46613D-0 in the subject line.
Submitting comments: If you wish to submit comments on any of the
documents, you may do so in writing by either of the following methods.
Please reference TE46613D-0 in all comments.
U.S. mail: You may mail comments to either of the Fish and Wildlife
Service Offices listed above.
Hand-delivery: You may hand-deliver comments to either of the Fish
and Wildlife Service Offices listed above.
Email: You may email comments to david_dell@fws.gov. Please include
your name and email address in your email. If you do not receive an
email from us confirming that we have received your message, contact us
directly at either telephone number in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Dell, Regional HCP and Safe
Harbors Coordinator, at the Atlanta Regional Office (see ADDRESSES), or
by telephone at 404-679-7313, 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 Fish and Wildlife Service, announce
receipt of an application from Michael McKoy (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 to
take the federally listed Alabama beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus
ammobates; ABM) incidental to the construction of a single-family home
(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 are also
available for public review.
[[Page 14239]]
Project
The applicant requests a 50-year ITP to take Alabama beach mice
incidental to the conversion of approximately 0.18 acres of occupied
Alabama beach mouse habitat to construct a single-family home on a
0.74-acre lot in Baldwin County, Alabama. The applicant proposes to
implement standard ABM minimization and mitigation measures to mitigate
for take of the species. The standard mitigation and minimization
measures include reducing the construction footprint to the maximum
extent possible, installing sea turtle-friendly exterior lighting and
tinted windows, planting landscaping with native vegetation, and
constructing a driveway with materials that will not disperse in a
storm surge. The applicant will utilize refuse control measures during
construction, as well as restore ABM habitat after tropical storms, and
future residents also would be required implement such measures. Free-
roaming cats and the use of exterior rodenticide also would be
prohibited on the parcel. Prior to engaging in any project activities,
the applicant will contribute an in-lieu fee of $2.30-per-square-foot
of impacts to the Alabama Coastal Heritage Trust. The fee will be
utilized by the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge to monitor the ABM
or enhance the species' habitat within the refuge.
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 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 proposed mitigation and minimization 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 as well as that 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
preceding 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 TE46613D-0 to the applicant Michael
McKoy.
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.
[FR Doc. 2020-04958 Filed 3-10-20; 8:45 am]
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