[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 149 (Monday, August 3, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46693-46694]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16814]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2020-0035; FXES11140400000-178-FF04EF2000]
Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed
Habitat Conservation Plan for the Sand Skink and Blue-Tailed Mole
Skink, Polk County, FL; Categorical Exclusion
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments and information.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt
of an application from Cemex Construction Materials Florida, LLC
(applicant) for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered
Species Act. The applicant requests the ITP to take the federally
listed sand skink and blue-tailed mole skink incidental to sand mining
in Polk County, Florida. We request public comment on the application,
which includes the applicant's proposed habitat conservation plan
(HCP), and on 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 September 2,
2020.
ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: You may obtain copies of the documents
online in Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2020-0035 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-2020-0035.
U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-R4-ES-2020-0035; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alfredo Begazo, by telephone at (772)
469-4234 or via email at Alfredo_Begazo@fws.gov. Individuals who are
hearing impaired or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay Service
at 1-800-877-8339 for TTY assistance.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service),
announce receipt of an application from Cemex Construction Materials
Florida, 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 sand
skink (Neoseps reynoldsi) and blue-tailed mole skink (Eumeces egregious
lividus) (skinks) incidental to the construction and operation of a
sand mine in Polk County, Florida. We request public comment on the
application, which includes the applicant's HCP, and on 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. 4321 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
The applicant requests a 10-year ITP to take skinks through the
conversion of approximately 19.8 acres of occupied skink foraging and
sheltering habitat incidental to the construction and operation of a
sand mine on a 294-acre parcel in Sections 10, 11, Township 30 South,
Range 28 East in Polk County, Florida. The applicant proposes to
mitigate for take of the skinks by purchasing credits equivalent to
39.6 acres of skink-occupied habitat from a
[[Page 46694]]
Service-approved conservation bank in Polk County. The Service would
require the applicant to purchase the credits prior to engaging in any
phase of 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, construction of a sand
mine, 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
would be 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
reasonable 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 matters, 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 TE75515D-0 to Cemex Construction
Materials Florida, 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.
Roxanna Hinzman,
Field Supervisor, South Florida Ecological Services Office.
[FR Doc. 2020-16814 Filed 7-31-20; 8:45 am]
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