[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 12, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2445-2446]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-00426]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R6-ES-2019-0010; FF06E00000 212 FXES11140600000]
Incidental Take Permit Application; Habitat Conservation Plan and
Categorical Exclusion for the Threatened Grizzly Bear; Flathead,
Glacier, Lincoln, and Toole Counties, Montana
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of documents; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the
availability of documents related to an application for an incidental
take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. BNSF Railway (BNSF)
has applied for an ITP, which, if granted, would authorize take of the
federally threatened grizzly bear that is likely to occur incidental to
railroad operations and maintenance. The documents available for review
and comment are the applicant's habitat conservation plan, which is
part of the ITP application, and our draft environmental action
statement and low-effect screening form, which support a categorical
exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act. We invite
comments from the public and Federal, Tribal, State, and local
governments.
DATES: We will accept comments received or postmarked on or before
February 11, 2021. Comments submitted online at Regulations.gov (see
ADDRESSES) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing
date.
ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: The documents this notice announces, as
well as any comments and other materials that we receive, will be
available for public inspection online in Docket No. FWS-R6-ES-2019-
0010 at http://www.regulations.gov.
Submitting Comments: You may submit comments by one of the
following methods:
Online: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-R6-ES-2019-0010.
U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-R6-ES-2019-0010; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS:
PERMA; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
We request that you send comments by only the methods described
above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ben Conard, by phone at 406-758-6882,
by email at Ben_Conard@fws.gov, or via the Federal Relay Service at
800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), have received an application from BNSF Railway (BNSF) for a
7-year incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act of
1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The application
addresses the potential for take of the federally threatened grizzly
bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) that is likely to occur incidental to
ongoing operations and maintenance of approximately 206 miles of
railroad.
The documents available for review and comment are the applicant's
habitat conservation plan (HCP), which is part of the ITP application,
and our draft environmental action statement and low-effect screening
form. These documents helped inform our conclusion that the activities
proposed by the permit application will have a low effect on the
species and the human environment. Accordingly, the HCP qualifies for a
categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
Applicant's Habitat Conservation Plan
BNSF has submitted a low-effect HCP in support of an application
for an ITP to address take of the species that is likely to occur as
the result of BNSF's ongoing operations and management of approximately
206 miles of railway between Trego, Montana, and Shelby, Montana. The
requested permit duration is for 7 years from permit issuance. The
railway is within grizzly bear habitat in the Northern Continental
Divide Ecosystem grizzly bear recovery zone. The biological goals and
objectives are to reduce attractants and deter grizzly bears from
entering high-risk areas of railway and to contribute to the recovery
of the grizzly bear population by offsetting incidental take by
reducing other sources of human-caused mortality. The proposed
conservation program includes implementing measures to reduce
attractants, providing financial support to Montana Fish, Wildlife, and
Parks and the Blackfeet Indian Nation for reducing human/grizzly bear
conflicts through increased personnel, equipment, and education.
Public Availability of Comments
Written comments we receive become part of the administrative
record associated with this action. Before including your address,
phone number, email address, or other personal
[[Page 2446]]
identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your
entire comment--including your personal identifying information--may be
made publicly available at any time. While you can request in your
comment that we withhold your personal identifying information from
public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. All
submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations
or businesses, will be made available for public disclosure in their
entirety.
Authority
We provide this notice under section 10(c) of the ESA (16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (50 CFR 17.32) and NEPA
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (40 CFR
1506.6 and 43 CFR 46.305).
Stephen Small,
Assistant Regional Director, Ecological Services, Mountain-Prairie
Region.
[FR Doc. 2021-00426 Filed 1-11-21; 8:45 am]
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