[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 58 (Monday, March 29, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16383-16384]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-06355]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2021-0017; FXES11140400000-212-FF04EF4000]
Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed
Habitat Conservation Plan for the Sand Skink, Orange 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 WP South Acquisitions, LLC (Wood Partners)
(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 Orange 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.
DATES: We must receive your written comments on or before April 28,
2021.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may obtain copies of the documents online
in Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2021-0017 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-2021-0017.
U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-R4-ES-2021-0017; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 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 erin_gawera@fws.gov. Individuals who are
hearing 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, announce
receipt of an application from Wood Partners 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 Orange 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
The applicant requests a 5-year ITP to take sand skinks by
converting approximately 2.72 acres (ac) of occupied sand skink
foraging and sheltering habitat incidental to the construction of a
housing development located on a 21.6-ac parcel in Sections 31 and 32,
Township 23 South, Range 27 East, on Parcel ID number 32-23-27-0000-00-
007 in Orange County, Florida. The applicant proposes to mitigate for
take of the sand skinks by purchasing 5.44 credits from the Lake Wales
Ridge Conservation Bank or another Service-approved 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 that
the HCP is low effect under our NEPA regulations at 43 CFR 45.4405 and
45.4410. 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 received
to determine whether to issue the requested permit. We will also
conduct an intra-Service consultation pursuant
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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 PER0002676 to WP South
Acquisitions, LLC.
Authority
The Service provides 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).
Jay Herrington,
Field Supervisor, Jacksonville Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2021-06355 Filed 3-26-21; 8:45 am]
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