[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 22, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8604-8605]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-3276]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement 
and Receipt of an Application for an Incidental Take Permit for the 
Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan, Riverside 
County, CA

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; reopening of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is reopening the 
public comment period on the Draft Coachella Valley Multiple Species 
Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP), Draft Implementing Agreement, and 
Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/

[[Page 8605]]

EIS) for an incidental take permit for 27 species in Riverside County, 
California.

DATES: To ensure consideration of comments, they must be received on or 
before March 7, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to Mr. Jim Bartel, Field Supervisor, 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office, 6010 
Hidden Valley Road, Carlsbad, California 92009. You may also submit 
comments by facsimile to (760) 431-9624.
    Information, comments, and/or questions related to the EIR and the 
California Environmental Quality Act should be submitted to Mr. Jim 
Sullivan at Coachella Valley Association of Governments, 73710 Fred 
Waring Drive, Suite 200, Palm Desert, California 92260; facsimile (760) 
340-5949.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Therese O'Rourke, Assistant Field 
Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife 
Office (see ADDRESSES); telephone (760) 431-9440; or Mr. Jim Sullivan, 
Coachella Valley Association of Governments (see ADDRESSES), telephone 
(760) 346-1127.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Availability of Documents

    Documents available for public review include the permit 
applications, the Public Review Draft MSHCP and Appendices I (the 
Technical Appendix) and II (the Planning Agreement), the accompanying 
Draft Implementing Agreement, and the Draft EIR/EIS.
    Individuals wishing copies of the documents should contact the 
Service by telephone at (760) 431-9440 or by letter to the Carlsbad 
Fish and Wildlife Office (see ADDRESSES). Copies of the MSHCP, Draft 
EIR/EIS, and Draft Implementing Agreement also are available for public 
review, by appointment, during regular business hours, at the Carlsbad 
Fish and Wildlife Office or at the Coachella Valley Association of 
Governments (see ADDRESSES). Copies are also available for viewing in 
each of the Applicant cities, in the Applicants public libraries, the 
Riverside County Planning Departments, and on the World Wide Web at 
http://www.cvmshcp.org.

Background

    The Coachella Valley Association of Governments, Coachella Valley 
Conservation Commission (to be formed prior to a permit decision), 
County of Riverside, Riverside County Flood Control and Water 
Conservation District, Riverside County Parks and Open Space District, 
Riverside County Waste Management District, Coachella Valley Water 
District, Imperial Irrigation District, California Department of 
Transportation, California Department of Parks and Recreation, 
Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy, and the cities of Cathedral 
City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, 
Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and Rancho Mirage (Applicants) have applied 
to the Service for an incidental take permit pursuant to section 
10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). 
The Applicants seek a permit to incidentally take 22 animal species and 
assurances for 5 plant species, including 17 unlisted species should 
any of them become listed, under the Act during the term of the 
proposed 75-year permit. The permit is needed to authorize take of 
listed animal species (including harm, injury, and harassment) during 
development in the approximately 1.1 million-acre (1,719-square-mile) 
Plan Area in the Coachella Valley of Riverside County, California.
    On November 5, 2004, we published a ``Notice of Availability of a 
Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement and 
Receipt of an Application for an Incidental Take Permit for the 
Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan, Riverside 
County, CA'' (69 FR 64581). In that notice, we requested public comment 
on the Draft MSHCP, Draft Implementing Agreement, and Draft EIR/EIS. 
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement is the Federal portion of the 
Draft EIR/EIS prepared jointly by the Service and Coachella Valley 
Association of Governments to analyze the impacts of the MSHCP. The 
analyses provided in the Draft EIR/EIS are intended to inform the 
public of the proposed action, alternatives, and associated impacts; 
address public comments received during the scoping period for the 
Draft EIR/EIS; disclose the direct, indirect, and cumulative 
environmental effects of the proposed action and each of the 
alternatives; and indicate any irreversible commitment of resources 
that would result from implementation of the proposed action.
    The comment period for the November 5, 2004, notice closed on 
February 3, 2005. We are now reopening the comment period until March 
7, 2005. Comments on the Draft MSHCP, Draft Implementing Agreement, and 
Draft EIR/EIS need not be resubmitted, as they will be fully considered 
in the final decision documents.

    Authority: This notice is provided pursuant to section 10(a) of 
the Act as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and the Service 
regulations (40 CFR 1506.6) for implementing the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.).

    Dated: February 15, 2005.
Ken McDermond,
Deputy Manager, Region 1, California/Nevada Operations Office, 
Sacramento, California.
[FR Doc. 05-3276 Filed 2-18-05; 8:45 am]
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