[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 184 (Friday, September 21, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 58569]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-23294]



[[Page 58569]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R4-ES-2012-N219; FXES11130400000EA-123-FF04EF1000]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Receipt of 
Application for Incidental Take Permit; Availability of Proposed Low-
Effect Habitat Conservation Plan; Lake County Department of Public 
Works, Lake County, FL

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment/information.

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received an 
application from Lake County Department of Public Works (applicant), 
for an incidental take permit (ITP) TE83706A-0. The applicant 
requests a 5-year ITP under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 
amended (Act). We request public comment on the permit application and 
accompanying proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP), as well as on 
our preliminary determination that the plan qualifies as low-effect 
under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). To make this 
determination, we used our environmental action statement and low-
effect screening form, which are also available for review.

DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your written comments by 
October 22, 2012.

ADDRESSES: If you wish to review the application and HCP, you may 
request documents by email, U.S. mail, or phone (see below). These 
documents are also available for public inspection by appointment 
during normal business hours at the office below. Send your comments or 
requests by any one of the following methods.
    Email: [email protected]. Use ``Attn: Permit number TE83706A-0'' 
as your message subject line.
    Fax: David L. Hankla, Field Supervisor, (904) 731-3045, Attn.: 
Permit number TE83706A-0.
    U.S. mail: David L. Hankla, Field Supervisor, Jacksonville 
Ecological Services Field Office, Attn: Permit number TE83706A-0, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, 7915 Baymeadows Way, Suite 200, 
Jacksonville, FL 32256.
    In-person drop-off: You may drop off information during regular 
business hours at the above office address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin M. Gawera, telephone: (904) 731-
3121; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    Section 9 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and our implementing 
Federal regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR 
part 17 prohibit the ``take'' of fish or wildlife species listed as 
endangered or threatened. Take of listed fish or wildlife is defined 
under the Act as ``to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, 
trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such 
conduct'' (16 U.S.C. 1532). However, under limited circumstances, we 
issue permits to authorize incidental take--i.e., take that is 
incidental to, and not the purpose of, the carrying out of an otherwise 
lawful activity.
    Regulations governing incidental take permits for threatened and 
endangered species are at 50 CFR 17.32 and 17.22, respectively. The 
Act's take prohibitions do not apply to federally listed plants on 
private lands unless such take would violate State law. In addition to 
meeting other criteria, an incidental take permit's proposed actions 
must not jeopardize the existence of federally listed fish, wildlife, 
or plants.

Applicant's Proposal

    The applicant is requesting take of approximately 0.27 ac of 
occupied sand skink foraging and sheltering habitat incidental to 
construction of a roadway improvement, and seeks a 5-year permit. The 
3.95-ac project is located on parcel 09-23-26-000400002700 
within Sections 09 and 10, Township 23 South, Range 26 East, Lake 
County, Florida. The applicant proposes to mitigate for the take of the 
sand skink by the purchase of 0.54 mitigation credits within the Tiger 
Creek Conservation Bank.

Our Preliminary Determination

    We have determined that the applicant's proposal, including the 
proposed mitigation and minimization measures, would have minor or 
negligible effects on the species covered in the HCP. Therefore, we 
determined that the ITP is a ``low-effect'' project and qualifies for 
categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA), as provided by the Department of the Interior Manual (516 DM 2 
Appendix 1 and 516 DM 6 Appendix 1). A low-effect HCP is one involving 
(1) Minor or negligible effects on federally listed or candidate 
species and their habitats, and (2) minor or negligible effects on 
other environmental values or resources.

Next Steps

    We will evaluate the HCP and comments we receive to determine 
whether the ITP application meets the requirements of section 10(a) of 
the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). If we determine that the application 
meets these requirements, we will issue ITP TE83706A-0. We 
will also evaluate whether issuance of the section 10(a)(1)(B) ITP 
complies with section 7 of the Act by conducting an intra-Service 
section 7 consultation. We will use the results of this consultation, 
in combination with the above findings, in our final analysis to 
determine whether or not to issue the ITP. If the requirements are met, 
we will issue the permit to the applicant.

Public Comments

    If you wish to comment on the permit application, HCP, and 
associated documents, you may submit comments by any one of the methods 
in ADDRESSES.

Public Availability of Comments

    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comments, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

Authority

    We provide this notice under Section 10 of the Act and NEPA 
regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).

    Dated: September 14, 2012.
David L. Hankla,
Field Supervisor, Jacksonville Field Office, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2012-23294 Filed 9-20-12; 8:45 am]
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