[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 57 (Wednesday, March 25, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15807-15808]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-06787]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-ES-2014-N046; FXES11120400000-156-FF04EF2000]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Receipt of
Application for Incidental Take Permit Transfer and Renewal;
Availability of Low-Effect Habitat Conservation Plan and Associated
Documents; Polk 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), announce the
availability of an incidental take permit
[[Page 15808]]
(ITP) transfer and renewal application and a Habitat Conservation Plan
(HCP). Solterra Resort Community Development District (CDD) and AK
Oakmont LLC (co-applicants) request transfer and renewal of ITP
TE098035-1 under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act).
The co-applicants anticipate taking about 18.59 acres of feeding,
breeding, and sheltering habitat used by the sand skink (Neoseps
reynoldsi) and blue-tailed mole skink (Eumeces egregius lividus)
(skinks) incidental to land preparation and construction in Polk
County, Florida. The applicants' HCP describes proposed minimization
measures and mitigation measures to address the effects of development
on the covered species.
DATES: We must receive your written comments on the ITP application and
HCP on or before April 24, 2015.
ADDRESSES: See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for information on
how to submit your comments on the ITP application and HCP. You may
obtain a copy of the ITP application and HCP by writing the South
Florida Ecological Services Office, Attn: Permit number TE098035-1,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1339 20th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960-
3559. In addition, we will make the ITP application and HCP available
for public inspection by appointment during normal business hours at
the above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Al Begazo, South Florida
Ecological Services Office (see ADDRESSES); telephone: 772-469-4234.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Submitting Comments
If you wish to comment on the ITP application or HCP, you may
submit comments by any one of the following methods:
Email: [email protected]. Use ``Attn: Permit number TE098035-
1'' as your message subject line.
Fax: Al Begazo, 772-469-4234, Attn.: Permit number ``TE098035-1.''
U.S. mail: Al Begazo, South Florida Ecological Services Field
Office, Attn: Permit number ``TE098035-1,'' U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 1339 20th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960-3559.
In-person drop-off: You may drop off comments or request
information during regular business hours at the above office address.
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
request in your comments that your personal identifying information be
withheld from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able
to do so.
Applicants' Proposed Project
We received an application from the co-applicants for an incidental
take permit, along with a proposed habitat conservation plan. The co-
applicants request a transfer and 15-year renewal of an ITP under
section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). If we approve
the application, the co-applicants anticipate taking a total of
approximately 18.59 acres of skink breeding, feeding, and sheltering
habitat, incidental to land preparation and construction in Sections 9,
10, and 15, Township 26 South, Range 23 East, Polk County, Florida. The
co-applicants currently have a specific site plan that includes the
construction of one or more residences, buildings, roads, green areas,
structures, and parking areas, and installation of associated
utilities. The co-applicants propose to transfer and renew this project
without changes, and have complied with all the mitigation requirements
set forth in the initial review and permitting of the project.
The co-applicants propose to minimize impacts to skinks by
preserving a total of 71.14 acres of suitable skink habitat on site.
The preservation parcel has been put under a conservation easement
granted to Polk County and will be managed in perpetuity. The Service
listed the sand skink and the blue-tailed mole skink as threatened in
1987 (November 6, 1987; 52 FR 42658, effective December 7, 1987).
Our Preliminary Determination
The Service has made a preliminary determination that the co-
applicants' project, including the mitigation measures, will
individually and cumulatively have a minor or negligible effect on the
species covered in the HCP. Therefore, issuance of the ITP is a ``low-
effect'' action and qualifies as a categorical exclusion under the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (40 CFR 1506.6), as provided
by the Department of the Interior Manual (516 DM 2 Appendix 1 and 516
DM 6 Appendix 1). We base our preliminary determination that issuance
of the ITP qualifies as a low-effect action on the following three
criteria: (1) Implementation of the project would result in minor or
negligible effects on federally listed, proposed, and candidate species
and their habitats; (2) Implementation of the project would result in
minor or negligible effects on other environmental values or resources;
and (3) Impacts of the project, considered together with the impacts of
other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable similarly situated
projects, would not result, over time, in cumulative effects to
environmental values or resources that would be considered significant.
This preliminary determination may be revised based on our review of
public comments that we receive in response to this notice.
Next Steps
The Service will evaluate the HCP and comments submitted thereon to
determine whether the application meets the requirements of section
10(a) of the Act. The Service 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. The results of this
consultation, in combination with the above findings, will be used in
the final analysis to determine whether or not to transfer and renew
the ITP. If it is determined that the requirements of the Act are met,
the ITP will be transferred and renewed.
Authority: We provide this notice under Section 10 of the
Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and NEPA regulations
(40 CFR 1506.6).
Robert (Bob) Progulske,
Everglades Program Supervisor, South Florida Ecological Services
Office.
[FR Doc. 2015-06787 Filed 3-24-15; 8:45 am]
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