[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 14 (Friday, January 22, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3817-3818]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-01226]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2015-0157; FXIA16710900000-156-FF09A300000]


Draft Environmental Assessment; Dallas Zoo Management; Dallas, 
Texas

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are making available 
the final environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact 
under the National Environmental Policy Act regarding a permit 
application submitted by Dallas Zoo Management, on behalf of the Dallas 
Zoo, Sedgwick County Zoo, and Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo. The three zoos 
have requested authorization under the Convention on International 
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora to import up to 18 
live African elephants from Swaziland.

ADDRESSES: 

Availability of Documents

    Internet: You may obtain copies of the final environmental 
assessment and finding of no significant impact by going to the Federal 
e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. In the Search box, 
enter FWS-HQ-IA-2015-0157, which is the docket number for this notice. 
Click the ``Open Docket Folder'' link.
    In-Person: Copies of the final environmental assessment and finding 
of no significant impact are also available for public inspection and 
review at the following location, by appointment and written request 
only, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of 
Management Authority, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Timothy Van Norman, Chief, Branch of 
Permits, Division of Management Authority, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS-IA, 
Falls Church, VA 22041; or by phone at (703) 358-2350.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 3818]]

    We are making available the final environmental assessment (EA) and 
finding of no significant impact (FONSI) under the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) for an 
application submitted by Dallas Zoo Management for a permit to import 
up to 18 live African elephants (Loxadonta africana) from Swaziland. 
The elephants will be housed at the Dallas Zoo, Dallas, Texas; Sedgwick 
County Zoo, Wichita, Kansas; and Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo, Omaha, 
Nebraska. The requested permit would authorize the importation, under 
the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild 
Fauna and Flora (CITES) (27 U.S.T. 1087), of up to 3 adult females, 3 
subadult males, and 12 subadult females. CITES is an international 
treaty designed to regulate international trade in certain animal and 
plant species that are affected by trade and are now, or potentially 
may become, threatened with extinction. These species are listed in the 
Appendices to CITES, which are available on the CITES Secretariat's Web 
site at http://www.cites.org. African elephants in Swaziland are listed 
in CITES Appendix I. The Service's regulations implementing CITES are 
found at title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) in part 23.
    The African elephant is also classified as threatened under the 
U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), with a rule 
under section 4(d) of the ESA at 50 CFR 17.40(e). To import African 
elephants into the United States, ESA and CITES requirements must be 
met. Pursuant to the ESA section 4(d) rule for the African elephant (50 
CFR 17.40(e)(3)(i)), live elephants may be imported if all requirements 
under Service regulations at 50 CFR part 13 (general permitting) and 50 
CFR part 23 (CITES) are met.
    Issuance of a CITES import permit is categorically excluded under 
Department of the Interior internal agency policy and procedures from 
requiring completion of an EA under NEPA (Departmental Manual Part 516, 
Chapter 8.5(C)(1)). However, we decided to prepare an EA in this case 
to help ensure that we have conducted a thorough review of all relevant 
factors and potential impacts on the quality of the human environment 
as envisioned under NEPA.
    We announced the availability of the draft EA in a notice published 
in the Federal Register on October 22, 2015 (80 FR 64008). The EA 
considered the direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of the 
importation of up to 18 live elephants from Swaziland, including the 
measures that would be implemented to minimize and mitigate the impacts 
of the importation and housing of these animals. We received more than 
8,000 comments on the draft EA; they may be found at http://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2015-0157.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action is the issuance of a CITES permit by the 
Service for the importation of up to 18 African elephants from 
Swaziland. The elephants are currently housed in an enclosure at the 
Mkhaya Game Reserve, Swaziland. The elephants were removed from Mkhaya 
Game Reserve and Hlane National Park, Swaziland, due to overpopulation 
of elephants within the two protected areas and the negative impact the 
elephants were having on the vegetation and other wildlife species. Big 
Game Parks (BPG), the delegated authority responsible for 
implementation of Swaziland's Game Act of 1953, has determined that the 
number of elephants in the two protected areas must be reduced. 
Further, the reduction in the number of elephants within each of the 
protected areas will facilitate BGP's efforts to increase the 
population of black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), a critically 
endangered species, within the two protected areas.

Alternatives

    We also considered two alternatives to the proposed action:
    1. No Action--No CITES import permit would be issued. According to 
the applicant and BGP, the 18 elephants will not be returned to the two 
protected areas. Instead, if importation is not authorized, BGP has 
stated that they have no option but to cull the animals.
    2. Issue a CITES import permit for a reduced number of elephants--
This alternative is similar to the Proposed Action, in that the Service 
would issue an import permit, but the number of elephants authorized 
for import would be reduced. This alternative could result in some 
elephants being imported into the United States and housed at one or 
more of the three zoos. However, according to the applicant and BGP, 
the elephants that are not imported into the United States would be 
culled.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    The proposed action of issuing the import permit for the 18 
elephants is the preferred action. As evaluated in the EA, the proposed 
action is not expected to result in significant effects to the human 
environment within the meaning of NEPA and the regulations of the 
Council on Environmental Quality. Although we describe potential 
actions and consequences that could flow from each of the alternatives, 
we find there is no basis to infer that any such effects, even viewed 
broadly, will be significant. Therefore, based on a review and 
evaluation of the information contained in the EA, it is the Service's 
determination that the issuance of a permit authorizing the import of 
18 African elephants from Swaziland will not have a significant effect 
on the quality of the human environment under the meaning of section 
102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (as 
amended). As such, an Environmental Impact Statement is not required.

Authority

    We provide this notice under NEPA and its implementing regulations 
(40 CFR 1506.6).

Brenda Tapia,
Program Analyst/Data Administrator, Branch of Permits, Division of 
Management Authority.
[FR Doc. 2016-01226 Filed 1-21-16; 8:45 am]
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