[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 243 (Wednesday, December 20, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60414-60415]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-27398]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R6-ES-2017-N153; FXES11130600000-189-FF06E00000]


U.S. Endangered Species; Receipt of Recovery Permit Applications

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit applications; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to 
comment on applications for permits to conduct activities intended to 
enhance the propagation or survival of endangered species. With some 
exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibits certain 
activities that constitute take of listed species unless a Federal 
permit is issued that allows such activity. The ESA also requires that 
we invite public comment before issuing these permits.

DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive your written comments 
by January 19, 2018.

ADDRESSES: 
    Document availability: The applications, as well as any comments 
and other materials that we receive, will be available for public 
inspection in hard copy for viewing by appointment between 8 a.m. and 4 
p.m. Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays, at Ecological 
Services, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 25486-DFC, Denver, 
CO 80225; telephone 719-628-2670.
    Submitting Comments: You may submit comments by one of the 
following methods. Please specify applicant name(s) and application 
number(s) to which your comments pertain (e.g., Application No. TE-
XXXXXX).
     Email: [email protected]. Please refer to the respective 
permit number (e.g., Application No. TE-XXXXXX) in the subject line of 
your email message.

[[Page 60415]]

     U.S. Mail: Ecological Services, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, P.O. Box 25486-DFC, Denver, CO 80225.
     Hand-delivery, Pickup, or Viewing: Call 719-628-2670 to 
make an appointment during regular business hours at 134 Union Blvd., 
Suite 645, Lakewood, CO 80228.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathy Konishi, Recovery Permits 
Coordinator, Ecological Services, 719-628-2670 (phone); 
[email protected] (email).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
invite the public to comment on applications for permits to conduct 
activities intended to promote recovery of species that are listed as 
endangered under the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.; 
ESA). With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits certain activities with 
endangered species unless a Federal permit allows such activity. The 
ESA also requires that we invite public comment before issuing these 
permits.

Background

    The ESA prohibits certain activities with endangered and threatened 
species unless authorized by a Federal permit. The ESA and our 
implementing regulations in part 17 of title 50 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) provide for the issuance of such permits and require 
that we invite public comment before issuing permits for activities 
involving endangered species.
    A recovery permit issued under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA 
authorizes the permittee to conduct activities with endangered species 
for scientific purposes that promote recovery or for enhancement of 
propagation or survival of the species. Our regulations implementing 
section 10(a)(1)(A) for these permits are found at 50 CFR 17.22 for 
endangered wildlife species, 50 CFR 17.32 for threatened wildlife 
species, 50 CFR 17.62 for endangered plant species, and 50 CFR 17.72 
for threatened plant species.

Permit Applications Available for Review and Comment

    We invite local, state and Federal agencies, tribes, and the public 
to comment on the following applications.

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   Application No.         Applicant                Species                Location             Activity           Type of take            Action
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TE057485-3..........  Zion National Park.  California condor         UT.................  Survey, monitor....  Harass.............  Renew.
                                            (Gymnogyps
                                            californianus),
                                            Astragalus
                                            ampullarioides
                                            (Shivwitz milkvetch).
TE054317-1..........  InterWest Wildlife   Southwestern willow       CO, UT.............  Survey, monitor....  Harass.............  Renew.
                       & Ecological         flycatcher (Empidonax
                       Services, Inc.       traillii extimus).
TE56825C-0..........  South Dakota State   Poweshiek skipperling     SD.................  Survey, monitor,     Capture, harm, and   New.
                       University.          (Oarisma poweshiek).                           voucher.             harass.
TE165829-3..........  Bureau of Land       Lepidium barnebyanum      UT.................  Survey, monitor,     Harm...............  Renew.
                       Management State     (Barneby ridge-cress),                         voucher, collect
                       Office.              Schoenocrambe barnebyi                         seeds, sample
                                            (Barney reed-mustard),                         tissues for
                                            Astragalus                                     genetic studies,
                                            holmgreniorum (Holmgren                        propagate.
                                            milk-vetch),
                                            Lesquerella tumulosa
                                            (Kodachrome
                                            bladderpod),
                                            Pediocactus despainii
                                            (San Rafael cactus),
                                            Astragalus
                                            ampullarioides
                                            (Shivwits milkvetch),
                                            Schoenocrambe
                                            suffrutescens (shrubby
                                            reed-mustard),
                                            Sclerocactus wrightiae
                                            (Wright-fishhook
                                            cactus).
TE180540-1..........  Bureau of Land       Southwestern willow       UT.................  Survey and monitor.  Harass.............  Renew.
                       Management Kanab     flycatcher (Empidonax
                       Field Office.        traillii extimus).
TE237960-3..........  Power Engineers,     American burying beetle   KS, NE, OK, SD, TX.  Survey and monitor.  Harass.............  Amend.
                       Inc.                 (Nicrophorus
                                            americanus).
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Public Availability of Comments

    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. If you submit 
a hardcopy comment that includes personal identifying information, you 
may request at the top of your document that we withhold this 
information from public review; however, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.

Contents of Public Comments

    Please make your comments as specific as possible. Please confine 
your comments to issues for which we seek comments in this notice, and 
explain the basis for your comments. Include sufficient information 
with your comments to allow us to authenticate any scientific or 
commercial data you include.
    The comments and recommendations that will be most useful and 
likely to influence agency decisions are: (1) Those supported by 
quantitative information or studies; and (2) Those that include 
citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and regulations.

Next Steps

    If we decide to issue permits to any of the applicants listed in 
this notice, we will publish a notice in the Federal Register.

Authority

    We publish this notice under section 10(c) of the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)

Michael Thabault,
Deputy Assistant Regional Director Mountain-Prairie Region.
[FR Doc. 2017-27398 Filed 12-19-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P