[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 98 (Monday, May 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23480-23481]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-10797]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R2-ES-2017-N177; FXES11140200000-189-FF02ENEH00]


Draft Environmental Assessment and Draft Habitat Conservation 
Plan; Western Travis County Public Utility Agency Raw Water 
Transmission Main, Travis County, Texas

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), make 
available the draft Western Travis County Public Utility Agency 
(WTCPUA) Habitat Conservation Plan, as well as the associated draft 
environmental assessment, for construction of a raw water pipeline in 
Travis County, Texas. WTCPUA has applied to the Service for an 
incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, 
as amended. The requested ITP, which would be in effect for a period of 
30 years, if granted, would authorize incidental take of the federally 
listed golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga [=Dendroica] chrysoparia). The 
proposed incidental take would occur during construction of a raw water 
pipeline as a result of vegetation clearing, earth-moving activities, 
and pipeline construction and also during operation and maintenance of 
the pipeline. In addition, incidental take would occur as a result of 
the operation and maintenance of existing facilities, including the 
existing water pipeline, water intake, and the Uplands Water Treatment 
Facility.

DATES: Submission of comments: We will accept comments received or 
postmarked on or before June 20, 2018.

ADDRESSES: 
    Obtaining documents: You may obtain copies of the application, the 
proposed draft habitat conservation plan (HCP), the draft environmental 
assessment, or other related documents by going to the Service's 
website at http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/AustinTexas/. Alternatively, 
a limited number of CD-ROM and printed copies of the draft 
environmental assessment and draft HCP are available, by request, from 
Mr. Adam Zerrenner, Austin Ecological Services Field Office, 10711 
Burnet Road, Suite 200, Austin, TX 78758-4460; telephone 512-490-0057; 
fax 512-490-0974. Please note that your request is in reference to the 
WTCPUA dHCP.
    The incidental take permit application is available by mail from 
the Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 1306, 
Room 6034, Albuquerque, NM 87103. Copies of the draft environmental 
assessment and draft HCP are also available for public inspection and 
review at the following locations, by appointment and written request 
only, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.:
     U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 500 Gold Avenue SW, Room 
6034, Albuquerque, NM 87102.
     U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 10711 Burnet Road, Suite 
200, Austin, TX 78758.
    Submitting Comments: You may submit written comments by one of the 
following methods:
     Submit electronic comments to [email protected]. 
Please note that your request is in reference to the WTCPUA dHCP.
     By hard copy: Mr. Adam Zerrenner, Austin Ecological 
Services Field Office, 10711 Burnet Road, Suite 200, Austin, TX 78758-
4460; telephone 512-490-0057; fax 512-490-0974. Please note that your 
request is in reference to the WTCPUA dHCP.
    We request that you submit comments by only the methods described 
above. Generally, we will post any personal information you provide us 
(see the Public Availability of Comments section for more information).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adam Zerrenner, Field Supervisor, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, 10711 Burnet Road, Suite 200, Austin, TX 
78758 or (512) 490-0057.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(Service), make available the draft environmental assessment (dEA) for 
the Western Travis County Public Utility Agency (WTCPUA) draft Habitat 
Conservation Plan (dHCP) for construction of a raw water pipeline in 
Travis County, Texas. WTCPUA has applied for an incidental take permit 
(ITP) that would be in effect for 30 years. If granted, the ITP would 
authorize incidental take of the golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga 
[=Dendroica] chrysoparia; the ``Covered Species''), which is listed as 
an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 
amended (Act; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
    In accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), we advise the public 
that:
    1. We have gathered the information necessary to determine impacts 
and formulate alternatives for the dEA related to potential issuance of 
an ITP to WTCPUA (the applicant); and
    2. The applicant has developed a dHCP as part of the application 
for an ITP, which describes the measures the applicant has agreed to 
take to minimize and mitigate the effects of incidental take of the 
Covered Species to the maximum extent practicable pursuant to section 
10(a)(1)(B) of the Act.
    As described in the dHCP, the proposed incidental take would occur 
within, and adjacent to, the right-of-way of an existing water pipeline 
in Travis County, Texas; and would result from activities associated 
with otherwise lawful activities. The dEA considers the direct, 
indirect, and cumulative effects of implementation of the dHCP, 
specifically the measures that will be implemented to minimize and 
mitigate, to the maximum extent practicable, the impacts of the 
incidental take of the Covered Species.

Proposed Action

    The ITP would cover incidental ``take'' of the Covered Species 
associated with construction, operation, and maintenance of a new water 
pipeline, as well as the operation and maintenance of an existing water 
pipeline within the Permit Area (the ``Covered Activities''). The 
proposed action is the issuance of an ITP by the Service for the 
Covered Activities in the permit area, pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) 
of the Act.
    The requested term of the permit is 30 years. To meet the 
requirements of a section 10(a)(1)(B) ITP, the applicant has developed 
and proposes to implement its dHCP, which describes the conservation 
measures the applicant has agreed to undertake. These measures are 
designed to minimize and mitigate for the impacts of the proposed 
incidental take of the Covered Species, to the maximum extent 
practicable, and ensure that incidental take will not appreciably 
reduce the likelihood of the survival and recovery of this species in 
the wild.
    The applicant proposes to mitigate impacts to the Covered Species 
with the purchase of 28 conservation credits (acres) in an approved 
golden-cheeked warbler habitat conservation bank.

Alternatives

    We are considering one alternative to the proposed action as part 
of this process: No Action. Under a No Action alternative, the Service 
would not issue the requested ITP and WTCPUA would either not construct 
the transmission main water pipeline or construct the pipeline in a 
manner that avoids incidental take. Therefore, the applicant would not 
implement the conservation measures described in the dHCP.

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Public Availability of Comments

    All comments we receive become part of the public record associated 
with this action. Requests for copies of comments will be handled in 
accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, NEPA, and Service and 
Department of the Interior policies and procedures. 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. While you can ask us to withhold 
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so. All submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, will be made available for public disclosure in their 
entirety.

Authority

    We provide this notice under the authority of section 10(c) of the 
Act and its implementing regulations (50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32) and NEPA 
(42 U.S.C. 4371 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (40 CFR 
1506.6).

Amy L. Lueders,
Regional Director, Southwest Region, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
[FR Doc. 2018-10797 Filed 5-18-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P