[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 85 (Thursday, May 2, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18856-18857]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-08933]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R8-ES-2019-N012; FXES11120800000-190-FF08E00000]


Sierra Pacific Industries Proposed Draft Habitat Conservation 
Plan for Northern and California Spotted Owl and Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement; Klamath, Cascade, and Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: Sierra Pacific Industries of Anderson, California (applicant), 
has applied to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for an 
incidental take permit under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We 
advise the public of the availability of a proposed habitat 
conservation plan (HCP), which covers the northern spotted owl and 
California spotted owl, and the draft environmental impact statement 
(DEIS), for public review and comment. The HCP covers forest 
management, species management, and monitoring activities on commercial 
timberland in Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Humboldt, Lassen, 
Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, 
Trinity, Tuolumne, and Yuba Counties, California.

DATES: 
    Public Comments: We will receive public comments on the HCP and 
DEIS until July 1, 2019. Comments received or postmarked after this 
date will be considered to the extent practicable.
    Meetings: We will conduct two public meetings. The meetings will 
provide the public an opportunity to ask questions, discuss issues with 
the Service regarding the DEIS, and provide written comments.
     May 28, 2019--Hilltop Holiday Inn--Buckskin Room, 1900 
Hilltop Drive, Redding, California, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
     May 29, 2019--Bonderson Building--Hearing Room, 901 P 
Street, Sacramento, California, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
    We are committed to providing access to these meetings for all 
participants. Please direct all requests for sign language interpreting 
services, closed captioning, or other accommodation needs to Kim 
Turner, TTY 800-877-8339, by close of business on May 14, 2019. See FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Online Webinar: In addition, the Service will host a webinar on May 
29, 2019, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. For information 
on how to participate, go to https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/8567916169912061185.

ADDRESSES: 
    Obtaining Documents: You may obtain the documents by the following 
methods.
     Internet: https://www.fws.gov/sacramento/.
     Public libraries: Electronic copies of the documents will 
be available for viewing at Sacramento and Shasta County Libraries on 
their public access computer stations. In Sacramento County, the 
documents will be available at the Sacramento Central Library, 828 I 
St., Sacramento, CA. In Shasta County, the documents will be available 
at the Redding branch library, 1100 Parkview Ave., Redding, CA.
    Submitting Comments: You may submit comments by one of the 
following methods. Please include your contact information.
     Email: [email protected].
     U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Kim S. Turner, Deputy 
Assistant Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento 
Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Suite 2605, Sacramento, CA 
95825.
     Fax: 916-414-6713.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim S. Turner, Deputy Assistant Field 
Supervisor, by phone at 916-414-6600; via the Federal Information Relay 
Service at 800-877-8339; or via U.S. mail to U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, 2800 Cottage Way, Suite 2605, Sacramento, CA 95825.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Sierra Pacific Industries of Anderson, 
California (applicant), has applied to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service (Service) for the issuance of an incidental take permit under 
section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act, as amended (ESA; 16 
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The applicant is requesting a permit for 
incidental take of two animal subspecies that may result from covered 
activities during the proposed 50-year permit. As part of its 
application for incidental take, the applicant has prepared a habitat 
conservation plan (HCP), which outlines proposed conservation measures. 
The applicant's proposed HCP area encompasses 1,566,151 acres of 
commercial timberland in Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Humboldt, 
Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, 
Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, and Yuba Counties, California.
    Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 
4321 et seq.), we advise the public of the availability of our draft 
environmental impact statement (DEIS), which analyzes several land 
management alternatives related to the Service's decision whether to 
issue an incidental take permit in response to the SPI application. 
Through this notice, we also inform the public of the availability of 
the proposed HCP.

Background

    Section 9 of the ESA and Federal regulations prohibit the ``take'' 
of fish and wildlife species federally listed as endangered or 
threatened. Take of federally listed fish or wildlife is defined under 
the ESA as to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, 
capture, or collect listed species, or attempt to engage in such 
conduct (16 U.S.C. 1538). ``Harm'' includes significant habitat 
modification or degradation that actually kills or injures listed 
wildlife by significantly impairing essential behavioral patterns, 
including breeding, feeding, and sheltering (50 CFR 17.3). Under 
limited circumstances, we may issue permits to authorize incidental 
take that is incidental to and not the purpose of, otherwise lawful 
activities.
    The proposed incidental take permit would cover two bird 
subspecies, the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina), 
which is federally listed as threatened, and the California spotted owl 
(Strix occidentalis occidentalis), which is not federally listed but is 
currently under a status review.
    The HCP proposes conservation measures considered necessary to 
minimize and mitigate the impacts, to the maximum extent practicable, 
of the potential taking of federally listed species to be covered by 
the HCP. SPI is seeking incidental take coverage for the covered 
activities under the HCP associated with commercial forest management 
within the plan area.

Request for Public Comments

    Because the conservation strategy outlined in the HCP includes 
proposed new approaches to spotted owl conservation and areas of 
uncertainty, we are particularly interested in receiving public 
comments on Conservation Measures 1, 2, and 3 (HCP 5.2.1, 5.2.2, and 
5.2.3; DEIS HCP Alternative); potential impacts to NSO and CSO (HCP 
5.4.5; DEIS HCP Alternative); and monitoring and adaptive management 
(HCP Chapter 6, DEIS HCP Alternative).

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National Environmental Policy Act Compliance

    The DEIS analyzes three land management alternatives. These include 
a ``no action'' alternative, under which the current management 
practices would be assumed to continue as guided by the 2018 California 
Forest Practice Rules. The proposed action consists of a two-subspecies 
HCP and associated permit with a 50-year term. One other ``action'' 
alternative is included. The Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP)/Sierra Nevada 
Forest Plan (SNFPA) Alternative (NWFP/SNFPA Alternative) proposes the 
development of a different two-subspecies HCP that would manage known 
and suspected nest stands according to the NWFP within the range of the 
NSO and the SNFPA within the range of the CSO.

Public Review

    Any comments we receive will become part of the decision record 
associated with this action. 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 request in your comment that we 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 section 10(c) of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 
1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (50 CFR 17.22), and NEPA 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and NEPA implementing regulations (40 CFR 
1506.6).

Michael Fris,
Assistant Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region, Sacramento, 
California.
[FR Doc. 2019-08933 Filed 5-1-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P