[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 12 (Friday, January 17, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3071-3072]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-00678]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2019-0118; FXES11130400000EA-123-FF04EF1000]


Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed 
Habitat Conservation Plan for the Sand Skink, Lake County, FL; 
Categorical Exclusion

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment and information.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt 
of an application from Summergate Development, LLC (applicant) for an 
incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The 
applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed sand skink 
incidental to construction in Lake County, Florida. We request public 
comment on the application, which includes the applicant's proposed 
habitat conservation plan (HCP) and the Service's preliminary 
determination that this HCP qualifies as ``low-effect,'' categorically 
excluded, under the National Environmental Policy Act. To make this 
determination, we used our environmental action statement and low-
effect screening form, both of which are also available for public 
review.

DATES: We must receive your written comments on or before February 18, 
2020.

ADDRESSES: 
    Obtaining Documents: You may obtain copies of the documents online 
in Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2019-0118 at http://www.regulations.gov.
    Submitting Comments: If you wish to submit comments on any of the 
documents, you may do so in writing by any of the following methods:
     Online: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2019-0118.
     U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, 
Attn: Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2019-0118; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
MS: JAO/1N, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin M. Gawera, by telephone at 904-
731-3121 or via email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, announce 
receipt of an application from Summergate Development, LLC (applicant) 
for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act of 
1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The applicant requests 
the ITP to take the federally listed sand skink (Neoseps reynoldsi) 
incidental to the construction of a residential subdivision (project) 
in Lake County, Florida. We request public comment on the application, 
which includes the applicant's proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP) 
and the Service's preliminary determination that this HCP qualifies as 
``low-effect,'' categorically excluded, under the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4231 et seq.). To make this 
determination, we used our environmental action statement and low-
effect screening form, which are also available for public review.

Project

    Summergate Development, LLC requests a 10-year ITP to take sand 
skinks by converting approximately 3.1 acres of occupied skink foraging 
and sheltering habitat incidental to the construction of a residential 
subdivision located on a 57.57-acre parcel in Section 6, Township 23 
South, Range 26 East, Lake County, Florida. The applicant proposes to 
mitigate for take of the sand skinks by purchasing 6.2 credits from a 
Service-approved Conservation Bank. The Service would require the 
applicant to make this purchase prior to engaging in activities 
associated with the project.

Public Availability of Comments

    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, be aware that 
your entire comment--including your personal identifying information--
may be made available to the public. While you may request that we 
withhold your personal identifying information, we cannot guarantee 
that we will be able to do so.

Our Preliminary Determination

    The Service has made a preliminary determination that the 
applicant's project, including land clearing, infrastructure building, 
landscaping, and the proposed mitigation measure, would individually 
and cumulatively have a minor or negligible effect on sand skinks and 
the environment. Therefore, we have preliminarily concluded that the 
ITP for this project would qualify for categorical exclusion and the 
HCP is low effect under our NEPA regulations at 43 CFR 46.205 and 
46.210. A low-effect HCP is one that would result in (1) minor or 
negligible effects on

[[Page 3072]]

federally listed, proposed, and candidate species and their habitats; 
(2) minor or negligible effects on other environmental values or 
resources; and, (3) impacts that, when considered together with the 
impacts of other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable similarly 
situated projects, would not result in significant cumulative effects 
to environmental values or resources over time.

Next Steps

    The Service will evaluate the application and the comments received 
to determine whether to issue the requested permit. We will also 
conduct an intra-Service consultation pursuant to section 7 of the ESA 
to evaluate the effects of the proposed take. After considering the 
preceding findings, we will determine whether the permit issuance 
criteria of section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA have been met. If met, the 
Service will issue ITP number TE 56402D-0 to Summergate Development, 
LLC.

Authority

    The Service provides this notice under section 10(c) (16 U.S.C. 
1539(c)) of the ESA and NEPA regulation 40 CFR 1506.6.

Jay Herrington,
Field Supervisor, Jacksonville Field Office, South Atlantic-Gulf & 
Mississippi-Basin Regions.
[FR Doc. 2020-00678 Filed 1-16-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P