[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 48 (Wednesday, March 11, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14238-14239]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04958]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R4-ES-2019-N029; FXES11130400000EA-123-FF04EF1000]


Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed 
Habitat Conservation Plan for the Alabama Beach Mouse, Baldwin County, 
AL; Categorical Exclusion

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

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

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt 
of an application from Michael McKoy (applicant) for an incidental take 
permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The applicant requests 
the ITP to take the federally listed Alabama beach mouse incidental to 
construction in Baldwin County, Alabama. 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 April 10, 
2020.

ADDRESSES: Obtaining documents: Documents are available for public 
inspection by appointment during regular business hours at either of 
the following locations or by email:
     Atlanta Regional Office, Ecological Services, U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service, 1875 Century Boulevard, Atlanta, GA 30345.
     Alabama Ecological Services Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, 1208 Main Street, Daphne, AL 36526.
     Email a request to [email protected], please reference 
TE46613D-0 in the subject line.
    Submitting comments: If you wish to submit comments on any of the 
documents, you may do so in writing by either of the following methods. 
Please reference TE46613D-0 in all comments.
    U.S. mail: You may mail comments to either of the Fish and Wildlife 
Service Offices listed above.
    Hand-delivery: You may hand-deliver comments to either of the Fish 
and Wildlife Service Offices listed above.
    Email: You may email comments to [email protected]. Please include 
your name and email address in your email. If you do not receive an 
email from us confirming that we have received your message, contact us 
directly at either telephone number in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Dell, Regional HCP and Safe 
Harbors Coordinator, at the Atlanta Regional Office (see ADDRESSES), or 
by telephone at 404-679-7313, or Mr. William Lynn, Project Manager, at 
the Alabama Ecological Services Office (see ADDRESSES), or by telephone 
at 251-441-5868. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf 
(TDD), please call the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, announce 
receipt of an application from Michael McKoy (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 to 
take the federally listed Alabama beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus 
ammobates; ABM) incidental to the construction of a single-family home 
(project) in Baldwin County, Alabama. 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, both of which are also 
available for public review.

[[Page 14239]]

Project

    The applicant requests a 50-year ITP to take Alabama beach mice 
incidental to the conversion of approximately 0.18 acres of occupied 
Alabama beach mouse habitat to construct a single-family home on a 
0.74-acre lot in Baldwin County, Alabama. The applicant proposes to 
implement standard ABM minimization and mitigation measures to mitigate 
for take of the species. The standard mitigation and minimization 
measures include reducing the construction footprint to the maximum 
extent possible, installing sea turtle-friendly exterior lighting and 
tinted windows, planting landscaping with native vegetation, and 
constructing a driveway with materials that will not disperse in a 
storm surge. The applicant will utilize refuse control measures during 
construction, as well as restore ABM habitat after tropical storms, and 
future residents also would be required implement such measures. Free-
roaming cats and the use of exterior rodenticide also would be 
prohibited on the parcel. Prior to engaging in any project activities, 
the applicant will contribute an in-lieu fee of $2.30-per-square-foot 
of impacts to the Alabama Coastal Heritage Trust. The fee will be 
utilized by the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge to monitor the ABM 
or enhance the species' habitat within the refuge.

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 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 proposed mitigation and minimization measures, would 
individually and cumulatively have a minor or negligible effect on the 
Alabama beach mouse and the environment. Therefore, we have 
preliminarily concluded that the ITP for this project would qualify for 
categorical exclusion as well as that 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 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 over time result in significant cumulative effects to 
environmental values or resources.

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)(l)(B) of the ESA have been met. If met, the 
Service will issue ITP number TE46613D-0 to the applicant Michael 
McKoy.

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.

William J. Pearson,
Field Supervisor, Alabama Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2020-04958 Filed 3-10-20; 8:45 am]
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