[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 92 (Tuesday, May 12, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28034-28035]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-10053]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R4-ES-2020-N077; FXES11140400000-178-FF04EF2000]


Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed 
Habitat Conservation Plan for the Sand Skink and Blue-Tailed Mole 
Skink; Polk County, FL; Categorical Exclusion

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt 
of an application from the School Board of Polk County (applicant) for 
an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The 
applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed sand skink and 
blue-tailed mole skink incidental to construction in Polk County, 
Florida. We request public comment on the application, which includes 
the applicant's proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP), and on 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 June 11, 
2020.

ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: You may obtain copies of the documents 
by any of the following methods:
     Telephone: Alfredo Begazo, 772-469-4234.
     Email: [email protected].
     U.S. mail: Alfredo Begazo, South Florida Ecological 
Services Office, Attn. School Board of Polk County Permit TE68779D-0, 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1339 20th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960-
3559.
     Fax: Alfredo Begazo, 772-562-4288, Attn: Permit number 
TE68779D-0.
    Submitting Comments: If you wish to submit comments on any of the 
documents, you may do so in writing via the above email address, U.S. 
mail address, or fax number.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alfredo Begazo, by U.S. mail (see 
ADDRESSES) or via phone at 772-469-4234. Individuals who are hearing 
impaired or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 800-
877-8339 for TTY assistance.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), 
announce receipt of an application from the School Board of Polk County 
(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) and blue-tailed mole skink (Eumeces egregious) 
(skinks) incidental to the construction of a high school in Polk 
County, Florida. We request public comment on the application, which 
includes the applicant's proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP), and 
on 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. 4321 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.

Project

    The applicant requests a 5-year ITP to take skinks through the 
conversion approximately 10.05 acres (ac) of occupied skink foraging 
and sheltering habitat incidental to the construction of a high school 
on a 60.65-ac parcel in Sections 11 and 14, Township 26 South, Range 27 
East, Polk County, Florida. The applicant proposes to mitigate for take 
of the skinks by purchasing credits equivalent to 20.1 ac of skink-
occupied habitat from a Service-approved conservation bank in Polk 
County. The Service would require the applicant to purchase the credits 
prior to engaging in any phase of 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, construction of the high 
school, and the proposed mitigation measure, would individually and 
cumulatively have a minor or negligible effect on the skinks and the 
environment. Therefore, we have preliminarily concluded that the ITP 
for this project would qualify for categorical exclusion and the HCP 
would be 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 
reasonable 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 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 matters, 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 TE68779D-0 to the School Board of Polk 
County for incidental take of skinks.

Authority

    The Service provides this notice under section 10(c) (16 U.S.C. 
1539(c))

[[Page 28035]]

of the ESA and NEPA regulation 40 CFR 1506.6.

Roxanna Hinzman,
Field Supervisor, South Florida Ecological Services Office.
[FR Doc. 2020-10053 Filed 5-11-20; 8:45 am]
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