[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 224 (Thursday, November 19, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 73744]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-25567]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2020-0135; FXES11140400000-178-FF04EF2000]


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

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

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

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt 
of an application from Palmetto Avon Park-HWY 17, 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 and 
blue-tailed mole skink incidental to the construction of a commercial 
development in Highlands 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 December 21, 
2020.

ADDRESSES: 
    Obtaining Documents: You may obtain copies of the documents online 
in Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2020-0135 at http://www.regulations.gov.
    Submitting Comments: If you wish to submit comments on any of the 
documents, you may do so in writing through the following methods:
     Online: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2020-0135.
     U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. 
FWS-R4-ES-2020-0135; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alfredo Begazo, by telephone at (772) 
469-4234 or via email at [email protected]. Individuals who are 
hearing impaired or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay Service 
at 1-800-877-8339 for TTY assistance.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), 
announce receipt of an application from Palmetto Avon Park-HWY 17, 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) and blue-tailed mole skink (Eumeces egregious 
lividus) (skinks) incidental to the construction of a commercial 
development in Highlands County, Florida. We request public comment on 
the application, which includes the applicant's 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 of approximately 0.9 acres of occupied skink foraging and 
sheltering habitat incidental to the construction of a commercial 
development on a 1.35-acre parcel in Section 6, Township 34S, Range 29E 
in Highlands County, Florida. The applicant proposes to mitigate for 
take of the skinks by purchasing credits equivalent to 1.80 acre of 
skink-occupied habitat from a Service-approved conservation bank in 
Highlands 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 the construction of stores, driveways, 
parking areas, a storm water pond, and associated infrastructure (e.g., 
electric, water, and sewer lines) 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 TE82107D-0 to Palmetto Avon Park-HWY 17, 
LLC.

Authority

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

Roxanna Hinzman,
Field Supervisor, South Florida Ecological Services Office.
[FR Doc. 2020-25567 Filed 11-18-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P