[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 87 (Friday, May 7, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 24656]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09651]


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

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-R6-ES-2020-0120; FF06E24000-212-FXES11140600000]


Incidental Take Permit Application; Habitat Conservation Plan and 
Categorical Exclusion for the Gunnison Sage-Grouse; Gunnison County, 
Colorado

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of documents; request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the 
availability of documents related to an application for an incidental 
take permit (permit) under the Endangered Species Act. The City of 
Gunnison, Colorado, has applied for a permit, which, if granted, would 
authorize take of the federally threatened Gunnison sage-grouse that is 
likely to occur incidental to proposed residential and commercial 
development. The documents available for review and comment are the 
applicant's habitat conservation plan, which is part of the permit 
application, and our draft environmental action statement and low-
effect screening form, which support a categorical exclusion under the 
National Environmental Policy Act. We invite comments from the public 
and Federal, Tribal, State, and local governments.

DATES: We will accept comments received or postmarked on or before June 
7, 2021. Comments submitted online at Regulations.gov (see ADDRESSES) 
must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date.

ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: The documents this notice announces, as 
well as any comments and other materials that we receive, will be 
available for public inspection online in Docket No. FWS-R6-ES-2020-
0120 at http://www.regulations.gov.
    Submitting Comments: You may submit comments by one of the 
following methods:
     Online: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-R6-ES-2020-0120.
     U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. 
FWS-R6-ES-2020-0120; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: 
PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
    We request that you send comments by only one of the methods 
described above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Terry Ireland, by phone at 970-628-
7188, by email at [email protected], or via the Federal Relay 
Service at 800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(Service), have received an application from the City of Gunnison for a 
20-year incidental take permit (permit) under the Endangered Species 
Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The application 
addresses the potential for take of the federally threatened Gunnison 
sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) that is likely to occur incidental 
to proposed residential and commercial development.
    The documents available for review and comment are the applicant's 
habitat conservation plan (HCP), which is part of the permit 
application, and our draft environmental action statement and low-
effect screening form. These documents helped inform our conclusion 
that the activities proposed by the permit application will have a low 
effect on the species and the human environment. Accordingly, our 
issuance of a permit qualifies for a categorical exclusion under the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.).

Applicant's Habitat Conservation Plan

    The City of Gunnison has submitted a low-effect HCP in support of 
an application for a permit to address take of the species that is 
likely to occur as the result of proposed residential and commercial 
development (covered activities) of approximately 637 acres (ac) in 
Gunnison County, Colorado. The covered activities are anticipated to 
affect 597 ac of Gunnison sage-grouse habitat. The requested permit 
duration is for 20 years from permit issuance. The covered activities 
are within Gunnison sage-grouse habitat in the Gunnison Basin 
population. The biological goals and objectives are to maintain higher 
quality and more productive Gunnison sage-grouse habitat within the 
Gunnison Basin population and minimize impacts from development on the 
Gunnison sage-grouse. The proposed mitigation and minimization measures 
include protection of approximately 885 ac of Gunnison sage-grouse 
habitat, reduction of impacts from grazing, reduction of disturbance 
from construction and recreation via seasonal restrictions, and the 
creation and distribution of educational materials and signage to 
reduce impacts.

Public Availability of Comments

    Written comments we receive become part of the decision file 
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 17.32) and under 
NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (40 CFR 
1506.6 and 43 CFR 46.305).

Stephen Small,
Assistant Regional Director, Ecological Services, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, Interior Regions 5 and 7.
[FR Doc. 2021-09651 Filed 5-6-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P