[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 212 (Friday, November 5, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61314-61315]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-24126]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2021-0124; FXES11130400000EA-123-FF04EF4000]


Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed 
Habitat Conservation Plan for the Eastern Indigo Snake, Citrus County, 
FL; 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 Florida Department of Transportation--Florida's 
Turnpike Enterprise (applicant) (Suncoast Parkway 2) for an incidental 
take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The applicant 
requests the ITP to take the federally listed eastern indigo snake 
incidental to construction of the four-lane Suncoast Parkway 2 in 
Citrus 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 December 6, 
2021.

ADDRESSES: 
    Obtaining Documents: You may obtain copies of the documents online 
in Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2021-0124 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-2021-0124.
     U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. 
FWS-R4-ES-2021-0124; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Zakia Williams, by telephone at 904-
731-3119 or via email at [email protected]. Individuals who are 
hearing 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 Florida Department of 
Transportation--Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (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 eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon 
corais couperii) incidental to the construction of the four-lane 
Suncoast Parkway 2 (project) in Citrus 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

    Florida Department of Transportation--Florida's Turnpike Enterprise 
requests a 10-year ITP to take no more than two eastern indigo snakes 
(one male and one female) and one eastern indigo snake egg clutch 
incidental to the construction of the Suncoast Parkway 2. The take is 
based on the estimated home range of the species and the conversion of 
approximately 140 acres (ac) of occupied eastern indigo snake foraging 
and sheltering habitat during construction of the roadway from SR 44 to 
CR 486 in Sections 29, 30, 32, Township 18S, Range 18E, Citrus County, 
Florida. The applicant proposes

[[Page 61315]]

to mitigate for take of the eastern indigo snake by implementing 
conservation measures in the Standard Protection Measures for the 
Eastern Indigo Snake (Service 2013), which primarily focus on the 
preservation of the species during land conversion. The applicant will 
also install and maintain silt fence and chain-link fence along the 
entire project boundary and the perimeter of the project area to deter 
the species from entering the roadway and to reduce wildlife 
interactions within the construction zone. In addition to these 
measures, the applicant will contribute $22,820, which is calculated as 
$163 per ac of converted habitat, to the Wildlife Foundation of 
Florida--Eastern Indigo Snake Conservation Fund. This contribution will 
be used to help ensure the long-term viability of the species by 
maintaining and enhancing existing populations via habitat 
conservation, restoration, and management; monitoring the status of the 
extant populations; identifying and securing additional eastern indigo 
snake populations and habitat; repatriating populations through 
reintroductions; and supporting research that guides land management 
and provides demographic and ecological data. The Service would require 
the applicant to make the contribution to the Fund 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 measures, would individually 
and cumulatively have a minor or negligible effect on the eastern 
indigo snake 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 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)(1)(B) of the ESA have been met. If met, the 
Service will issue ITP number PER0017213 to Florida Department of 
Transportation--Florida's Turnpike Enterprise.

Authority

    The Service provides 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 NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (40 
CFR 1506.6 and 43 CFR 46.305).

Robert L. Carey,
Division Manager, Environmental Review, Florida Ecological Services 
Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2021-24126 Filed 11-4-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P