[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 244 (Wednesday, December 21, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78124-78125]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-27695]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-R6-ES-2022-0136; FF06E24000-234-FXES11140600000]


Incidental Take Permit Application; Habitat Conservation Plan and 
Categorical Exclusion for the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse; Douglas 
County, Colorado

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

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

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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 St. Charles 
Town Company has applied for a permit, which, if granted, would 
authorize take of the federally threatened Preble's meadow jumping 
mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei) that is likely to occur incidental to 
proposed construction of commercial and industrial building space known 
as Brookside Business Center. 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

[[Page 78125]]

and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies.

DATES: We will accept comments received or postmarked on or before 
January 20, 2023. Comments submitted online at https://www.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-2022-0136 at 
https://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-2022-0136.
     U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. 
FWS-R6-ES-2022-0136; 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: Liisa M. Niva, by phone at 303-905-
4543, or by email at [email protected]. Individuals in the United 
States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech 
disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United 
States should use the relay services offered within their country to 
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(Service), have received an application from the St. Charles Town 
Company for a 10-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 Preble's meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius 
preblei; PMJM) that is likely to occur incidental to proposed 
construction of commercial and industrial building space.
    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 in the HCP 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 St. Charles Town Company 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 construction of 
commercial and industrial building space (covered activities) on 
approximately 16.8 acres (ac) in Douglas County, Colorado. The covered 
activities are anticipated to affect 3.53 ac of PMJM habitat. The 
requested permit duration is for 10 years. The biological goals and 
objectives are to minimize and avoid impacts to PMJM habitat, avoid 
reduction of PMJM survival and recovery, and restore and enhance PMJM 
habitat post-construction. The proposed mitigation and minimization 
measures include protection of 5.15 acres of high-quality upland and 
riparian PMJM habitat. Impacts will be minimized by restricting human 
access to PMJM habitat, limiting the establishment and spread of 
noxious weeds, and restoration of areas temporarily impacted by 
construction.

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 Endangered 
Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations 
(50 CFR 17.32(b)) and under the National Environmental Policy Act (42 
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).

Drue DeBerry,
Acting Assistant Regional Director, Ecological Services, Mountain-
Prairie Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-27695 Filed 12-20-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P