[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 93 (Monday, May 13, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41457-41458]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-10349]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2024-0062; FXES1114040000-245-FF04EF4000]


Renewal of an Incidental Take Permit 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 Nucor Steel Florida, Inc. (applicant) for a 
renewal of an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species 
Act. If granted, the renewed ITP would authorize take of the federally 
listed sand skink (Neoseps reynoldsi) and blue-tailed mole skink 
(Eumeces egregious lividus) incidental

[[Page 41458]]

to the construction of a metal recycling steel plant. The applicant 
requests the renewal of the ITP to extend the expiration date for 3 
additional years in Polk County, Florida. There is no request for 
additional take or increases in development levels. The proposed time 
extension maintains the existing levels of take, but would extend the 
covered activities out to April 19, 2027, instead of April 19, 2024. 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 ITP renewal 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. We invite comment from the public and 
local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies.

DATES: We must receive your written comments on or before June 12, 
2024.

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-R4-ES-202X-0062; at 
https://www.regulations.gov.
    Submitting Comments: If you wish to submit comments on any of the 
documents, you may do so in writing by one of the following methods:
     Online: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2024-0062;
     U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. 
FWS-R4-ES-2024-0062; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alfredo Begazo, by U.S. mail (see 
ADDRESSES), by telephone at 772-469-4234 or via 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 Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), 
announce receipt of an application from Nucor Steel Florida, Inc. 
(applicant) for a renewal of incidental take permit (ITP) TE12906D-0 
under the Endangered Species Act. The applicant requests the renewal of 
the ITP to extend the expiration date for 3 additional years in Polk 
County, Florida. The ITP would authorize take of the sand skink 
(Neoseps reynoldsi) and blue-tailed mole skink (Eumeces egregious 
lividus) via destruction of these species' feeding, breeding, and 
sheltering habitat associated with commercial construction. The 
applicant's existing HCP provides measures to mitigate for the 
incidental take of the species. The proposed ITP extension will grant 
additional time to complete the metal recycling steel plant. The 
amendment to renew does not include any changes in the covered area, 
activity, amount or type of take, or species to be covered by the 
permit. 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. 4231 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.

Proposed Project

    The applicant requests to extend the expiration date for three 3 
additional years and does not include any other changes that alter the 
original review analyses by the Service. There is no request for 
additional take or increases in development levels; the proposed time 
extension maintains the existing levels of take but would extend the 
covered activities out to April 19, 2027, instead of April 19, 2024.

Our Preliminary Determination

    The Service has made a preliminary determination that the 
applicant's project, extending the expiration date of the original ITP 
for 3 additional years, would individually and cumulatively have a 
minor or negligible effect on the covered species and the environment. 
Therefore, we have preliminarily concluded that renewal of the ITP for 
this project would qualify for categorical exclusion and that this 
action is low effect under our NEPA regulations at 43 CFR 46.205 and 
46.210. A low-effect action 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 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 and other 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 PER9460033 to Nucor Steel 
Florida, Inc.

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.

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).

Robert L. Carey,
Division Manager, Environmental Review, Florida Ecological Services 
Office.
[FR Doc. 2024-10349 Filed 5-10-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P