[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 132 (Wednesday, July 10, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56775-56776]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-15085]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-R8-ES-2024-0120; FXES11140800000-245-FF08ESMF00]


Draft Environmental Assessment and Proposed Pacific Gas and 
Electric Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle Operation and Maintenance 
Habitat Conservation Plan

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce receipt of an 
application from Pacific Gas and Electric for an incidental take permit 
for the Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle Operation and Maintenance 
Habitat Conservation Plan. Under the Endangered Species Act and 
National Environmental Policy Act, we are making available the 
applicant's draft habitat conservation plan and our draft environmental 
assessment. We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal 
agencies to comment on the documents. Before issuing a requested 
permit, we will take into consideration any information that we receive 
during the public comment period.

DATES: We must receive your written comments on or before August 9, 
2024.

ADDRESSES: 
    Obtaining Documents: The incidental take permit application, draft 
environmental assessment (EA), draft habitat conservation plan (plan), 
and any comments and other materials that we receive are available for 
public inspection at https://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-R8-
ES-2024-0120.
    Submitting Comments: To send written comments, please use one of 
the following methods, and note that your information requests or 
comments are in reference to the draft EA, draft plan, or both.
     Internet: Submit comments at https://www.regulations.gov 
at Docket No. FWS-R8-ES-2024-0120.
     U.S. Mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. 
FWS-R8-ES-2024-0120; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: 
PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
    For more information, see Public Comments under SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wendy Prestera, Senior Wildlife 
Biologist, or Jennifer Hobbs, Supervisor, Military and Waterway 
Planning Division, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, by phone at 
916-414-6675. 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), announce receipt of an application from Pacific Gas and 
Electric (PG&E) for a 30-year incidental take permit for the Valley 
Elderberry Longhorn Beetle Operation and Maintenance Habitat 
Conservation Plan (plan). The draft plan covers operations and 
maintenance activities and minor new construction projects that impact 
valley elderberry longhorn beetle (Desmocerus californicus dimorphus; 
beetle) and its habitat. PG&E has three other habitat conservation 
plans permitted between 2007 and 2020; the draft plan would fill gaps 
in coverage for the beetle and span all or portions of 12 counties in 
California.
    We also make available the draft environmental assessment (EA), 
prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as 
amended (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and its implementing 
regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 40 CFR 1506.6. 
The draft EA evaluates the impacts of the proposed action and the no-
action alternative. The Service also considered four other 
alternatives, but these were eliminated from further consideration 
because they did not meet the purpose and need of the proposed action 
or the applicant's objectives.

Background Information

    Section 9 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1538) and 
Federal regulations (50 CFR 17) prohibit the taking of fish and 
wildlife species listed as endangered or threatened under section 4 of 
the ESA. Regulations governing permits for endangered and threatened 
species are at 50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32, respectively. For more about the 
Federal habitat conservation plan (HCP) program, go to https://www.fws.gov/service/habitat-conservation-plans.

National Environmental Policy Act Compliance

    The proposed issuance of a permit triggers the need for compliance 
with NEPA. The draft EA was prepared to

[[Page 56776]]

analyze the impacts of issuing an incidental take permit based on the 
draft plan; to inform the public of the proposed action, any 
alternatives, and associated impacts; and to disclose any irreversible 
commitments of resources.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action is the Service's issuance of an incidental take 
permit for a period of 30 years for covered species that could be 
affected by PG&E's operations and maintenance activities and minor new 
construction (covered activities). The valley elderberry longhorn 
beetle, federally listed as threatened, is the only species included as 
a covered species in the draft plan. The permit is requested to fill 
gaps in coverage from PG&E's three other habitat conservation plans, 
which include coverage for other federally listed species that occur in 
the plan area. Measures outlined in these three other plans will 
continue to be implemented along with the measures included in the 
draft plan in areas where multiple plans overlap. The goal of PG&E's 
overall program for the draft plan is to avoid, minimize, and mitigate 
temporary and permanent impacts to the beetle and its habitat resulting 
from covered activities.
    Covered activities will occur in all or part of the following 12 
California counties: Solano, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, Alameda, 
Stanislaus, Merced, Napa, Santa Clara, San Benito, Fresno, Mariposa and 
Madera. The total plan area is approximately 477,646 acres. It includes 
PG&E gas and electric transmission and distribution facilities plus 
rights-of-way, the lands owned by PG&E or subject to PG&E easements to 
maintain these facilities, private and public access routes associated 
with PG&E's routine maintenance, a buffer around the rights of way, 
areas of minor new construction, and mitigation areas acquired to 
mitigate effects resulting from covered activities.

Public Comments

    We request data, comments, new information, or suggestions from the 
public, other concerned governmental agencies, the scientific 
community, Tribes, industry, or any other interested party on this 
notice, the draft EA, and the draft plan. We particularly seek comments 
on the following:
    1. Biological information concerning the species;
    2. Relevant data concerning the species;
    3. Additional information concerning the range, distribution, 
population size, and population trends of the species;
    4. Current or planned activities in the area and their possible 
impacts on the species;
    5. The presence of archeological sites, buildings and structures, 
historic events, sacred and traditional areas, and other historic 
preservation concerns, which are required to be considered in project 
planning by the National Historic Preservation Act; and
    6. Any other environmental issues that should be considered with 
regard to the proposed development and permit action.

Public Availability of Comments

    Before including your address, phone number, or other personal 
identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your 
entire comment--including your personal identifying information--might 
be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your 
comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public 
review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Authority

    We publish this notice under the National Environmental Policy Act 
of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and its implementing 
regulations at 40 CFR 1500-1508, as well as in compliance with section 
10(c) of the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and its 
implementing regulations at 50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32.

Michael Fris,
Field Supervisor, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office.
[FR Doc. 2024-15085 Filed 7-9-24; 8:45 am]
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