Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Availability of Proposed Low-Effect Habitat Conservation Plans, Brevard and Putnam Counties, FL, 78247-78248 [2015-31590]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 241 / Wednesday, December 16, 2015 / Notices Applicant’s Proposed Project We received an application from the applicant for an incidental take permit, along with a proposed habitat conservation plan. The applicant requests an ITP under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). If we approve the application, the applicant anticipates taking a total of approximately 0.87 acres of skink breeding, feeding, and sheltering habitat, incidental to land preparation and construction in Section 17, Township 37 South, Range 30 East, Highlands County, Florida. The applicant plans to begin construction as soon as the ITP is approved. Development of this parcel will include construction of one structure, parking areas, stormwater retention areas, and installation of associated utilities. The applicant proposes to minimize impacts to skinks by preserving a total of 1.80 acres of skink-occupied habitat at a Service-approved conservation bank. The Service listed the skinks as threatened in 1987 (November 6, 1987; 52 FR 20715), effective December 7, 1987. Next Steps The Service will evaluate the HCP and comments submitted thereon to determine whether the application meets the requirements of section 10(a) of the Act. The Service will also evaluate whether issuance of the section 10(a)(1)(B) ITP complies with section 7 of the Act by conducting an intraService section 7 consultation. The results of this consultation, in combination with the above findings, will be used in the final analysis to determine whether or not to issue the ITP. If it is determined that the requirements of the Act are met, the ITP will be issued. Authority: We provide this notice under Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1506.6). Dated: December 7, 2015. Roxanna Hinzman, Field Supervisor, South Florida Ecological Services Office. [FR Doc. 2015–31595 Filed 12–15–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4333–15–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR tkelley on DSK9F6TC42PROD with NOTICES Our Preliminary Determination Fish and Wildlife Service The Service has made a preliminary determination that the applicant’s project, including the mitigation measures, will individually and cumulatively have a minor or negligible effect on the species covered in the HCP. Therefore, issuance of the ITP is a ‘‘low-effect’’ action and qualifies as a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (40 CFR 1506.6), as provided by the Department of the Interior Manual (516 DM 2 Appendix 1 and 516 DM 6 Appendix 1). We base our preliminary determination that issuance of the ITP qualifies as a low-effect action on the following three criteria: (1) Implementation of the project would result in minor or negligible effects on federally listed, proposed, and candidate species and their habitats; (2) Implementation of the project would result in minor or negligible effects on other environmental values or resources; and (3) Impacts of the project, considered together with the impacts of other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable similarly situated projects, would not result, over time, in cumulative effects to environmental values or resources that would be considered significant. This preliminary determination may be revised based on our review of public comments that we receive in response to this notice. [FWS–R4–ES–2015–N226; FXES11130400000EA–123–FF04EF1000] VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:21 Dec 15, 2015 Jkt 238001 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Availability of Proposed Low-Effect Habitat Conservation Plans, Brevard and Putnam Counties, FL Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment/information. AGENCY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received two applications for incidental take permits (ITPs) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). Jellyfish Realty, LLC requests a 5-year ITP; and Vulcan Materials Company requests a 20-year ITP. We request public comment on the permit applications and accompanying proposed habitat conservation plans (HCPs), as well as on our preliminary determination that the plans qualify as low-effect under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). To make this determination, we used our environmental action statement and low-effect screening form, which are also available for review. DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your written comments by January 15, 2016. ADDRESSES: If you wish to review the applications and HCPs, you may request SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00087 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 78247 documents by email, U.S. mail, or phone (see below). These documents are also available for public inspection by appointment during normal business hours at the office below. Send your comments or requests by any one of the following methods. Email: northflorida@fws.gov. Use ‘‘Attn: Permit number TE82957B–0’’ as your message subject line for Jellyfish Realty, LLC; and ‘‘Attn: Permit number TE82956B–0’’ for Vulcan Materials Company. Fax: Field Supervisor, (904) 731– 3191, Attn: Permit number [Insert permit number]. U.S. mail: Field Supervisor, Jacksonville Ecological Services Field Office, Attn: Permit number [Insert permit number], U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 7915 Baymeadows Way, Suite 200, Jacksonville, FL 32256. In-person drop-off: You may drop off information during regular business hours at the above office address. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin M. Gawera, telephone: (904) 731–3121; email: erin_gawera@fws.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background Section 9 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and our implementing Federal regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR 17 prohibit the ‘‘take’’ of fish or wildlife species listed as endangered or threatened. Take of listed fish or wildlife is defined under the Act as ‘‘to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct’’ (16 U.S.C. 1532). However, under limited circumstances, we issue permits to authorize incidental take—i.e., take that is incidental to, and not the purpose of, the carrying out of an otherwise lawful activity. Regulations governing incidental take permits for threatened and endangered species are at 50 CFR 17.32 and 17.22, respectively. The Act’s take prohibitions do not apply to federally listed plants on private lands unless such take would violate State law. In addition to meeting other criteria, an incidental take permit’s proposed actions must not jeopardize the existence of federally listed fish, wildlife, or plants. Applicants’ Proposals Jellyfish Realty, LLC Jellyfish Realty, LLC is requesting take of approximately .53 acre of occupied Florida scrub-jay foraging and sheltering habitat incidental to construction of a veterinary clinic, and they seek a 5-year permit. The .54-acre project is located on parcel number 27–37–06–25– E:\FR\FM\16DEN1.SGM 16DEN1 78248 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 241 / Wednesday, December 16, 2015 / Notices tkelley on DSK9F6TC42PROD with NOTICES 00104.0–0015.00 within Section 06, Township 27 South, Range 37 East, Brevard County, Florida. The project includes construction of a commercial development and the associated infrastructure, and landscaping. The applicant proposes to mitigate for the take of the Florida scrub-jay through the preservation of approximately 1.49 acres of high-quality Florida scrub-jay habitat within the Grissom Parkway Site of the Brevard Coastal Scrub Ecosystem. The applicant also will preserve and donate one currently unencumbered parcel (Brevard County tax parcel number 24– 35–01–25–00001.0–0016.00) to the Brevard County Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Program so that this parcel can be managed and maintained as suitable Florida scrub-jay habitat in perpetuity. The applicant will also provide the EEL Program with a $1,200/acre (totaling $ 1,788) management endowment to ensure the continued success of monitoring and maintaining these lands as suitable Florida scrub-jay habitat. Vulcan Materials Company Vulcan Materials Company proposes incremental mining of sand reserves throughout the 1,183.62-acre permitted mining limits of the approximately 6,815.79-acre project area over the life of the mine, and seeks a 20-year permit for take of occupied sand skink, eastern indigo snake, and gopher tortoise, foraging and sheltering habitat. The 6,815.79-acre project is located on Sections 12–13, Township 9 south, Range 23 east, Sections 7, 17–21, 28–33, Township 9 south, Range 24 east, and Sections 5–6, Township 10 south, Range 24 east, Putnam County, Florida. The extent of direct impacts in future phases is currently undetermined; however, based on the current USFWS guidelines, approximately 343.73 acres of the site appear to be suitable for the sand skink, the eastern indigo snake, and the gopher tortoise. Currently there will be take of 0.26 acre of occupied sand skink foraging and sheltering habitat on Phase IA which will be mitigated by the purchase of .52 mitigation credits within the Tiger Creek Conservation Bank. In advance of the progression of the mining operations into future phases, quantitative surveys will be conducted for the skinks, eastern indigo snakes, and gopher tortoises to determine the occupancy and extent of occupancy within suitable areas. The completion of these surveys will be subject to the Service’s approved survey guidelines at the time the surveys are conducted. The applicant proposes to mitigate for impacts to occupied skink and eastern indigo snake habitat within VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:21 Dec 15, 2015 Jkt 238001 future phases at a ratio of 2:1 by purchasing 2 mitigation bank credits at the Tiger Creek Conservation Bank per every 1 acre of impact. The applicant proposes to mitigate for impacts to occupied gopher tortoise habitat within Phase IA, as well as in future phases, by relocating gopher tortoises and any recovered eggs to a recipient site approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Our Preliminary Determination We have determined that the applicants’ proposals, including the proposed mitigation and minimization measures, would have minor or negligible effects on the species covered in their HCPs. Therefore, we determined that the ITPs for each of the applicants are ‘‘low-effect’’ projects and qualify for categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as provided by the Department of the Interior Manual (516 DM 2 Appendix 1 and 516 DM 6 Appendix 1). A low-effect HCP is one involving (1) Minor or negligible effects on federally listed or candidate species and their habitats, and (2) minor or negligible effects on other environmental values or resources. Next Steps We will evaluate the HCPs and comments we receive to determine whether the ITP applications meet the requirements of section 10(a) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). If we determine that the applications meet these requirements, we will issue ITP numbers TE82957B–0, and TE82956B– 0. We will also evaluate whether issuance of the section 10(a)(1)(B) ITPs complies with section 7 of the Act by conducting an intra-Service section 7 consultation. We will use the results of this consultation, in combination with the above findings, in our final analysis to determine whether or not to issue the ITPs. If the requirements are met, we will issue the permits to the applicants. Public Comments If you wish to comment on the permit applications, HCPs, and associated documents, you may submit comments by any one of the methods in ADDRESSES. Public Availability of Comments Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comments, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment PO 00000 Frm 00088 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Authority We provide this notice under Section 10 of the Act and NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1506.6). Dated: December 10, 2015. Jay B. Herrington, Field Supervisor, Jacksonville Field Office, Southeast Region. [FR Doc. 2015–31590 Filed 12–15–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4333–15–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [LLWY922000–L13200000–EL0000] Notice of Public Meeting; Powder River Regional Coal Team Activities Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice of public meeting. AGENCY: The Powder River Basin Regional Coal Team will meet as indicated below to review coal management activities in the Powder River Coal Production Region (PRCPR). DATES: The meeting begins at 9 a.m., Wednesday, January 27, 2016. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Hearing Room, 2211 King Boulevard, Casper, Wyoming. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wendi Stephens, Coal Coordinator, BLM Wyoming State Office, Division of Minerals and Lands, 5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009, telephone 307–775–6206; or Greg Fesko, Coal Coordinator, BLM Montana State Office, Division of Resources, 5001 Southgate Drive, Billings, Montana 59101, telephone 406–896–5080. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1– 800–877–8339 to contact the above individual during normal business hours. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with the above individual. You will receive a reply during normal business hours. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the meeting is to discuss progress in processing pending coal lease by applications (LBAs), to vote on processing the West Antelope III Tract LBA in the PRCPR and the Decker South Extension Tract LBA in the PRCPR, and to discuss other Federal coal-related SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\16DEN1.SGM 16DEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 241 (Wednesday, December 16, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78247-78248]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-31590]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R4-ES-2015-N226; FXES11130400000EA-123-FF04EF1000]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Availability of 
Proposed Low-Effect Habitat Conservation Plans, Brevard and Putnam 
Counties, FL

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment/information.

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

SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received two 
applications for incidental take permits (ITPs) under the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). Jellyfish Realty, LLC requests a 
5-year ITP; and Vulcan Materials Company requests a 20-year ITP. We 
request public comment on the permit applications and accompanying 
proposed habitat conservation plans (HCPs), as well as on our 
preliminary determination that the plans qualify as low-effect under 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). To make this 
determination, we used our environmental action statement and low-
effect screening form, which are also available for review.

DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your written comments by 
January 15, 2016.

ADDRESSES: If you wish to review the applications and HCPs, you may 
request documents by email, U.S. mail, or phone (see below). These 
documents are also available for public inspection by appointment 
during normal business hours at the office below. Send your comments or 
requests by any one of the following methods.
    Email: northflorida@fws.gov. Use ``Attn: Permit number TE82957B-0'' 
as your message subject line for Jellyfish Realty, LLC; and ``Attn: 
Permit number TE82956B-0'' for Vulcan Materials Company.
    Fax: Field Supervisor, (904) 731-3191, Attn: Permit number [Insert 
permit number].
    U.S. mail: Field Supervisor, Jacksonville Ecological Services Field 
Office, Attn: Permit number [Insert permit number], U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, 7915 Baymeadows Way, Suite 200, Jacksonville, FL 
32256.
    In-person drop-off: You may drop off information during regular 
business hours at the above office address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin M. Gawera, telephone: (904) 731-
3121; email: erin_gawera@fws.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    Section 9 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and our implementing 
Federal regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR 
17 prohibit the ``take'' of fish or wildlife species listed as 
endangered or threatened. Take of listed fish or wildlife is defined 
under the Act as ``to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, 
trap, capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such 
conduct'' (16 U.S.C. 1532). However, under limited circumstances, we 
issue permits to authorize incidental take--i.e., take that is 
incidental to, and not the purpose of, the carrying out of an otherwise 
lawful activity.
    Regulations governing incidental take permits for threatened and 
endangered species are at 50 CFR 17.32 and 17.22, respectively. The 
Act's take prohibitions do not apply to federally listed plants on 
private lands unless such take would violate State law. In addition to 
meeting other criteria, an incidental take permit's proposed actions 
must not jeopardize the existence of federally listed fish, wildlife, 
or plants.

Applicants' Proposals

Jellyfish Realty, LLC

    Jellyfish Realty, LLC is requesting take of approximately .53 acre 
of occupied Florida scrub-jay foraging and sheltering habitat 
incidental to construction of a veterinary clinic, and they seek a 5-
year permit. The .54-acre project is located on parcel number 27-37-06-
25-

[[Page 78248]]

00104.0-0015.00 within Section 06, Township 27 South, Range 37 East, 
Brevard County, Florida. The project includes construction of a 
commercial development and the associated infrastructure, and 
landscaping. The applicant proposes to mitigate for the take of the 
Florida scrub-jay through the preservation of approximately 1.49 acres 
of high-quality Florida scrub-jay habitat within the Grissom Parkway 
Site of the Brevard Coastal Scrub Ecosystem. The applicant also will 
preserve and donate one currently unencumbered parcel (Brevard County 
tax parcel number 24-35-01-25-00001.0-0016.00) to the Brevard County 
Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Program so that this parcel can 
be managed and maintained as suitable Florida scrub-jay habitat in 
perpetuity. The applicant will also provide the EEL Program with a 
$1,200/acre (totaling $ 1,788) management endowment to ensure the 
continued success of monitoring and maintaining these lands as suitable 
Florida scrub-jay habitat.

Vulcan Materials Company

    Vulcan Materials Company proposes incremental mining of sand 
reserves throughout the 1,183.62-acre permitted mining limits of the 
approximately 6,815.79-acre project area over the life of the mine, and 
seeks a 20-year permit for take of occupied sand skink, eastern indigo 
snake, and gopher tortoise, foraging and sheltering habitat. The 
6,815.79-acre project is located on Sections 12-13, Township 9 south, 
Range 23 east, Sections 7, 17-21, 28-33, Township 9 south, Range 24 
east, and Sections 5-6, Township 10 south, Range 24 east, Putnam 
County, Florida. The extent of direct impacts in future phases is 
currently undetermined; however, based on the current USFWS guidelines, 
approximately 343.73 acres of the site appear to be suitable for the 
sand skink, the eastern indigo snake, and the gopher tortoise. 
Currently there will be take of 0.26 acre of occupied sand skink 
foraging and sheltering habitat on Phase IA which will be mitigated by 
the purchase of .52 mitigation credits within the Tiger Creek 
Conservation Bank. In advance of the progression of the mining 
operations into future phases, quantitative surveys will be conducted 
for the skinks, eastern indigo snakes, and gopher tortoises to 
determine the occupancy and extent of occupancy within suitable areas. 
The completion of these surveys will be subject to the Service's 
approved survey guidelines at the time the surveys are conducted. The 
applicant proposes to mitigate for impacts to occupied skink and 
eastern indigo snake habitat within future phases at a ratio of 2:1 by 
purchasing 2 mitigation bank credits at the Tiger Creek Conservation 
Bank per every 1 acre of impact. The applicant proposes to mitigate for 
impacts to occupied gopher tortoise habitat within Phase IA, as well as 
in future phases, by relocating gopher tortoises and any recovered eggs 
to a recipient site approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife 
Conservation Commission.

Our Preliminary Determination

    We have determined that the applicants' proposals, including the 
proposed mitigation and minimization measures, would have minor or 
negligible effects on the species covered in their HCPs. Therefore, we 
determined that the ITPs for each of the applicants are ``low-effect'' 
projects and qualify for categorical exclusion under the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as provided by the Department of the 
Interior Manual (516 DM 2 Appendix 1 and 516 DM 6 Appendix 1). A low-
effect HCP is one involving (1) Minor or negligible effects on 
federally listed or candidate species and their habitats, and (2) minor 
or negligible effects on other environmental values or resources.

Next Steps

    We will evaluate the HCPs and comments we receive to determine 
whether the ITP applications meet the requirements of section 10(a) of 
the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). If we determine that the applications 
meet these requirements, we will issue ITP numbers TE82957B-0, and 
TE82956B-0. We will also evaluate whether issuance of the section 
10(a)(1)(B) ITPs complies with section 7 of the Act by conducting an 
intra-Service section 7 consultation. We will use the results of this 
consultation, in combination with the above findings, in our final 
analysis to determine whether or not to issue the ITPs. If the 
requirements are met, we will issue the permits to the applicants.

Public Comments

    If you wish to comment on the permit applications, HCPs, and 
associated documents, you may submit comments by any one of the methods 
in ADDRESSES.

Public Availability of Comments

    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comments, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may 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 provide this notice under Section 10 of the Act and NEPA 
regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).

    Dated: December 10, 2015.
Jay B. Herrington,
Field Supervisor, Jacksonville Field Office, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2015-31590 Filed 12-15-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
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