Joint Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Impact Report, Joint Draft Habitat Conservation Plan and Natural Community Conservation Plan; Yolo County, California, 25302-25304 [2017-11295]
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 104 / Thursday, June 1, 2017 / Notices
habitat quality and quantity and
mitigating significant threats to slender
rush-pea and South Texas ambrosia.
The draft recovery plan focuses on
protecting populations, managing
threats, maintaining and creating
appropriate habitat, monitoring
progress, and building partnerships to
facilitate recovery. When the recovery of
the slender rush-pea and/or South Texas
ambrosia approaches these criteria, we
will review the species’ status and
consider downlisting on, and,
ultimately, removal from the list of
federally endangered and threatened
plants.
Request for Public Comments
Section 4(f) of the Act requires us to
provide public notice and an
opportunity for public review and
comment during recovery plan
development. It is also our policy to
request peer review of recovery plans
(July 1, 1994; 59 FR 34270). In an
appendix to the approved recovery plan,
we will summarize and respond to the
issues raised by the public and peer
reviewers. Substantive comments may
or may not result in changes to the
recovery plan; comments regarding
recovery plan implementation will be
forwarded as appropriate to Federal or
other entities so that they can be taken
into account during the course of
implementing recovery actions.
Responses to individual commenters
will not be provided, but we will
provide a summary of how we
addressed substantive comments in an
appendix to the approved recovery plan.
We invite written comments on the
draft recovery plan. In particular, we are
interested in additional information
regarding the current threats to the
species, ongoing beneficial management
efforts, and the costs associated with
implementing the recommended
recovery actions.
Before we approve our final recovery
plan, we will consider all comments we
receive by the date specified in DATES,
above. Methods of submitting comments
are described in ADDRESSES, above.
mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES
Public Availability of Comments
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 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.
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18:32 May 31, 2017
Jkt 241001
Comments and materials we receive
will be available, by appointment, for
public inspection during normal
business hours at our office (see
ADDRESSES).
References Cited
A complete list of all references cited
herein is available upon request from
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Branch of Recovery (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT).
Authority
We developed our draft recovery plan
and publish this notice under the
authority of section 4(f) of the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: January 17, 2017.
Benjamin N. Tuggle,
Regional Director, Southwest Region, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2017–11305 Filed 5–31–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R8–ES–2017–N053]; [FF08ESMF00–
FXES11140800000–178]
Joint Draft Environmental Impact
Statement and Environmental Impact
Report, Joint Draft Habitat
Conservation Plan and Natural
Community Conservation Plan; Yolo
County, California
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of permit
application; request for comment.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, announce the
availability of a joint draft
environmental impact statement and
draft environmental impact report (draft
EIS/EIR) under the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1967, as
amended. We also announce receipt of
applications for an incidental take
permit under the Endangered Species
Act of 1973, as amended, and receipt of
a draft habitat conservation plan and
natural community conservation plan.
DATES: Submitting Comments: To ensure
consideration, written comments must
be received by August 30, 2017.
Public Meetings: Two public meetings
will be held:
1. Tuesday, June 27, 2017; 1:00–3:00
p.m., Yolo County Board of Supervisors
Chambers, 625 Court Street, Room 206,
Woodland, California, 95695.
SUMMARY:
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2. Thursday, June 29, 2017; 6:30–8:30
p.m., Davis Senior Center, 646 A Street,
Davis, California, 95616.
ADDRESSES: Submitting Comments:
Please address written comments to
Mike Thomas, Chief, Conservation
Planning Division; or Eric Tattersall,
Assistant Field Supervisor, by mail/
hand-delivery at U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife
Office, 2800 Cottage Way, W–2605,
Sacramento, California 95825; or by
facsimile to (916) 414–6713. You may
telephone (916) 414–6600 to make an
appointment during regular business
hours to drop off comments at the
Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office.
Please send comments related
specifically to the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
process to Petrea Marchand, Executive
Director, Yolo Habitat Conservancy, 611
North Street, Woodland, CA 95695.
Reviewing Documents: You may
obtain electronic copies of the draft
habitat conservation plan and natural
community conservation plan and draft
EIS/EIR from the Sacramento Fish and
Wildlife Office Web site at https://
www.fws.gov/sacramento or the Yolo
Habitat Conservancy’s Web site at
https://www.yolohabitatconservancy.org.
Copies of these documents are also
available for public inspection, by
appointment, during regular business
hours, at the Sacramento Fish and
Wildlife Office and at the following
libraries: Mary L. Stephens Davis
Library, 315 E. 14th Street, Davis,
California 95616; Arthur F. Turner
Community Library, 1212 Merkley
Avenue, West Sacramento, California
95691; Woodland Public Library, 250
1st Street, Woodland, California 95695;
Winters Community Library, 708
Railroad Avenue, Winters, California
95694; and the Yolo Branch Library,
37750 Sacramento Street, Yolo,
California 95697.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mike Thomas, Chief, Conservation
Planning Division; or Eric Tattersall,
Assistant Field Supervisor, at the
Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office
address above or at (916) 414–6600
(telephone). If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf,
please call the Federal Relay Service at
(800) 877–8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
notice advises the public that we, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service),
announce the availability of a draft EIS/
EIR, prepared pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1967, as
amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.;
NEPA), and its implementing
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 104 / Thursday, June 1, 2017 / Notices
regulations in the Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) at 40 CFR 1506.6.
This notice also announces the receipt
of applications from the Yolo Habitat
Conservancy, County of Yolo, and the
cities of Davis, West Sacramento,
Winters, and Woodland (collectively
applicants), for a 50-year incidental take
permit (ITP) under the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.; Act). The applicants
prepared the draft Yolo Habitat
Conservation Plan and Natural
Community Conservation Plan (Draft
Plan) pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of
the Act and the California Natural
Community Conservation Planning Act
of 2002 (NCCPA). The applicants are
requesting the authorization of
incidental take for 12 covered species
that could result from activities covered
under the Draft Plan.
Background Information
Section 9 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531–
1544 et seq.) and Federal regulations (50
CFR 17) prohibit the taking of fish and
wildlife species listed as endangered or
threatened under section 4 of the Act.
Regulations governing permits for
endangered and threatened species are
at 50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32. For more
about the Federal habitat conservation
plan (HCP) program, go to https://
www.fws.gov/endangered/esa-library/
pdf/hcp.pdf.
Proposed Action Alternative
The Service would issue an ITP to the
applicants for a period of 50 years for
certain covered activities (described
below). The applicants have requested
an ITP for 12 covered species (described
below), 11 animals and 1 plant, of
which, 5 animals and 1 plant are
currently listed as threatened or
endangered under the Act.
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Plan Area
The geographic scope of the Draft
Plan includes all lands within Yolo
County, totaling approximately 653,549
acres, and 1,174 acres in Solano County
on the south side of Putah Creek, for a
total combined area of 654,723 acres
(Plan Area).
Covered Activities
The proposed section 10 ITP would
allow take of 12 covered species
resulting from certain covered activities
in the proposed Plan Area. The
applicants are requesting incidental take
authorization for these 12 covered
species that could be affected by
activities identified in the Draft Plan.
The Draft Plan covers the following five
general categories of covered activities
(collectively, Covered Activities):
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1. Urban projects and activities,
which include general urban
development, urban public services,
infrastructure, and utilities, and urban
projects in rural areas.
2. Rural projects and activities, which
include general rural development, rural
public services, infrastructure, and
utilities, agricultural economic
development, aggregate mining, and
open space.
3. Public and private operations and
maintenance activities.
4. Conservation strategy
implementation, which includes habitat
restoration, management, and
enhancement activities throughout the
reserve system.
5. Neighboring landowner
agreements.
Covered Species
Covered species are those 12 species
addressed in the Draft Plan for which
conservation actions will be
implemented and for which the
applicants are seeking an ITP for a
period of 50 years. Proposed covered
species include those listed as
threatened or endangered under the Act,
species listed under the California
Endangered Species Act (CESA), as well
as currently unlisted species that have
the potential to become listed during the
life of the Draft Plan.
The following federally listed
threatened and endangered wildlife
species are proposed to be covered by
the Draft Plan: Threatened California
tiger salamander (Central Distinct
Population Segment (DPS)) (Amystoma
californiense), threatened Valley
elderberry longhorn beetle (Desmocerus
californicaus dimorphus), threatened
giant garter snake (Thamnophis gigas),
threatened western yellow-billed
cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus
occidentalis), and endangered Least
Bell’s vireo (Vireo belli pusillus). The
following non-listed wildlife species are
also proposed to be covered by the Draft
Plan: Western pond turtle (Actinemys
marmorata), Swainson’s hawk (Buteo
swainsoni), white-tailed kite (Elanus
leucurus), western burrowing owl
(Athene cunicularia hypugaea), bank
swallow (Riparia riparia), and tricolored
blackbird (Agelaius tricolor). One
federally listed plant species, the
endangered palmate-bracted bird’s beak
(Chloropyron palmatum), is also
proposed to be covered by the Draft
Plan, in recognition of the conservation
benefits provided for it in the Draft Plan.
Collectively, these 12 species comprise
the Covered Species addressed by the
Draft Plan. All species included on the
ITP would receive assurances under the
Service’s ‘‘No Surprises’’ regulations
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25303
found in 50 CFR 17.22(b)(5) and
17.32(b)(5).
Take of federally listed plant species
is not prohibited on non-Federal land
under the Act, and cannot be authorized
under a section 10 permit, but one plant
species is included in the Draft Plan and
proposed to be included on the ITP in
recognition of the conservation benefits
provided for it under the Draft Plan and
because of the assurances the applicants
would receive if it is included on the
ITP.
National Environmental Policy Act
Compliance
The draft EIS/EIR was prepared to
analyze the impacts of issuing an ITP
based on the Draft Plan and to inform
the public of the proposed action,
alternatives, and associated impacts and
to disclose any irreversible
commitments of resources.
The proposed permit issuance triggers
the need for compliance with NEPA. For
the purposes of NEPA, the Proposed
Action Alternative presented in the
Draft EIS/EIR is compared to the NoAction Alternative. The No-Action
Alternative represents estimated future
conditions to which the Proposed
Action’s estimated future conditions can
be compared. For purposes of the
California Environmental Quality Act
the proposed action alternative is
compared to existing conditions.
The Service published a notice of
intent (NOI) to prepare a joint
environmental impact statement and
environmental impact report in the
Federal Register on October 21, 2011
(76 FR 65527). The NOI announced a
45-day public scoping period, during
which the public was invited to provide
written comments and attend two
public scoping meetings, which were
held on November 7, 2011, in West
Sacramento, California.
No-Action Alternative
Under the No-Action Alternative, the
Service would not issue an ITP to the
Applicants, and the Draft Plan would
not be implemented. Under this
alternative, individual projects carried
out by or approved by one or more of
the applicants that may adversely affect
federally listed species would require
project-level consultation with the
Service pursuant to section 7 or section
10 of the Act. Because the applicants
and private developers would generate
environmental documentation and
apply for permits on a project-by-project
basis, there would not be a
comprehensive program to coordinate
and standardize mitigation requirements
of the Act within the Plan Area.
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 104 / Thursday, June 1, 2017 / Notices
Reduced Take Alternative
Public Comments
The Reduced Take Alternative would
include the same categories of covered
activities as the Proposed Action
Alternative; however, under this
Alternative, eight geographic areas
designated for development under the
Proposed Action Alternative that would
result in take of Covered Species would
not be permitted. These locations are in
the vicinity of Clarksburg, Davis, the
Dunnigan Specific Plan, West
Sacramento, and Woodland (see Exhibit
2–6 in the EIS/EIR), and include
approximately 1,335 acres. Other than
assuming that no take of Covered
Species would occur in the 1,335 acres,
the Reduced Take Alternative also
assumes that the 1,335 acres of
development could be displaced to
another location under the same take
restriction as the Proposed Action
Alternative; all other elements of the
Draft Plan (e.g., Covered Species and
Covered Activities) remain the same
under the Reduced Take Alternative.
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 EIS/EIR,
and 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
subject 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. Identification of any other
environmental issues that should be
considered with regard to the proposed
development and permit action.
You may submit your comments and
materials by one of the methods listed
in the ADDRESSES section. Comments
and materials we receive will be
available for public inspection by
appointment, during normal business
hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to
4:30 p.m.) at the Service’s Sacramento
address (see ADDRESSES).
mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES
Reduced Development Alternative
The Reduced Development
Alternative would include the same
categories of covered activities as the
Proposed Action Alternative; however,
under this Alternative, development
within a portion of the west side of the
Dunnigan Specific Plan Area, and the
Elkhorn Specific Plan Area, are assumed
to not be included in the Covered
Activities. The portion of the Dunnigan
Specific Plan selected for exclusion
from Covered Activities under this
Alternative covers approximately 1,012
acres, and the Elkhorn Specific Plan
Area covers approximately 383 acres. In
each of these two areas, it is assumed
that some type of development could
potentially occur within the 50-year
term of the permit. If such development
were to occur, it would not be
considered a Covered Activity under the
HCP; therefore, the HCP would not be
available as a mechanism to address
affects to Covered Species. Any
permitting required for compliance with
the Act for future development would
be undertaken for each of these two
areas individually on a project-byproject basis. Permitting and mitigation
would be implemented in a manner
similar to under the No Action
Alternative. Other than characteristics
described above, all other elements of
the Draft Plan (e.g., Covered Species and
Covered Activities) remain the same
under the Reduced Development
Alternative.
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18:32 May 31, 2017
Jkt 241001
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.
Next Steps
Issuance of an incidental take permit
is a Federal proposed action subject to
compliance with NEPA. We will
evaluate the application, associated
documents, and any public comments
we receive to determine whether the
application meets the requirements of
NEPA regulations and section 10(a) of
the Act. If we determine that those
requirements are met, we will issue
permits to the applicants for the
incidental take of the Covered Species.
A permit decision will be made no
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sooner than 30 days after the
publication of the notice of availability
for the final Plan, final EIS/EIR, and
completion of the Record of Decision.
Authority
We publish this notice under the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321–4347
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. 1531–1544 et seq.) and its
implementing regulations at 40 CFR
17.22.
Michael Fris,
Assistant Regional Director, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Pacific Southwest Region,
Sacramento, California.
[FR Doc. 2017–11295 Filed 5–31–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 43330–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R7–ES–2017–N065; FF07CAMM00–
FX–FXEX111607MRG01]
Marine Mammals; Incidental Take
During Specified Activities; Proposed
Incidental Harassment Authorization
for Pacific Walruses and Polar Bears in
Alaska and Associated Federal Waters
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of receipt of application
and proposed incidental harassment
authorization; availability of draft
environmental assessment; request for
comments.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, in response to a
request under the Marine Mammal
Protection Act of 1972, as amended,
from Quintillion Subsea Operation,
LLC, propose to authorize the incidental
taking by harassment of small numbers
of Pacific walruses and polar bears from
July 1 to November 15, 2017. The
applicant has requested this
authorization for its planned fiber optic
cable-laying activities. The area
specified for inclusion in the proposed
authorization includes Federal waters of
the northern Bering, Chukchi, and
western portions of the southern
Beaufort Seas, the marine waters of the
State of Alaska, and coastal land
adjacent to Nome, Kotzebue, Point
Hope, Wainwright, Utqiagvik (formerly
Barrow), and Oliktok Point, as shown in
Figure 1. We anticipate no take by
injury or death and include none in this
proposed authorization, which if
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 104 (Thursday, June 1, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25302-25304]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-11295]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R8-ES-2017-N053]; [FF08ESMF00-FXES11140800000-178]
Joint Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental
Impact Report, Joint Draft Habitat Conservation Plan and Natural
Community Conservation Plan; Yolo County, California
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of permit application; request for
comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the
availability of a joint draft environmental impact statement and draft
environmental impact report (draft EIS/EIR) under the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1967, as amended. We also announce receipt
of applications for an incidental take permit under the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended, and receipt of a draft habitat
conservation plan and natural community conservation plan.
DATES: Submitting Comments: To ensure consideration, written comments
must be received by August 30, 2017.
Public Meetings: Two public meetings will be held:
1. Tuesday, June 27, 2017; 1:00-3:00 p.m., Yolo County Board of
Supervisors Chambers, 625 Court Street, Room 206, Woodland, California,
95695.
2. Thursday, June 29, 2017; 6:30-8:30 p.m., Davis Senior Center,
646 A Street, Davis, California, 95616.
ADDRESSES: Submitting Comments: Please address written comments to Mike
Thomas, Chief, Conservation Planning Division; or Eric Tattersall,
Assistant Field Supervisor, by mail/hand-delivery at U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage
Way, W-2605, Sacramento, California 95825; or by facsimile to (916)
414-6713. You may telephone (916) 414-6600 to make an appointment
during regular business hours to drop off comments at the Sacramento
Fish and Wildlife Office.
Please send comments related specifically to the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process to Petrea Marchand, Executive
Director, Yolo Habitat Conservancy, 611 North Street, Woodland, CA
95695.
Reviewing Documents: You may obtain electronic copies of the draft
habitat conservation plan and natural community conservation plan and
draft EIS/EIR from the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office Web site at
https://www.fws.gov/sacramento or the Yolo Habitat Conservancy's Web
site at https://www.yolohabitatconservancy.org. Copies of these
documents are also available for public inspection, by appointment,
during regular business hours, at the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife
Office and at the following libraries: Mary L. Stephens Davis Library,
315 E. 14th Street, Davis, California 95616; Arthur F. Turner Community
Library, 1212 Merkley Avenue, West Sacramento, California 95691;
Woodland Public Library, 250 1st Street, Woodland, California 95695;
Winters Community Library, 708 Railroad Avenue, Winters, California
95694; and the Yolo Branch Library, 37750 Sacramento Street, Yolo,
California 95697.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mike Thomas, Chief, Conservation
Planning Division; or Eric Tattersall, Assistant Field Supervisor, at
the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office address above or at (916) 414-
6600 (telephone). If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf,
please call the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice advises the public that we, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of
a draft EIS/EIR, prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1967, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.; NEPA), and its
implementing
[[Page 25303]]
regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 40 CFR 1506.6.
This notice also announces the receipt of applications from the
Yolo Habitat Conservancy, County of Yolo, and the cities of Davis, West
Sacramento, Winters, and Woodland (collectively applicants), for a 50-
year incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act of
1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.; Act). The applicants prepared
the draft Yolo Habitat Conservation Plan and Natural Community
Conservation Plan (Draft Plan) pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the
Act and the California Natural Community Conservation Planning Act of
2002 (NCCPA). The applicants are requesting the authorization of
incidental take for 12 covered species that could result from
activities covered under the Draft Plan.
Background Information
Section 9 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531-1544 et seq.) and Federal
regulations (50 CFR 17) prohibit the taking of fish and wildlife
species listed as endangered or threatened under section 4 of the Act.
Regulations governing permits for endangered and threatened species are
at 50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32. For more about the Federal habitat
conservation plan (HCP) program, go to https://www.fws.gov/endangered/esa-library/pdf/hcp.pdf.
Proposed Action Alternative
The Service would issue an ITP to the applicants for a period of 50
years for certain covered activities (described below). The applicants
have requested an ITP for 12 covered species (described below), 11
animals and 1 plant, of which, 5 animals and 1 plant are currently
listed as threatened or endangered under the Act.
Plan Area
The geographic scope of the Draft Plan includes all lands within
Yolo County, totaling approximately 653,549 acres, and 1,174 acres in
Solano County on the south side of Putah Creek, for a total combined
area of 654,723 acres (Plan Area).
Covered Activities
The proposed section 10 ITP would allow take of 12 covered species
resulting from certain covered activities in the proposed Plan Area.
The applicants are requesting incidental take authorization for these
12 covered species that could be affected by activities identified in
the Draft Plan. The Draft Plan covers the following five general
categories of covered activities (collectively, Covered Activities):
1. Urban projects and activities, which include general urban
development, urban public services, infrastructure, and utilities, and
urban projects in rural areas.
2. Rural projects and activities, which include general rural
development, rural public services, infrastructure, and utilities,
agricultural economic development, aggregate mining, and open space.
3. Public and private operations and maintenance activities.
4. Conservation strategy implementation, which includes habitat
restoration, management, and enhancement activities throughout the
reserve system.
5. Neighboring landowner agreements.
Covered Species
Covered species are those 12 species addressed in the Draft Plan
for which conservation actions will be implemented and for which the
applicants are seeking an ITP for a period of 50 years. Proposed
covered species include those listed as threatened or endangered under
the Act, species listed under the California Endangered Species Act
(CESA), as well as currently unlisted species that have the potential
to become listed during the life of the Draft Plan.
The following federally listed threatened and endangered wildlife
species are proposed to be covered by the Draft Plan: Threatened
California tiger salamander (Central Distinct Population Segment (DPS))
(Amystoma californiense), threatened Valley elderberry longhorn beetle
(Desmocerus californicaus dimorphus), threatened giant garter snake
(Thamnophis gigas), threatened western yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus
americanus occidentalis), and endangered Least Bell's vireo (Vireo
belli pusillus). The following non-listed wildlife species are also
proposed to be covered by the Draft Plan: Western pond turtle
(Actinemys marmorata), Swainson's hawk (Buteo swainsoni), white-tailed
kite (Elanus leucurus), western burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia
hypugaea), bank swallow (Riparia riparia), and tricolored blackbird
(Agelaius tricolor). One federally listed plant species, the endangered
palmate-bracted bird's beak (Chloropyron palmatum), is also proposed to
be covered by the Draft Plan, in recognition of the conservation
benefits provided for it in the Draft Plan. Collectively, these 12
species comprise the Covered Species addressed by the Draft Plan. All
species included on the ITP would receive assurances under the
Service's ``No Surprises'' regulations found in 50 CFR 17.22(b)(5) and
17.32(b)(5).
Take of federally listed plant species is not prohibited on non-
Federal land under the Act, and cannot be authorized under a section 10
permit, but one plant species is included in the Draft Plan and
proposed to be included on the ITP in recognition of the conservation
benefits provided for it under the Draft Plan and because of the
assurances the applicants would receive if it is included on the ITP.
National Environmental Policy Act Compliance
The draft EIS/EIR was prepared to analyze the impacts of issuing an
ITP based on the Draft Plan and to inform the public of the proposed
action, alternatives, and associated impacts and to disclose any
irreversible commitments of resources.
The proposed permit issuance triggers the need for compliance with
NEPA. For the purposes of NEPA, the Proposed Action Alternative
presented in the Draft EIS/EIR is compared to the No-Action
Alternative. The No-Action Alternative represents estimated future
conditions to which the Proposed Action's estimated future conditions
can be compared. For purposes of the California Environmental Quality
Act the proposed action alternative is compared to existing conditions.
The Service published a notice of intent (NOI) to prepare a joint
environmental impact statement and environmental impact report in the
Federal Register on October 21, 2011 (76 FR 65527). The NOI announced a
45-day public scoping period, during which the public was invited to
provide written comments and attend two public scoping meetings, which
were held on November 7, 2011, in West Sacramento, California.
No-Action Alternative
Under the No-Action Alternative, the Service would not issue an ITP
to the Applicants, and the Draft Plan would not be implemented. Under
this alternative, individual projects carried out by or approved by one
or more of the applicants that may adversely affect federally listed
species would require project-level consultation with the Service
pursuant to section 7 or section 10 of the Act. Because the applicants
and private developers would generate environmental documentation and
apply for permits on a project-by-project basis, there would not be a
comprehensive program to coordinate and standardize mitigation
requirements of the Act within the Plan Area.
[[Page 25304]]
Reduced Take Alternative
The Reduced Take Alternative would include the same categories of
covered activities as the Proposed Action Alternative; however, under
this Alternative, eight geographic areas designated for development
under the Proposed Action Alternative that would result in take of
Covered Species would not be permitted. These locations are in the
vicinity of Clarksburg, Davis, the Dunnigan Specific Plan, West
Sacramento, and Woodland (see Exhibit 2-6 in the EIS/EIR), and include
approximately 1,335 acres. Other than assuming that no take of Covered
Species would occur in the 1,335 acres, the Reduced Take Alternative
also assumes that the 1,335 acres of development could be displaced to
another location under the same take restriction as the Proposed Action
Alternative; all other elements of the Draft Plan (e.g., Covered
Species and Covered Activities) remain the same under the Reduced Take
Alternative.
Reduced Development Alternative
The Reduced Development Alternative would include the same
categories of covered activities as the Proposed Action Alternative;
however, under this Alternative, development within a portion of the
west side of the Dunnigan Specific Plan Area, and the Elkhorn Specific
Plan Area, are assumed to not be included in the Covered Activities.
The portion of the Dunnigan Specific Plan selected for exclusion from
Covered Activities under this Alternative covers approximately 1,012
acres, and the Elkhorn Specific Plan Area covers approximately 383
acres. In each of these two areas, it is assumed that some type of
development could potentially occur within the 50-year term of the
permit. If such development were to occur, it would not be considered a
Covered Activity under the HCP; therefore, the HCP would not be
available as a mechanism to address affects to Covered Species. Any
permitting required for compliance with the Act for future development
would be undertaken for each of these two areas individually on a
project-by-project basis. Permitting and mitigation would be
implemented in a manner similar to under the No Action Alternative.
Other than characteristics described above, all other elements of the
Draft Plan (e.g., Covered Species and Covered Activities) remain the
same under the Reduced Development Alternative.
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 EIS/EIR, and 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 subject 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. Identification of any other environmental issues that should be
considered with regard to the proposed development and permit action.
You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods
listed in the ADDRESSES section. Comments and materials we receive will
be available for public inspection by appointment, during normal
business hours (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) at the
Service's Sacramento address (see ADDRESSES).
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.
Next Steps
Issuance of an incidental take permit is a Federal proposed action
subject to compliance with NEPA. We will evaluate the application,
associated documents, and any public comments we receive to determine
whether the application meets the requirements of NEPA regulations and
section 10(a) of the Act. If we determine that those requirements are
met, we will issue permits to the applicants for the incidental take of
the Covered Species. A permit decision will be made no sooner than 30
days after the publication of the notice of availability for the final
Plan, final EIS/EIR, and completion of the Record of Decision.
Authority
We publish this notice under the National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321-4347 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. 1531-1544 et seq.) and
its implementing regulations at 40 CFR 17.22.
Michael Fris,
Assistant Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific
Southwest Region, Sacramento, California.
[FR Doc. 2017-11295 Filed 5-31-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 43330-15-P
