Draft Habitat Conservation Plan for the Desert Tortoise and Mohave Ground Squirrel and Draft Environmental Assessment; Hinkley Groundwater Remediation Project; San Bernardino County, California, 60416-60417 [2017-27440]
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60416
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 20, 2017 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R8–ES–2017–N148];
[FXES11140800000–178–FF08E00000]
Draft Habitat Conservation Plan for the
Desert Tortoise and Mohave Ground
Squirrel and Draft Environmental
Assessment; Hinkley Groundwater
Remediation Project; San Bernardino
County, California
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for public comment.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, announce the receipt
and availability of a draft Habitat
Conservation Plan (HCP) and draft
environmental assessment (EA), which
evaluates the impacts of, and
alternatives to, the proposed Hinkley
Groundwater Remediation Project. The
Hinkley HCP was submitted by Pacific
Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) in
support of an application under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended, for a permit authorizing the
incidental take of covered species
resulting from covered activities.
PG&E’s application is for a 50-year
incidental take permit to cover
groundwater remediation activities
within a plan area of approximately
29,927 acres in and around Hinkley,
California. We request review and
comment on the Hinkley HCP and the
draft EA from local, State, and Federal
agencies; Tribes; and the public.
DATES: To ensure consideration, please
send your written comments by January
19, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents:
• Internet: You may obtain copies of
the Hinkley HCP and draft EA on the
Hinkley Groundwater Remediation
website at https://www.hinkley
groundwater.com.
• U.S. Mail: A limited number of CD–
ROM and printed copies of the Hinkley
HCP and draft EA and are available, by
request, from the Palm Springs Fish and
Wildlife Office at 777 East Tahquitz
Canyon Way, Suite 208, Palm Springs,
CA 92262; by mail at the Hinkley
Independent Review Panel (IRP)
Manager Office, 36236 Serra Rd.,
Hinkley, CA 92347; by phone at (714)
338–1800; or by email at info@
projectnagivator.com. Please specify
that your request is about the Hinkley
HCP.
• In-Person: Copies of the Hinkley
HCP and draft EA are also available for
public inspection and review at the
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
21:36 Dec 19, 2017
Jkt 244001
following locations, by appointment and
written request only, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.:
Æ Hinkley IRP Manager Office, 36236
Serra Rd., Hinkley, CA 92347.
Æ PG&E Public Outreach Office,
22999 Community Blvd., Hinkley, CA
92347.
Æ Barstow Library, 304 E Buena Vista
St, Barstow, CA 92311.
Submitting Comments: You may
submit comments by one of the
following methods:
Æ Email: fw8cfwocomments@fws.gov;
please include ‘‘Hinkley HCP’’ in the
subject line.
Æ U.S. Mail: Kennon A. Corey, Palm
Springs Fish and Wildlife Office, Attn:
Hinkley HCP, 777 East Tahquitz Canyon
Way, Suite 208, Palm Springs, CA
92262, Attn: Hinkley HCP.
Æ Telephone: Kennon A. Corey, Palm
Springs Fish and Wildlife Office, (760)
322–2070.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Scott Hoffmann, by mail at the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, 777 East Tahquitz
Canyon Way, Suite 208, Palm Springs,
CA 92262; or by phone at (760) 322–
2070.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service),
announce the receipt and availability of
a draft Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP)
and draft environmental assessment
(EA), which evaluates the impacts of,
and alternatives to, the proposed
Hinkley Groundwater Remediation
Project. The Hinkley HCP was
submitted by the Pacific Gas & Electric
Company (PG&E) in support of an
application under section 10 of the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (ESA), for a permit authorizing
the incidental take of covered species
resulting from covered activities. The
proposed Hinkley HCP area
encompasses approximately 29,927
acres in the southeastern portion of San
Bernardino County, within the State of
California.
Introduction
Under section 10(c) of the ESA and
under the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), this notice
advises the public of the receipt and
availability for public review of the draft
Hinkley HCP and draft EA, which
evaluates the impacts of, and
alternatives to, the Hinkley HCP,
submitted with an application for a
permit to authorize the incidental take
of federally listed covered species
resulting from covered activities within
the plan area. The Service is the Lead
Agency pursuant to NEPA. The
proposed Federal action is issuance to
PG&E of an incidental take permit (ITP)
under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA.
PO 00000
Frm 00048
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Background
Section 9 of the ESA prohibits ‘‘take’’
of fish and wildlife species listed as
endangered under section 4 (16 U.S.C.
1538, 1533, respectively). Section
10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA provides for the
issuance of a permit for the taking of
listed fish and wildlife species that is
incidental to, and not the purpose of,
the carrying out of an otherwise lawful
activity (‘‘incidental take’’). The ESA
implementing regulations extend, under
certain circumstances, the prohibition of
take to threatened species (50 CFR
17.31). Regulations governing permits
for endangered and threatened species
are at 50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32. For more
about the HCP program, go to https://
www.fws.gov/endangered/esa-library/
pdf/hcp.pdf.
Under section 10(a) of the ESA, the
Service may issue permits to authorize
incidental take of listed fish and
wildlife species. Section 10(a)(2)(B) of
the ESA contains criteria for issuing
ITPs to non-Federal entities for the take
of endangered and threatened species,
provided the following criteria are met:
• The taking will be incidental;
• The applicant will, to the maximum
extent practicable, minimize and
mitigate the impact of such taking;
• The applicant will develop an HCP
and ensure that adequate funding for the
plan will be provided;
• The taking will not appreciably
reduce the likelihood of the survival
and recovery of the species in the wild;
and
• The applicant will carry out any
other measures that the Secretary may
require as being necessary or
appropriate for the purposes of the HCP.
The purpose of issuing an ITP to
PG&E would be to permit incidental
take of the covered species resulting
from groundwater remediation activities
conducted by PG&E and conditioned on
PG&E’s minimization and mitigation of
the impacts of such take in accordance
with an approved Hinkley HCP.
Implementation of the Hinkley HCP is
intended to maximize the benefits of
conservation measures for covered
species and eliminate expensive and
time-consuming efforts associated with
processing individual ITPs for each
groundwater remediation project within
PG&E’s plan area.
The proposed Hinkley HCP includes
measures intended to minimize and
mitigate the impacts of the taking to the
maximum extent practicable from
groundwater remediation activities
within the plan area.
Proposed Action
The proposed action is the issuance of
an ITP by the Service to PG&E for the
E:\FR\FM\20DEN1.SGM
20DEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 20, 2017 / Notices
incidental take of covered species from
groundwater remediation activities,
including the avoidance, minimization,
and mitigation of impacts to covered
species within the 29,927-acre plan area
for 50 years. The proposed Hinkley HCP
is a conservation plan for two species,
the desert tortoise (federally listed as
threatened) and the Mohave ground
squirrel (not currently listed). The
groundwater remediation activities that
will be covered by the ITP include
groundwater monitoring, freshwater
injection into the water table, operation
of agricultural units for bioremediation,
below- and above-ground treatments,
access road construction, structure
demolition, and emergency repair of
infrastructure. Potential impacts to
covered species include disruption of
normal behavior by covered activities,
movement of animals away from work
areas, and injury or death due to
construction activities. The Hinkley
HCP would provide a comprehensive
approach to the protection and
management of these species and their
habitat within the plan area.
The plan area is approximately 29,927
acres, and includes all areas within
which PG&E is proposing to conduct
groundwater remediation activities. The
plan area is common to both alternatives
analyzed in the EA, and represents the
surface area above the projected
maximum spatial extent of
contaminated groundwater. The plan
area also defines the maximum spatial
extent of surface areas within which
PG&E may implement groundwater
remediation activities, and the
maximum spatial extent of potential
groundwater effects such as drawdown
or accumulation of remediation
byproducts.
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
Alternatives
We considered two alternatives in the
EA: (1) The Proposed Action as
described in the HCP, and (2) the No
Action alternative. Two other
alternatives, discussed in the HCP as
alternatives considered but not utilized,
were not carried forward for analysis in
the EA. The No Action alternative is
based on PG&E’s continued
implementation of groundwater
remediation activities, consistent with
current laws and regulations, in areas
where take of listed species would be
avoided; under this alternative we
would not issue an ITP.
Request for Comments
Consistent with section 10(c) of the
ESA, we invite your submission of
written comments, data, or arguments
with respect to PG&E’s permit
VerDate Sep<11>2014
21:36 Dec 19, 2017
Jkt 244001
application, the Hinkley HCP, and
proposed permitting decision.
Public Availability of Comments
Written comments we receive become
part of the public record 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 may 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.
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
section 10(a) of the ESA. If we
determine that those requirements are
met, we will issue a permit to the
applicant for the incidental take of the
covered species. We will make our final
permit decision no sooner than 30 days
after the public comment period closes.
Authority
We provide this notice under section
10(c) of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)
and its implementing regulations (50
CFR 17.22 and 17.32) and NEPA (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its
implementing regulations (40 CFR
1506.6).
G. Mendel Stewart,
Field Supervisor, Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife
Office, Carlsbad, California.
[FR Doc. 2017–27440 Filed 12–19–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCAC06000 L14400000 EU0000 17X
L1109AF; CACA 52759]
Notice of Realty Action: Proposed
Non-Competitive (Direct) Sale of Public
Land in Santa Barbara County, CA
AGENCY:
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
PO 00000
Frm 00049
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
ACTION:
60417
Notice of realty action.
The Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) is proposing to sell
5.93 acres of public land to resolve an
unauthorized use and occupancy in
Santa Barbara County, California, to Arc
Vineyards, LLC, under the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act of 1976
(FLPMA), as amended, at not less than
the fair market value of $19,500.
DATES: Submit written comments to the
BLM at the address below. Comments
must be received by the BLM on or
before February 5, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Bureau of Land
Management, Bakersfield Field Office,
4801 Pegasus Dr., Bakersfield, CA
93308. Attn: Gabriel Garcia, Field
Manager.
SUMMARY:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Maria Soto, Realty Specialist, 661–391–
6023, at the above address or email to
msoto@blm.gov. Persons who use a
telecommunication device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to
leave a message or question for the
above individual. FRS is available 24
hours a day, 7 days a week. Replies are
provided during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
following described land located in
Santa Barbara County, California, is
proposed for direct sale under the
authority of Section 203 of FLPMA (43
U.S.C. 1713).
San Bernardino Meridian, California
T. 9 N, R. 33 W,
Sec. 20, lot 1.
The area described contains 5.93
acres.
The BLM determined the land is no
longer required for any other Federal
purpose. A direct sale of this parcel is
in conformance with the 1997 Caliente
Resource Management Plan (RMP), as
amended by Environmental Assessment
DOI–BLM–CA–C060–2012–0021
Decision Record signed on July 2, 2014.
Subsequently, the 2014 Bakersfield RMP
replaced the Caliente RMP. The parcel
was identified as suitable for disposal
and sale under Section 203 of FLPMA
and is limited to the smallest acreage
necessary to resolve the unauthorized
use and occupancy. The BLM found no
significant biological or cultural
resource values on the lands and
expects no impacts to resource values
from this action. An Environmental Site
Assessment has been performed and is
available for review. The sale would
dispose of an isolated public land parcel
that is difficult to manage because it is
completely surrounded by private land
and there is no legal access, would
E:\FR\FM\20DEN1.SGM
20DEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 243 (Wednesday, December 20, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60416-60417]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-27440]
[[Page 60416]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R8-ES-2017-N148]; [FXES11140800000-178-FF08E00000]
Draft Habitat Conservation Plan for the Desert Tortoise and
Mohave Ground Squirrel and Draft Environmental Assessment; Hinkley
Groundwater Remediation Project; San Bernardino County, California
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for public comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the receipt
and availability of a draft Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and draft
environmental assessment (EA), which evaluates the impacts of, and
alternatives to, the proposed Hinkley Groundwater Remediation Project.
The Hinkley HCP was submitted by Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E)
in support of an application under the Endangered Species Act of 1973,
as amended, for a permit authorizing the incidental take of covered
species resulting from covered activities. PG&E's application is for a
50-year incidental take permit to cover groundwater remediation
activities within a plan area of approximately 29,927 acres in and
around Hinkley, California. We request review and comment on the
Hinkley HCP and the draft EA from local, State, and Federal agencies;
Tribes; and the public.
DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your written comments by
January 19, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents:
Internet: You may obtain copies of the Hinkley HCP and
draft EA on the Hinkley Groundwater Remediation website at https://www.hinkleygroundwater.com.
U.S. Mail: A limited number of CD-ROM and printed copies
of the Hinkley HCP and draft EA and are available, by request, from the
Palm Springs Fish and Wildlife Office at 777 East Tahquitz Canyon Way,
Suite 208, Palm Springs, CA 92262; by mail at the Hinkley Independent
Review Panel (IRP) Manager Office, 36236 Serra Rd., Hinkley, CA 92347;
by phone at (714) 338-1800; or by email at [email protected].
Please specify that your request is about the Hinkley HCP.
In-Person: Copies of the Hinkley HCP and draft EA are also
available for public inspection and review at the following locations,
by appointment and written request only, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.:
[cir] Hinkley IRP Manager Office, 36236 Serra Rd., Hinkley, CA
92347.
[cir] PG&E Public Outreach Office, 22999 Community Blvd., Hinkley,
CA 92347.
[cir] Barstow Library, 304 E Buena Vista St, Barstow, CA 92311.
Submitting Comments: You may submit comments by one of the
following methods:
[cir] Email: [email protected]; please include ``Hinkley
HCP'' in the subject line.
[cir] U.S. Mail: Kennon A. Corey, Palm Springs Fish and Wildlife
Office, Attn: Hinkley HCP, 777 East Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 208,
Palm Springs, CA 92262, Attn: Hinkley HCP.
[cir] Telephone: Kennon A. Corey, Palm Springs Fish and Wildlife
Office, (760) 322-2070.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Hoffmann, by mail at the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, 777 East Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 208,
Palm Springs, CA 92262; or by phone at (760) 322-2070.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), announce the receipt and availability of a draft Habitat
Conservation Plan (HCP) and draft environmental assessment (EA), which
evaluates the impacts of, and alternatives to, the proposed Hinkley
Groundwater Remediation Project. The Hinkley HCP was submitted by the
Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) in support of an application
under section 10 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended
(ESA), for a permit authorizing the incidental take of covered species
resulting from covered activities. The proposed Hinkley HCP area
encompasses approximately 29,927 acres in the southeastern portion of
San Bernardino County, within the State of California.
Introduction
Under section 10(c) of the ESA and under the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), this notice advises the public of the
receipt and availability for public review of the draft Hinkley HCP and
draft EA, which evaluates the impacts of, and alternatives to, the
Hinkley HCP, submitted with an application for a permit to authorize
the incidental take of federally listed covered species resulting from
covered activities within the plan area. The Service is the Lead Agency
pursuant to NEPA. The proposed Federal action is issuance to PG&E of an
incidental take permit (ITP) under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA.
Background
Section 9 of the ESA prohibits ``take'' of fish and wildlife
species listed as endangered under section 4 (16 U.S.C. 1538, 1533,
respectively). Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA provides for the issuance
of a permit for the taking of listed fish and wildlife species that is
incidental to, and not the purpose of, the carrying out of an otherwise
lawful activity (``incidental take''). The ESA implementing regulations
extend, under certain circumstances, the prohibition of take to
threatened species (50 CFR 17.31). Regulations governing permits for
endangered and threatened species are at 50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32. For
more about the HCP program, go to https://www.fws.gov/endangered/esa-library/pdf/hcp.pdf.
Under section 10(a) of the ESA, the Service may issue permits to
authorize incidental take of listed fish and wildlife species. Section
10(a)(2)(B) of the ESA contains criteria for issuing ITPs to non-
Federal entities for the take of endangered and threatened species,
provided the following criteria are met:
The taking will be incidental;
The applicant will, to the maximum extent practicable,
minimize and mitigate the impact of such taking;
The applicant will develop an HCP and ensure that adequate
funding for the plan will be provided;
The taking will not appreciably reduce the likelihood of
the survival and recovery of the species in the wild; and
The applicant will carry out any other measures that the
Secretary may require as being necessary or appropriate for the
purposes of the HCP.
The purpose of issuing an ITP to PG&E would be to permit incidental
take of the covered species resulting from groundwater remediation
activities conducted by PG&E and conditioned on PG&E's minimization and
mitigation of the impacts of such take in accordance with an approved
Hinkley HCP. Implementation of the Hinkley HCP is intended to maximize
the benefits of conservation measures for covered species and eliminate
expensive and time-consuming efforts associated with processing
individual ITPs for each groundwater remediation project within PG&E's
plan area.
The proposed Hinkley HCP includes measures intended to minimize and
mitigate the impacts of the taking to the maximum extent practicable
from groundwater remediation activities within the plan area.
Proposed Action
The proposed action is the issuance of an ITP by the Service to
PG&E for the
[[Page 60417]]
incidental take of covered species from groundwater remediation
activities, including the avoidance, minimization, and mitigation of
impacts to covered species within the 29,927-acre plan area for 50
years. The proposed Hinkley HCP is a conservation plan for two species,
the desert tortoise (federally listed as threatened) and the Mohave
ground squirrel (not currently listed). The groundwater remediation
activities that will be covered by the ITP include groundwater
monitoring, freshwater injection into the water table, operation of
agricultural units for bioremediation, below- and above-ground
treatments, access road construction, structure demolition, and
emergency repair of infrastructure. Potential impacts to covered
species include disruption of normal behavior by covered activities,
movement of animals away from work areas, and injury or death due to
construction activities. The Hinkley HCP would provide a comprehensive
approach to the protection and management of these species and their
habitat within the plan area.
The plan area is approximately 29,927 acres, and includes all areas
within which PG&E is proposing to conduct groundwater remediation
activities. The plan area is common to both alternatives analyzed in
the EA, and represents the surface area above the projected maximum
spatial extent of contaminated groundwater. The plan area also defines
the maximum spatial extent of surface areas within which PG&E may
implement groundwater remediation activities, and the maximum spatial
extent of potential groundwater effects such as drawdown or
accumulation of remediation byproducts.
Alternatives
We considered two alternatives in the EA: (1) The Proposed Action
as described in the HCP, and (2) the No Action alternative. Two other
alternatives, discussed in the HCP as alternatives considered but not
utilized, were not carried forward for analysis in the EA. The No
Action alternative is based on PG&E's continued implementation of
groundwater remediation activities, consistent with current laws and
regulations, in areas where take of listed species would be avoided;
under this alternative we would not issue an ITP.
Request for Comments
Consistent with section 10(c) of the ESA, we invite your submission
of written comments, data, or arguments with respect to PG&E's permit
application, the Hinkley HCP, and proposed permitting decision.
Public Availability of Comments
Written comments we receive become part of the public record
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 may 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.
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 section 10(a) of the
ESA. If we determine that those requirements are met, we will issue a
permit to the applicant for the incidental take of the covered species.
We will make our final permit decision no sooner than 30 days after the
public comment period closes.
Authority
We provide this notice under section 10(c) of the ESA (16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32)
and NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (40
CFR 1506.6).
G. Mendel Stewart,
Field Supervisor, Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office, Carlsbad,
California.
[FR Doc. 2017-27440 Filed 12-19-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
