Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Coachella Valley Association of Governments Incidental Take Permit Application for Casey's June Beetle and Proposed Low-Effect Habitat Conservation Plan; City of Palm Springs, Riverside County, California, 45134-45136 [2018-19187]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 172 / Wednesday, September 5, 2018 / Notices
term ‘‘ESF–4’’ in the Abstract section;
accordingly, the term ‘‘ESF–4’’ has been
removed from the Abstract section. The
purpose of this notice is to notify the
public that FEMA will submit the
information collection abstracted below
to the Office of Management and Budget
for review and clearance.
Collection of Information
Title: National Catastrophic Resource
Catalog.
Type of Information Collection: New
information collection.
OMB Number: 1660–NEW.
Form Titles and Numbers: FEMA
Form 035–0–1, National Catastrophic
Resource Catalog.
Abstract: This information collection
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such as an earthquake, hurricane, or
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This collection will be solicited from
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Estimated Number of Respondents:
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Estimated Total Annual Cost to the
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17:04 Sep 04, 2018
Jkt 244001
electronic, mechanical, or other
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e.g., permitting electronic submission of
responses.
Rachel Frier,
Records Management Branch Chief, Office
of the Chief Administrative Officer, Mission
Support, Federal Emergency Management
Agency, Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2018–19143 Filed 9–4–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111–45–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R8–ES–2018–N059;
FXES1114080000–189–FF08ECAR00]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
and Plants; Coachella Valley
Association of Governments Incidental
Take Permit Application for Casey’s
June Beetle and Proposed Low-Effect
Habitat Conservation Plan; City of
Palm Springs, Riverside County,
California
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for comments.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service), have received
an application from the Coachella
Valley Association of Governments
(applicant) for a 30-year incidental take
permit (permit) under the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA).
The application addresses the potential
for ‘‘take’’ of the federally endangered
Casey’s June beetle that is likely to
occur incidental to the construction,
maintenance, and use of a portion of the
CV Link, which is a multi-modal
pathway to be built in the City of Palm
Springs, Riverside County, California.
We invite comments from the public on
the application package, which includes
a low-effect habitat conservation plan.
DATES: To ensure consideration, please
send your written comments by October
5, 2018.
ADDRESSES:
Document availability: You may
download a copy of the habitat
conservation plan, draft environmental
action statement and low-effect
screening form, and related documents
from the internet at https://
www.fws.gov/carlsbad/HCPs/HCP_
Docs.html, or you may request copies of
the documents by U.S. mail from our
Palm Springs office at the address below
or by phone (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT).
SUMMARY:
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Sfmt 4703
Comment submission: Please address
written comments to Kennon A. Corey,
Assistant Field Supervisor, Palm
Springs Fish and Wildlife Office, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, 777 East
Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 208, Palm
Springs, CA 92262. You may
alternatively send comments via
electronic mail to fw8psfwocomments@
fws.gov or by facsimile to (760) 322–
4648.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jenness McBride, Supervisory Fish and
Wildlife Biologist, (760) 322–2070.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We have
received an application from the
Coachella Valley Association of
Governments for a 30-year incidental
take permit under the ESA. The
application addresses the potential for
‘‘take’’ of the federally endangered
Casey’s June beetle (Dinacoma caseyi)
likely to occur incidental to the
construction, maintenance, and use of a
portion of the proposed CV Link multimodal pathway in the City of Palm
Springs, Riverside County, California.
We invite comments from the public on
the application package, which includes
a low-effect habitat conservation plan
(HCP). We have preliminarily
determined that this proposed action is
eligible for a categorical exclusion under
the National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.). The basis for this
determination is discussed in our draft
environmental action statement and
associated low-effect screening form,
which are also available for public
review.
Background
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service) added the Casey’s June beetle
to the List of Endangered and
Threatened Wildlife as endangered on
September 22, 2011 (76 FR 58954).
Section 9 of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.) and its implementing regulations
in title 50 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) prohibit the take of
fish or wildlife species listed as
endangered or threatened. ‘‘Take’’ is
defined under the ESA to include the
following activities: ‘‘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 section
10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA, we may issue
permits to authorize incidental take of
listed species. ‘‘Incidental taking’’ is
defined under the ESA implementing
regulations as taking that is incidental
to, and not the purpose of, carrying out
an otherwise lawful activity (50 CFR
17.3). Regulations governing incidental
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 172 / Wednesday, September 5, 2018 / Notices
take permits for endangered and
threatened species are provided at 50
CFR 17.22 and 17.32, respectively.
In addition to meeting the issuance
criteria under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the
ESA, actions undertaken through
implementation of the HCP must not
jeopardize the continued existence of
federally listed animal or plant species
(16 U.S.C. 1536). If the permit is issued,
the permittee will receive assurances
under our ‘‘No Surprises’’ regulations
(50 CFR 17.22(b)(5) and 17.32(b)(5)).
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Applicant’s Proposal
The Coachella Valley Association of
Governments (applicant) has submitted
a low-effect HCP in support of its
application for an incidental take permit
to address take of the Casey’s June
beetle that is likely to occur as the result
of direct impacts to approximately 1.78
acres of fragmented habitat occupied by
the species. Take would be associated
with the development of an
approximately 2-mile portion of the CV
Link, which is a 49-mile-long, paved,
multi-modal pathway to be built
through the Coachella Valley.
Construction of the pathway will
increase recreational opportunities for
cyclists and pedestrians and provide an
alternative transportation corridor for
low-speed, neighborhood electric
vehicles. This portion of the CV Link
would involve widening and repaving
existing sidewalks and paths adjacent to
patches of habitat occupied by Casey’s
June beetle in Demuth Park and the
nearby Tahquitz Creek Golf Course in
the City of Palm Springs. The applicant
is requesting a permit for take of Casey’s
June beetle that would result from
activities covered under the HCP related
to the CV Link pathway in this area.
The applicant’s conservation strategy,
in part, proposes to mitigate the impacts
to Casey’s June beetle by dedicating a
conservation easement on
approximately 10.38 acres at the
Tahquitz Creek Golf Course that would
be restored from golf course landscaping
to native habitat suitable for Casey’s
June beetle. A 30-year permit is
requested to authorize take that would
occur incidental to construction,
maintenance, and use of this portion of
the CV Link pathway as well as to cover
potential short-term impacts within the
conservation easement area as a result of
habitat enhancement, restoration, and
creation activities.
The applicant proposes to avoid,
minimize, and mitigate impacts to the
Casey’s June beetle associated with the
covered activities by fully implementing
the HCP. The following measures would
be implemented:
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17:04 Sep 04, 2018
Jkt 244001
(1) No construction would occur
during the Casey’s June beetle flight
season (March 1 to May 31);
(2) lighting fixtures would be turned
off or non-insect-attracting lights would
be used during the flight season;
(3) no electronic ‘‘bug zappers’’ would
be used;
(4) up to five educational kiosks
would be installed along the pathway;
(5) approximately 10.38 acres of
contiguous and nearby mitigation sites
pre-selected by the Service, in or
adjacent to Palm Canyon Wash at the
Tahquitz Creek Golf Course, would be
preserved under conservation easement
and managed to enhance, restore, and
create Casey’s June beetle habitat;
(6) mitigation sites would be
dedicated to future translocation of
Casey’s June beetles from other
development sites or release of Casey’s
June beetles from a future Service
program for controlled propagation of
Casey’s June beetles; and
(7) mitigation sites would be
monitored and managed by a qualified
land management organization
approved by the Service.
The Coachella Valley Association of
Governments would fund acquisition
and initial restoration of the mitigation
sites from its Active Transportation
Program and would fund a non-wasting
endowment in the amount of $160,075
for the long-term management of the
mitigation sites.
In the proposed HCP, the applicant
considers a ‘‘No Project’’ alternative to
the proposed action. Under the ‘‘No
Project’’ alternative, a permit for the
incidental take of Casey’s June beetle
would not be issued for the CV Link
project and the proposed conservation
strategy and subsequent habitat
restoration would not occur to assist
recovery actions for Casey’s June beetle.
The ‘‘No Project’’ alternative would not
result in upgrading existing sidewalks
and paths to CV Link standards at
Demuth Park and Tahquitz Creek Golf
Course and would not result in
conservation for Casey’s June beetle;
therefore, the applicant did not propose
to utilize the ‘‘No Project’’ alternative.
Our Preliminary Determination
The Service has made a preliminary
determination that approval of the HCP
and issuance of an incidental take
permit qualify for categorical exclusion
under NEPA, as provided by the
Department of the Interior
implementing regulations in 43 CFR
46.205, 46.210, and 46.215, and that the
HCP qualifies as a ‘‘low-effect’’ plan as
defined by the Revised Habitat
Conservation Planning Handbook
(December 2016).
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45135
We base our determination that a HCP
qualifies as a low-effect plan on the
following three criteria: (1)
Implementation of the HCP would result
in minor or negligible effects on
federally listed, proposed, and/or
candidate species and their habitats; (2)
implementation of the HCP would result
in minor or negligible effects on other
environmental values or resources; and
(3) impacts of the HCP, considered
together with those 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.
However, based upon our review of
public comments that we receive in
response to this notice, this preliminary
determination may be revised.
Next Steps
We will evaluate the proposed HCP
and comments we receive to determine
whether the permit application meets
the requirements and issuance criteria
under section 10(a) of the ESA. We will
also evaluate whether issuance of a
section 10(a)(1)(B) permit would comply
with section 7(a)(2) of the ESA by
conducting an intra-Service
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 a
permit. If the requirements and issuance
criteria under section 10(a)(1)(B) are
met, we will issue the permit to the
applicant for incidental take of Casey’s
June beetle.
Public Comments
If you wish to comment on the permit
application, proposed HCP, and
associated documents, you may submit
comments by any of the methods noted
in ADDRESSES.
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 view, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 172 / Wednesday, September 5, 2018 / Notices
Authority
We provide this notice under section
10 of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.)
and NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
G. Mendel Stewart,
Field Supervisor, Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife
Office, Carlsbad, California.
[FR Doc. 2018–19187 Filed 9–4–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R3–ES–2018–N062;
FXES11140300000 FF03E00000]
Habitat Conservation Plan for
Mitchell’s Satyr and Poweshiek
Skipperling Butterflies; Categorical
Exclusion for Indiana and Michigan
Habitat Restoration and Management
Activities
AGENCY:
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for comments.
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service), have received
applications from the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources
(MDNR) and the Indiana Department of
Natural Resources (IDNR) for incidental
take permits (ITP) under the Endangered
Species Act. If approved, the permits
would authorize the incidental take of
two federally endangered butterflies, the
Mitchell’s satyr and the Poweshiek
skipperling. The MDNR is applying for
an ITP for take of the Mitchell’s satyr
and Poweshiek skipperling, while the
IDNR is applying for an ITP for the
Mitchell’s satyr only. The ITP
applications include one habitat
conservation plan to cover activities
associated with maintaining, managing,
and restoring the fen habitats occupied
by these species. We have made a
preliminary determination that the HCP
and permit applications are eligible for
categorical exclusion under the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA). We are accepting comments on
the applicants’ draft HCP, and our loweffect screening form and environmental
action statement.
DATES: To ensure consideration, please
send your written comments on or
before October 5, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Document Availability:
• Internet: You may obtain copies of
the documents on the internet at https://
www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/
permits/hcp/r3hcps.html.
• U.S. Mail: You can obtain the
documents by mail from the Michigan
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SUMMARY:
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17:04 Sep 04, 2018
Jkt 244001
Ecological Services Field Office (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
• In-Person: To view hard copies of
the documents in person, go to the
Ecological Services Office (8 a.m. to 4
p.m.) listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
Comment submission: In your
comment, please specify whether your
comment addresses the draft HCP, EAS,
or any combination of the
aforementioned documents, or other
supporting documents. You may submit
written comments by one of the
following methods:
• Electronically: Submit by email to
EastLansing@fws.gov.
• By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail
or hand-delivery to U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service; Michigan Ecological
Services Field Office, 2651 Coolidge
Rd., Ste. 101, East Lansing, Michigan
48823.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Carrie Tansy, Michigan Ecological
Services Field Office, 2651 Coolidge
Rd., Ste. 101, East Lansing, Michigan
48823; telephone (517–351–8375), or by
facsimile (517–351–1443). If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD), please call the Federal
Information Relay Service at 800–877–
8339. If you use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD), please call the
Federal Information Relay Service at
800–877– 8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We have
received applications from the Michigan
Department of Natural Resources
(MDNR) and the Indiana Department of
Natural Resources (IDNR) for 20-year
incidental take permits (ITP) under the
ESA. The MDNR is applying for an ITP
for take of the endangered Mitchell’s
satyr (Neonympha mitchellii mitchellii)
and Poweshiek skipperling (Oarisma
poweshiek) butterflies. The State of
Indiana is applying for an ITP for the
Mitchell’s satyr only. The applications
address the potential for ‘‘take’’ of the
federally endangered butterflies that is
likely to occur incidental to the
implementation of habitat management
activities designed to benefit the
species. We are requesting comments on
the proposed HCP and our preliminary
determination that the plan qualifies as
eligible for a categorical exclusion under
the National Environmental Policy Act.
Background
We listed the Mitchell’s satyr as
endangered on June 25, 1991 (56 FR
28825), and the Poweshiek skipperling
as endangered on October 24, 2014 (79
FR 63672). Section 9 of the ESA
prohibits the ‘‘taking’’ of endangered
species. However, provided certain
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
criteria are met, we are authorized to
issue permits under section 10(a)(1)(B)
of the ESA for take of federally listed
species, when, among other things, such
a taking is incidental to, and not the
purpose of, otherwise lawful activities.
Under the ESA, the term ‘‘take’’ means
to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot,
wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect
endangered and threatened species, or
to attempt to engage in any such
conduct. Our implementing regulations
define ‘‘harm’’ as significant habitat
modification or degradation that results
in death or injury to listed species by
significantly impairing essential
behavioral patterns, including breeding,
feeding, or sheltering (50 CFR 17.3).
Harass, as defined, means ‘‘an
intentional or negligent act or omission
which creates the likelihood of injury to
wildlife by annoying it to such an extent
as to significantly disrupt normal
behavioral patterns which include, but
are not limited to, breeding, feeding, or
sheltering’’ (50 CFR 17.3). However,
under specified circumstances, the
Service may issue permits that allow the
take of federally listed species, provided
that the take that occurs is incidental to,
but not the purpose of, an otherwise
lawful activity.
Regulations governing permits for
endangered and threatened species are
at 50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32, respectively.
Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA contains
provisions for issuing such incidental
take permits to non-Federal entities for
the take of endangered and threatened
species, provided the following criteria
are met: (1) The taking will be
incidental; (2) The applicant will, to the
maximum extent practicable, minimize
and mitigate the impact of such taking;
(3) The applicant will develop a
proposed HCP and ensure that adequate
funding for the HCP will be provided;
(4) The taking will not appreciably
reduce the likelihood of the survival
and recovery of the species in the wild;
and (5) The applicant will carry out any
other measures that the Service may
require as being necessary or
appropriate for the purposes of the HCP.
In addition to meeting other specific
criteria, actions undertaken through
implementation of the Habitat
Conservation Plan (HCP) must not
jeopardize the continued existence of
federally listed animal or plant species.
Applicants’ Proposal
The MDNR and IDNR (hereafter, the
applicants) have submitted an HCP in
support of their applications for ITPs to
address take of the Mitchell’s satyr and
Poweshiek skipperling. Covered
activities include actions necessary to
maintain, manage, and restore fen
E:\FR\FM\05SEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 172 (Wednesday, September 5, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45134-45136]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-19187]
=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R8-ES-2018-N059; FXES1114080000-189-FF08ECAR00]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Coachella Valley
Association of Governments Incidental Take Permit Application for
Casey's June Beetle and Proposed Low-Effect Habitat Conservation Plan;
City of Palm Springs, Riverside County, California
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have
received an application from the Coachella Valley Association of
Governments (applicant) for a 30-year incidental take permit (permit)
under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). The
application addresses the potential for ``take'' of the federally
endangered Casey's June beetle that is likely to occur incidental to
the construction, maintenance, and use of a portion of the CV Link,
which is a multi-modal pathway to be built in the City of Palm Springs,
Riverside County, California. We invite comments from the public on the
application package, which includes a low-effect habitat conservation
plan.
DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your written comments by
October 5, 2018.
ADDRESSES:
Document availability: You may download a copy of the habitat
conservation plan, draft environmental action statement and low-effect
screening form, and related documents from the internet at https://www.fws.gov/carlsbad/HCPs/HCP_Docs.html, or you may request copies of
the documents by U.S. mail from our Palm Springs office at the address
below or by phone (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
Comment submission: Please address written comments to Kennon A.
Corey, Assistant Field Supervisor, Palm Springs Fish and Wildlife
Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 777 East Tahquitz Canyon Way,
Suite 208, Palm Springs, CA 92262. You may alternatively send comments
via electronic mail to [email protected] or by facsimile to
(760) 322-4648.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jenness McBride, Supervisory Fish and
Wildlife Biologist, (760) 322-2070.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We have received an application from the
Coachella Valley Association of Governments for a 30-year incidental
take permit under the ESA. The application addresses the potential for
``take'' of the federally endangered Casey's June beetle (Dinacoma
caseyi) likely to occur incidental to the construction, maintenance,
and use of a portion of the proposed CV Link multi-modal pathway in the
City of Palm Springs, Riverside County, California. We invite comments
from the public on the application package, which includes a low-effect
habitat conservation plan (HCP). We have preliminarily determined that
this proposed action is eligible for a categorical exclusion under the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.). The basis for this determination is discussed in our
draft environmental action statement and associated low-effect
screening form, which are also available for public review.
Background
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) added the Casey's June
beetle to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife as endangered
on September 22, 2011 (76 FR 58954). Section 9 of the ESA (16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations in title 50 of the Code
of Federal Regulations (CFR) prohibit the take of fish or wildlife
species listed as endangered or threatened. ``Take'' is defined under
the ESA to include the following activities: ``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 section
10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA, we may issue permits to authorize incidental
take of listed species. ``Incidental taking'' is defined under the ESA
implementing regulations as taking that is incidental to, and not the
purpose of, carrying out an otherwise lawful activity (50 CFR 17.3).
Regulations governing incidental
[[Page 45135]]
take permits for endangered and threatened species are provided at 50
CFR 17.22 and 17.32, respectively.
In addition to meeting the issuance criteria under section
10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA, actions undertaken through implementation of
the HCP must not jeopardize the continued existence of federally listed
animal or plant species (16 U.S.C. 1536). If the permit is issued, the
permittee will receive assurances under our ``No Surprises''
regulations (50 CFR 17.22(b)(5) and 17.32(b)(5)).
Applicant's Proposal
The Coachella Valley Association of Governments (applicant) has
submitted a low-effect HCP in support of its application for an
incidental take permit to address take of the Casey's June beetle that
is likely to occur as the result of direct impacts to approximately
1.78 acres of fragmented habitat occupied by the species. Take would be
associated with the development of an approximately 2-mile portion of
the CV Link, which is a 49-mile-long, paved, multi-modal pathway to be
built through the Coachella Valley. Construction of the pathway will
increase recreational opportunities for cyclists and pedestrians and
provide an alternative transportation corridor for low-speed,
neighborhood electric vehicles. This portion of the CV Link would
involve widening and repaving existing sidewalks and paths adjacent to
patches of habitat occupied by Casey's June beetle in Demuth Park and
the nearby Tahquitz Creek Golf Course in the City of Palm Springs. The
applicant is requesting a permit for take of Casey's June beetle that
would result from activities covered under the HCP related to the CV
Link pathway in this area.
The applicant's conservation strategy, in part, proposes to
mitigate the impacts to Casey's June beetle by dedicating a
conservation easement on approximately 10.38 acres at the Tahquitz
Creek Golf Course that would be restored from golf course landscaping
to native habitat suitable for Casey's June beetle. A 30-year permit is
requested to authorize take that would occur incidental to
construction, maintenance, and use of this portion of the CV Link
pathway as well as to cover potential short-term impacts within the
conservation easement area as a result of habitat enhancement,
restoration, and creation activities.
The applicant proposes to avoid, minimize, and mitigate impacts to
the Casey's June beetle associated with the covered activities by fully
implementing the HCP. The following measures would be implemented:
(1) No construction would occur during the Casey's June beetle
flight season (March 1 to May 31);
(2) lighting fixtures would be turned off or non-insect-attracting
lights would be used during the flight season;
(3) no electronic ``bug zappers'' would be used;
(4) up to five educational kiosks would be installed along the
pathway;
(5) approximately 10.38 acres of contiguous and nearby mitigation
sites pre-selected by the Service, in or adjacent to Palm Canyon Wash
at the Tahquitz Creek Golf Course, would be preserved under
conservation easement and managed to enhance, restore, and create
Casey's June beetle habitat;
(6) mitigation sites would be dedicated to future translocation of
Casey's June beetles from other development sites or release of Casey's
June beetles from a future Service program for controlled propagation
of Casey's June beetles; and
(7) mitigation sites would be monitored and managed by a qualified
land management organization approved by the Service.
The Coachella Valley Association of Governments would fund
acquisition and initial restoration of the mitigation sites from its
Active Transportation Program and would fund a non-wasting endowment in
the amount of $160,075 for the long-term management of the mitigation
sites.
In the proposed HCP, the applicant considers a ``No Project''
alternative to the proposed action. Under the ``No Project''
alternative, a permit for the incidental take of Casey's June beetle
would not be issued for the CV Link project and the proposed
conservation strategy and subsequent habitat restoration would not
occur to assist recovery actions for Casey's June beetle. The ``No
Project'' alternative would not result in upgrading existing sidewalks
and paths to CV Link standards at Demuth Park and Tahquitz Creek Golf
Course and would not result in conservation for Casey's June beetle;
therefore, the applicant did not propose to utilize the ``No Project''
alternative.
Our Preliminary Determination
The Service has made a preliminary determination that approval of
the HCP and issuance of an incidental take permit qualify for
categorical exclusion under NEPA, as provided by the Department of the
Interior implementing regulations in 43 CFR 46.205, 46.210, and 46.215,
and that the HCP qualifies as a ``low-effect'' plan as defined by the
Revised Habitat Conservation Planning Handbook (December 2016).
We base our determination that a HCP qualifies as a low-effect plan
on the following three criteria: (1) Implementation of the HCP would
result in minor or negligible effects on federally listed, proposed,
and/or candidate species and their habitats; (2) implementation of the
HCP would result in minor or negligible effects on other environmental
values or resources; and (3) impacts of the HCP, considered together
with those 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. However, based upon our review of public comments that we
receive in response to this notice, this preliminary determination may
be revised.
Next Steps
We will evaluate the proposed HCP and comments we receive to
determine whether the permit application meets the requirements and
issuance criteria under section 10(a) of the ESA. We will also evaluate
whether issuance of a section 10(a)(1)(B) permit would comply with
section 7(a)(2) of the ESA by conducting an intra-Service 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 a permit. If the requirements and issuance criteria under section
10(a)(1)(B) are met, we will issue the permit to the applicant for
incidental take of Casey's June beetle.
Public Comments
If you wish to comment on the permit application, proposed HCP, and
associated documents, you may submit comments by any of the methods
noted in ADDRESSES.
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 view, we cannot guarantee that we will be able
to do so.
[[Page 45136]]
Authority
We provide this notice under section 10 of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531
et seq.) and NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
G. Mendel Stewart,
Field Supervisor, Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office, Carlsbad,
California.
[FR Doc. 2018-19187 Filed 9-4-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
