Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Wayne County, Utah, Incidental Take Permit Application; Range-Wide General Conservation Plan for Utah Prairie Dog, 54370-54371 [2018-23566]

Download as PDF 54370 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 209 / Monday, October 29, 2018 / Notices DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [Docket No. FWS–R6–ES–2018–0075; FF06E23000–189–FXES11140600000] Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Wayne County, Utah, Incidental Take Permit Application; Range-Wide General Conservation Plan for Utah Prairie Dog Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability; request for public comments. AGENCY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of several documents related to an incidental take permit (ITP) application under the Endangered Species Act. If approved, the permit would authorize Wayne County, Utah, to incidentally take Utah Prairie Dogs through under an existing Range-wide General Conservation Plan for Utah Prairie Dogs (GCP). We provide this notice to seek comments from the public and Federal, Tribal, State, and local governments. SUMMARY: We will accept comments received or postmarked on or before November 28, 2018. Comments submitted electronically using regulations.gov (see ADDRESSES) must be received by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on the closing date. ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: • Internet: You may obtain copies of the application and related documents, as well as any comments and other materials that we receive, in Docket No. FWS–R6–ES–2018–0075 at https:// www.regulations.gov. • U.S. Mail: Copies of the application and related documents are available from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Utah Ecological Services Field Office, 2369 W Orton Circle, #50, West Valley City, UT 84119. Please note that your request is in reference to the ‘‘Wayne County, UT, ITP.’’ • In-person: Copies of the application and related documents will also be available for public inspection by appointment (call 801–975–3330) during normal business hours at the Utah Ecological Services Field Office (address above). Submitting Comments: You may submit comments by one of the following methods. Please specify that your comments are regarding the ‘‘Wayne County, UT, ITP.’’ • Online: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1 DATES: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:48 Oct 26, 2018 Jkt 247001 comments on Docket No. FWS–R6–ES– 2018–0075. • U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R6–ES–2018–0075; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; MS: BPHC; 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041– 3803. We request that you send comments by only the methods described above. We will post all comments on https:// www.regulations.gov. This generally means that we will post any personal information you provide (see Public Comments under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Romin, 801–975–3330, ext. 142 (phone), or laura_romin@fws.gov (email). If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf, hard-of-hearing, or speech disabled, please call the Federal Relay Service at 800–877–8339. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of an incidental take permit application from Wayne County, Utah. The permit would allow Wayne County to be a master permit holder under the Service’s Utah prairie dog General Conservation Plan (GCP) (see Background). The Endangered Species Act, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and our implementing regulations in part 17 of title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), provide for the issuance of such permits and require that we invite public comment before issuing permits for activities involving endangered or threatened species. Background Section 9 of the ESA and its implementing regulations prohibit take of fish and wildlife species listed as endangered or threatened (16 U.S.C. 1538). Under section 3 of the ESA, the term ‘‘take’’ means to ‘‘harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or attempt to engage in any such conduct’’ (16 U.S.C. 1532(19)). Under section 10(a) of the ESA, the Service may issue permits to authorize incidental take of listed fish and wildlife species. ‘‘Incidental take’’ is defined by the ESA as take that is incidental to, and not the purpose of, carrying out an otherwise lawful activity. Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA contains provisions for issuing incidental take permits to non-Federal entities for the incidental take of endangered and threatened species, provided in part that a conservation plan is developed and implemented. Regulations governing permits for listed PO 00000 Frm 00063 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 fish and wildlife species are at 50 CFR 17.22. In April 2018, the Service completed a GCP to provide a streamlined mechanism for authorizing incidental take of Utah prairie dogs that may result from residential and commercial development activities across the range of the species in central and southwest Utah. The GCP fulfilled requirements of the ESA for issuing permits to authorize take of Utah prairie dogs incidental to development activities. The GCP includes measures to minimize and mitigate the impacts of the take; these measures include prairie dog translocations, habitat and plague management at translocation sites, and the protection of occupied Utah prairie dog habitats, all of which are consistent with our recovery objectives for this species. The GCP operates under either of two permitting structures: (1) Master permits and (2) individual permits. Wayne County’s permit application is for a master permit. Under the master permit structure, project proponents would contact Wayne County (i.e., master permit holder) for a certificate of inclusion. Wayne County would provide take authorization for Utah prairie dogs through the certificates of inclusion to project proponents who agree to adhere to the conditions of the GCP and the county’s master permit. We previously issued master permits under the GCP to Iron, Beaver, and Garfield Counties. We propose, at this time, to issue a 10-year master permit for incidental take of the Utah prairie dog in Wayne County, if Wayne County’s application demonstrates commitments to implement the requirements of the GCP, thereby meeting all ESA section 10(a)(1)(B) permit issuance criteria. Public Comments We request information, views, and opinions from the public specifically on our proposed Federal action, the issuance of a master incidental take permit to Wayne County. Written comments received 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 E:\FR\FM\29OCN1.SGM 29OCN1 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 209 / Monday, October 29, 2018 / Notices businesses and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses will be made available for public disclosure in their entirety. Authority We provide this notice under section 10(c) of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations for incidental take permits (50 CFR 17.22). Dated: August 9, 2018. Laura Romin, Utah Deputy Field Supervisor, MountainPrairie Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Salt Lake City, Utah. [FR Doc. 2018–23566 Filed 10–26–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4333–15–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Office of the Secretary [18XD4523WS/DWSN00000.000000/ DS61500000/DP.61501] Invasive Species Advisory Committee; Public Meeting Policy and International Affairs, Interior. ACTION: Notice of public meeting of the Invasive Species Advisory Committee. AGENCY: Pursuant to the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, notice is hereby given of a meeting of the Invasive Species Advisory Committee. DATES: Teleconference Meeting of the Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC) will be held on Tuesday, November 13, 2018; 1:00–3:00 p.m. (EDT). ADDRESSES: U.S. Department of the Interior, Stuart Udall Building (MIB), 1849 C Street NW, Kiowa Room (basement), Washington, DC 20240. All visiting members of the public must be cleared through building security prior to being escorted to the meeting location. At least 48 hours prior to the meeting, please call the number listed in this notice for pre-clearance. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kelsey Brantley, Coordinator for National Invasive Species Council (NISC) and ISAC Operations, (202) 208– 4122; Fax: (202) 208–4118, email: kelsey_brantley@ios.doi.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the ISAC is to provide advice to the NISC, as authorized by Executive Orders 13112 and 13751, on a broad array of issues related to preventing the introduction of invasive species and providing for their control and amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1 SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:48 Oct 26, 2018 Jkt 247001 minimizing the economic, ecological, and human health impacts that invasive species cause. The NISC is co-chaired by the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of Commerce. The duty of the NISC is to provide national leadership regarding invasive species issues. The purpose of the meeting on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 via teleconference, in lieu of physical travel, is to convene the full ISAC to plan for the final project and in-person meeting for ISAC Class 9. Members of the public are welcome to participate by accessing the teleconference. Other than during the public comment period, public participation is in an observer capacity. The toll-free conference phone number and access code can be obtained by calling 202–208–4122, or visiting the NISC Secretariat’s website, www.invasivespecies.gov. Accommodation is also being made for the public to join the teleconference at the U.S. Department of the Interior Stuart Udall Building in Washington, DC. Note: The maximum capacity of the teleconference is 100 participants. For record keeping purposes, participants will be required to provide their name and contact information to the operator before being connected. 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. Authority: 5 U.S.C. Appendix 2. Stanley W. Burgiel, Assistant Director, National Invasive Species Council Secretariat. [FR Doc. 2018–23587 Filed 10–26–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4334–63–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [LLAZ910000.L12100000.XP0000 19X 6100.241A] State of Arizona Resource Advisory Council Meeting AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior. PO 00000 Frm 00064 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 ACTION: 54371 Notice of public meeting. In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Arizona Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will meet in Phoenix, Arizona, as indicated below. DATES: The Arizona RAC will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, December 11, and Wednesday, December 12, 2018. The meeting will include an informational, working-group day on December 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and an official business day on December 12, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Recreation RAC subcommittee will hold a 20-minute public-comment period related to the Forest Service (USFS) fee proposals starting at 1:45 p.m. on December 12. The general RAC will hold a 30-minute comment period for BLM-related topics starting at 2:30 p.m. on December 12. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in the 8th floor conference room at the BLM Arizona State Office, One North Central Avenue, Suite 800, Phoenix, Arizona, 85004. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dolores Garcia, Public Affairs Specialist, at the Bureau of Land Management, Arizona State Office, One North Central Avenue, Suite 800, Phoenix, Arizona, 85004–4427, telephone: 602–417–9500 or email: dagarcia@blm.gov. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to contact the above individual during normal business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or question with the above individual. You will receive a reply during normal business hours. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 15member Council advises the Secretary of the Interior, through the BLM, on a variety of planning and management issues associated with public land management in Arizona. All meetings are open to the public in their entirety. Planned agenda items at the meeting include a BLM overview and member orientation, overview of Department of the Interior priorities and Secretary’s Orders, and Division and District updates. Under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, the RAC has been designated as the Recreation RAC and has the authority to review all BLM and the USFS recreation fee proposals in Arizona. The Recreation RAC will review three USFS Forest Service fee SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\29OCN1.SGM 29OCN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 209 (Monday, October 29, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54370-54371]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-23566]



[[Page 54370]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-R6-ES-2018-0075; FF06E23000-189-FXES11140600000]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Wayne County, 
Utah, Incidental Take Permit Application; Range-Wide General 
Conservation Plan for Utah Prairie Dog

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for public comments.

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

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 
availability of several documents related to an incidental take permit 
(ITP) application under the Endangered Species Act. If approved, the 
permit would authorize Wayne County, Utah, to incidentally take Utah 
Prairie Dogs through under an existing Range-wide General Conservation 
Plan for Utah Prairie Dogs (GCP). We provide this notice to seek 
comments from the public and Federal, Tribal, State, and local 
governments.

DATES: We will accept comments received or postmarked on or before 
November 28, 2018. Comments submitted electronically using 
regulations.gov (see ADDRESSES) must be received by 11:59 p.m. eastern 
time on the closing date.

ADDRESSES: 
    Obtaining Documents:
     Internet: You may obtain copies of the application and 
related documents, as well as any comments and other materials that we 
receive, in Docket No. FWS-R6-ES-2018-0075 at https://www.regulations.gov.
     U.S. Mail: Copies of the application and related documents 
are available from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Utah Ecological 
Services Field Office, 2369 W Orton Circle, #50, West Valley City, UT 
84119. Please note that your request is in reference to the ``Wayne 
County, UT, ITP.''
     In-person: Copies of the application and related documents 
will also be available for public inspection by appointment (call 801-
975-3330) during normal business hours at the Utah Ecological Services 
Field Office (address above).
    Submitting Comments: You may submit comments by one of the 
following methods. Please specify that your comments are regarding the 
``Wayne County, UT, ITP.''
     Online: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-R6-ES-2018-0075.
     U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, 
Attn: Docket No. FWS-R6-ES-2018-0075; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 
MS: BPHC; 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
    We request that you send comments by only the methods described 
above. We will post all comments on https://www.regulations.gov. This 
generally means that we will post any personal information you provide 
(see Public Comments under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Romin, 801-975-3330, ext. 142 
(phone), or [email protected] (email). If you use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf, hard-of-hearing, or speech 
disabled, please call the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(Service), announce the availability of an incidental take permit 
application from Wayne County, Utah. The permit would allow Wayne 
County to be a master permit holder under the Service's Utah prairie 
dog General Conservation Plan (GCP) (see Background). The Endangered 
Species Act, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and our 
implementing regulations in part 17 of title 50 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR), provide for the issuance of such permits and require 
that we invite public comment before issuing permits for activities 
involving endangered or threatened species.

Background

    Section 9 of the ESA and its implementing regulations prohibit take 
of fish and wildlife species listed as endangered or threatened (16 
U.S.C. 1538). Under section 3 of the ESA, the term ``take'' means to 
``harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or 
collect, or attempt to engage in any such conduct'' (16 U.S.C. 
1532(19)).
    Under section 10(a) of the ESA, the Service may issue permits to 
authorize incidental take of listed fish and wildlife species. 
``Incidental take'' is defined by the ESA as take that is incidental 
to, and not the purpose of, carrying out an otherwise lawful activity. 
Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA contains provisions for issuing 
incidental take permits to non-Federal entities for the incidental take 
of endangered and threatened species, provided in part that a 
conservation plan is developed and implemented. Regulations governing 
permits for listed fish and wildlife species are at 50 CFR 17.22.
    In April 2018, the Service completed a GCP to provide a streamlined 
mechanism for authorizing incidental take of Utah prairie dogs that may 
result from residential and commercial development activities across 
the range of the species in central and southwest Utah. The GCP 
fulfilled requirements of the ESA for issuing permits to authorize take 
of Utah prairie dogs incidental to development activities. The GCP 
includes measures to minimize and mitigate the impacts of the take; 
these measures include prairie dog translocations, habitat and plague 
management at translocation sites, and the protection of occupied Utah 
prairie dog habitats, all of which are consistent with our recovery 
objectives for this species.
    The GCP operates under either of two permitting structures: (1) 
Master permits and (2) individual permits. Wayne County's permit 
application is for a master permit. Under the master permit structure, 
project proponents would contact Wayne County (i.e., master permit 
holder) for a certificate of inclusion. Wayne County would provide take 
authorization for Utah prairie dogs through the certificates of 
inclusion to project proponents who agree to adhere to the conditions 
of the GCP and the county's master permit.
    We previously issued master permits under the GCP to Iron, Beaver, 
and Garfield Counties. We propose, at this time, to issue a 10-year 
master permit for incidental take of the Utah prairie dog in Wayne 
County, if Wayne County's application demonstrates commitments to 
implement the requirements of the GCP, thereby meeting all ESA section 
10(a)(1)(B) permit issuance criteria.

Public Comments

    We request information, views, and opinions from the public 
specifically on our proposed Federal action, the issuance of a master 
incidental take permit to Wayne County. Written comments received 
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

[[Page 54371]]

businesses and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses will be 
made available for public disclosure in their entirety.

Authority

    We provide this notice under section 10(c) of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 
1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations for incidental take 
permits (50 CFR 17.22).

    Dated: August 9, 2018.
Laura Romin,
Utah Deputy Field Supervisor, Mountain-Prairie Region, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, Salt Lake City, Utah.
[FR Doc. 2018-23566 Filed 10-26-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P

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