Draft City of Rancho Palos Verdes Natural Community Conservation Plan and Habitat Conservation Plan and Draft Environmental Assessment, City of Rancho Palos Verdes, Los Angeles County, California, 54769-54771 [2018-23762]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 211 / Wednesday, October 31, 2018 / Notices
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[FR Doc. 2018–23892 Filed 10–30–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111–97–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R8–ES–2018–N094;
FXES11140800000–178–FF08E00000]
Draft City of Rancho Palos Verdes
Natural Community Conservation Plan
and Habitat Conservation Plan and
Draft Environmental Assessment, City
of Rancho Palos Verdes, Los Angeles
County, California
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for public comment.
AGENCY:
PO 00000
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54769
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, announce the receipt
and availability of a draft Natural
Community Conservation Plan/Habitat
Conservation Plan (NCCP/HCP) and
draft environmental assessment (EA),
which evaluates the impacts of, and
alternatives to, the proposed City of
Rancho Palos Verdes (City of RPV)
NCCP/HCP. The City of RPV NCCP/HCP
was submitted by the City of Rancho
Palos Verdes in support of an
application under the Endangered
Species Act, for a permit authorizing the
incidental take of 10 covered species
resulting from covered projects/
activities and a permit under the State
of California’s Natural Community
Conservation Planning Act of 2002. We
request review and comment on the City
of RPV NCCP/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
December 31, 2018.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may
obtain copies of the City of RPV NCCP/
HCP and the draft EA by the following
methods. Please specify that your
request pertains to the City of RPV
NCCP/HCP.
• Email: katiel@rpvca.gov.
• Internet: https://www.rpvca.gov/490/
Palos-Verdes-Nature-Preserve-NCCPPUMP-H.
• U.S. Mail: A limited number of CD–
ROM and printed copies are available,
by request, from the following locations:
D Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office,
2177 Salk Avenue, Suite 250, Carlsbad,
CA 92008;
D Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall (see
address under In-Person, below).
• In-Person: Copies are available for
public inspection and review at the
following locations, by appointment and
written request only:
D Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall,
30940 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos
Verdes, CA 90275 (telephone: 310–554–
5267; 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday
through Thursday, and 7:30 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. on Friday); and
D Palos Verdes Peninsula Land
Conservancy, 916 Silver Spur Road,
Suite 207, Rolling Hills Estates, CA
90274 (9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday).
Submitting Comments: You may
submit comments by one of the
following methods:
• Email: fw8cfwocomments@fws.gov;
please include ‘‘City of RPV NCCP/
HCP’’ in the subject line.
• U.S. Mail: Karen Goebel, Attn: City
of RPV NCCP/HCP (use the Carlsbad
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 211 / Wednesday, October 31, 2018 / Notices
Fish and Wildlife Office address under
Obtaining Documents).
• Telephone: Karen Goebel, 760–431–
9440.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mary Beth Woulfe, 760–431–9440.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service),
announce the receipt and availability of
a draft Natural Community
Conservation Plan/Habitat Conservation
Plan (HCP/NCCP) and draft
environmental assessment (EA), which
evaluates the impacts of, and
alternatives to, the proposed City of
Rancho Palos Verdes (RPV) NCCP/HCP.
The City of RPV NCCP/HCP was
submitted by the City of Rancho Palos
Verdes in support of an application
under section 10 of the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA;
16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), for a permit
authorizing the incidental take of 10
covered species resulting from covered
projects/activities. The proposed City of
RPV NCCP/HCP plan area encompasses
approximately 8,616.6 acres on the
Palos Verdes Peninsula, Los Angeles
County, California.
Introduction
Under section 10(c) of the ESA and
under the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA; 42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.), this notice advises the
public of the receipt and availability for
public review of the draft City of RPV
NCCP/HCP and draft EA, which
evaluates the impacts of, and
alternatives to, the City of RPV NCCP/
HCP, submitted with an application for
a permit to authorize the incidental take
of federally listed covered species
resulting from covered projects/
activities within the plan area. The
Service is the Lead Agency pursuant to
NEPA. The proposed Federal action is
issuance of an incidental take permit
(ITP) under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the
ESA to the City of Rancho Palos Verdes
and their habitat manager, Palos Verdes
Peninsula Land Conservancy.
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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
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18:06 Oct 30, 2018
Jkt 247001
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 the
City of Rancho Palos Verdes would be
to permit incidental take of the covered
species resulting from identified
covered City of Rancho Palos Verdes
and private projects/activities within
the plan area. Implementation of the
City of RPV NCCP/HCP is intended to
maximize conservation for covered
species while providing cost-savings
and reducing potential time-delays
associated with processing individual
ITPs for each covered project/activity
within the plan area.
The proposed City of RPV NCCP/HCP
includes measures intended to
minimize and mitigate the impacts of
the taking to the maximum extent
practicable from covered City of Rancho
Palos Verdes and private projects/
activities within the plan area.
Proposed Action
The proposed action is the issuance of
an ITP by the Service to City of Rancho
Palos Verdes and their habitat manager,
Palos Verdes Peninsula Land
Conservancy, for the incidental take of
covered species from identified covered
projects/activities, including the
avoidance, minimization, and
mitigation of impacts to covered species
within the 8,616.6-acre plan area for 40
years. The proposed City of RPV NCCP/
HCP is a conservation plan for the
following 10 species:
Federally listed as endangered:
Palos Verdes blue butterfly
El Segundo blue butterfly
Federally listed as threatened:
Coastal California gnatcatcher
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Unlisted:
Cactus wren
Aphanisma
South coast salt scale
Catalina crossosoma
Island green dudleya
Santa Catalina Island desert-thorn
Woolly seablite
There are 17 City of Rancho Palos
Verdes projects/activities and 5 private
projects/activities proposed to be
covered by the ITP. The City of Rancho
Palos Verdes projects/activities include
landslide abatement, drainage
improvement, dewatering wells, road
and canyon repairs, fuel modification,
and maintenance; private projects/
activities include development,
remedial grading, and fuel modification.
Public use is also identified as a
conditionally allowable use. Potential
impacts to covered species include
disruption of normal behavior by
covered projects/activities and injury or
death due to construction activities. The
City of RPV NCCP/HCP provides a
comprehensive approach to the
conservation and management of these
species and their habitat within the plan
area.
The plan area is approximately
8,616.6 acres and includes the entire
boundary of the City of Rancho Palos
Verdes. The plan area is constant for all
of the alternatives analyzed in the EA.
The City of RPV NCCP/HCP quantifies
the expected loss of habitat and the
proposed mitigation, including
management and monitoring of the
preserve.
Alternatives
We considered five alternatives in the
EA: (1) No Action Alternative; (2)
Alternative A, Peninsula NCCP Working
Group Alternative; (3) Alternative B,
Landowner Alternative; (4) Alternative
C, The City of Rancho Palos Verdes’
Alternative; and (5) Alternative D, The
Proposed Action.
Under the No Action Alternative, the
City of Rancho Palos Verdes NCCP/HCP
would not move forward for approval
and an ITP would not be issued. All
projects/activities proposed in City of
RPV NCCP/HCP would continue to be
reviewed in accordance with existing
State land use and environmental
regulations. Alternative A was
developed by the working group, which
consisted of stakeholders within the
City of Rancho Palos Verdes, and
included the largest preserve area,
totaling about 1,559.1 acres. Alternative
B was developed by the major
landowners in 1999 and proposed the
smallest preserve area of all of the
alternatives. Alternative C was
developed by the City of Rancho Palos
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 211 / Wednesday, October 31, 2018 / Notices
Verdes and was a compromise of
Alternative A and B. The preserve size
under Alternative C is slightly larger
than that under the Proposed Action
(Alternative D), but the total amount of
coastal sage scrub habitat under
Alternative C is slightly lower than that
in the Proposed Action (Alternative D).
The Proposed Action (Alternative D)
is the same as Alternative C, with the
following exceptions: (1) A 27.0-acre
parcel in the Upper Filiorum property
has been removed from the preserve and
is now identified as a covered project,
including the associated dedication of
30 acres of functional and connected
habitat; (2) 40.0 acres of a former
archery range property have been
removed from the preserve due to
landslide and legal constraints; and (3)
61.5 acres of Malaga Canyon have been
purchased by the City of Rancho Palos
Verdes and have been incorporated into
the preserve. The preserve in
Alternative D totals 1,402.4 acres.
Request for Comments
Consistent with section 10(c) of the
ESA, we invite your submission of
written comments, data, or arguments
with respect to the City of Rancho Palos
Verdes’ permit application, the City of
RPV NCCP/HCP, and proposed
permitting decision.
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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
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18:06 Oct 30, 2018
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applicant for the incidental take of the
covered species. We will make our final
permit decision no sooner than 60 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).
Scott Sobiech,
Acting Field Supervisor, Carlsbad Fish and
Wildlife Office, Carlsbad, California.
[FR Doc. 2018–23762 Filed 10–30–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R8–R–2018–N122; FF08RSDC00–
190–F1611MD–FXRS12610800000]
Otay River Estuary Restoration
Project, South San Diego Bay Unit of
the San Diego Bay National Wildlife
Refuge, California; Record of Decision
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; record of
decision.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of the record of decision
(ROD) for the San Diego Bay National
Wildlife Refuge—Otay River Estuary
Restoration Project final environmental
impact statement (EIS). The ROD
explains that, of the three alternatives
examined in the final EIS, the chosen
alternative is the environmentally
preferred alternative.
ADDRESSES: Document Availability: The
ROD is available at:
• Internet: https://www.fws.gov/
refuge/San_Diego_Bay/what_we_do/
Resource_Management/Otay_
Restoration.html.
• In Person:
o San Diego National Wildlife Refuge
Complex Headquarters, 1080
Gunpowder Point Drive, Chula Vista,
CA 91910; telephone: 619–476–9150,
extension 103.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brian Collins, Refuge Manager, San
Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge at
619–575–2704, extension 302
(telephone) or brian_collins@fws.gov
(email); or Andy Yuen, Project Leader,
619–476–9150, extension 100
(telephone), or andy_yuen@fws.gov
(email).
SUMMARY:
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54771
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
In 2006, we completed the San Diego
Bay National Wildlife Refuge (NWR)
Comprehensive Conservation Plan
(CCP) and final EIS/ROD to guide the
management of the San Diego Bay NWR
over a 15-year period (71 FR 64552,
November 2, 2006). The wildlife and
habitat management goal of the selected
management alternative in the CCP for
the South San Diego Bay Unit is to
‘‘Protect, manage, enhance, and restore
. . . coastal wetlands . . . to benefit the
native fish, wildlife, and plant species
supported within the South San Diego
Bay Unit.’’ One of the strategies
identified to meet this goal is to restore
native habitats in the Otay River
floodplain and the salt ponds.
On September 29, 2010, the San Diego
NWR Complex and Poseidon Resources
(Channelside) LP (Poseidon) entered
into a memorandum of understanding to
establish a partnership to facilitate the
restoration of property within the San
Diego Bay NWR, consistent with the
CCP and Poseidon’s restoration
requirements from the California Coastal
Commission (Commission) in an
approved coastal development permit
(CDP No. E–06–013) related to the
construction and operation of a
desalination plant in Carlsbad,
California.
We published a notice of intent (NOI)
to prepare an EIS for the Otay River
Estuary Restoration Project on
November 14, 2011 (76 FR 70480),
followed by a second NOI on January 8,
2013 (78 FR 1246), when the project was
expanded to include the restoration of
Pond 15. We published a notice of
availability (NOA) of the draft EIS for
the project on October 21, 2016 (81 FR
72817), and an NOA of the final EIS on
May 18, 2018 (83 FR 23289).
Project
The project site is located at the south
end of San Diego Bay, San Diego
County, California, within the South
San Diego Bay Unit of the San Diego
Bay NWR. Restoration activities will
occur at two separate locations within
the Refuge: The 34-acre Otay River
Floodplain Site, located to the west of
Interstate 5 between Main Street to the
north and Palm Avenue to the south in
the City of San Diego, and the 91-acre
Pond 15 Site, an active solar salt pond,
located in the northeastern portion of
the Refuge to the northwest of the
intersection of Bay Boulevard and
Palomar Street in the City of Chula
Vista.
E:\FR\FM\31OCN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 211 (Wednesday, October 31, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54769-54771]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-23762]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R8-ES-2018-N094; FXES11140800000-178-FF08E00000]
Draft City of Rancho Palos Verdes Natural Community Conservation
Plan and Habitat Conservation Plan and Draft Environmental Assessment,
City of Rancho Palos Verdes, Los Angeles 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 Natural Community Conservation Plan/Habitat
Conservation Plan (NCCP/HCP) and draft environmental assessment (EA),
which evaluates the impacts of, and alternatives to, the proposed City
of Rancho Palos Verdes (City of RPV) NCCP/HCP. The City of RPV NCCP/HCP
was submitted by the City of Rancho Palos Verdes in support of an
application under the Endangered Species Act, for a permit authorizing
the incidental take of 10 covered species resulting from covered
projects/activities and a permit under the State of California's
Natural Community Conservation Planning Act of 2002. We request review
and comment on the City of RPV NCCP/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
December 31, 2018.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may obtain copies of the City of RPV NCCP/
HCP and the draft EA by the following methods. Please specify that your
request pertains to the City of RPV NCCP/HCP.
Email: [email protected].
Internet: https://www.rpvca.gov/490/Palos-Verdes-Nature-Preserve-NCCP-PUMP-H.
U.S. Mail: A limited number of CD-ROM and printed copies
are available, by request, from the following locations:
[ssquf] Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office, 2177 Salk Avenue, Suite
250, Carlsbad, CA 92008;
[ssquf] Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall (see address under In-Person,
below).
In-Person: Copies are available for public inspection and
review at the following locations, by appointment and written request
only:
[ssquf] Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall, 30940 Hawthorne Blvd.,
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275 (telephone: 310-554-5267; 7:30 a.m. to
5:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on
Friday); and
[ssquf] Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy, 916 Silver Spur
Road, Suite 207, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274 (9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday).
Submitting Comments: You may submit comments by one of the
following methods:
Email: [email protected]; please include ``City of
RPV NCCP/HCP'' in the subject line.
U.S. Mail: Karen Goebel, Attn: City of RPV NCCP/HCP (use
the Carlsbad
[[Page 54770]]
Fish and Wildlife Office address under Obtaining Documents).
Telephone: Karen Goebel, 760-431-9440.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Beth Woulfe, 760-431-9440.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), announce the receipt and availability of a draft Natural
Community Conservation Plan/Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP/NCCP) and
draft environmental assessment (EA), which evaluates the impacts of,
and alternatives to, the proposed City of Rancho Palos Verdes (RPV)
NCCP/HCP. The City of RPV NCCP/HCP was submitted by the City of Rancho
Palos Verdes in support of an application under section 10 of the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.), for a permit authorizing the incidental take of 10 covered
species resulting from covered projects/activities. The proposed City
of RPV NCCP/HCP plan area encompasses approximately 8,616.6 acres on
the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Los Angeles County, California.
Introduction
Under section 10(c) of the ESA and under the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), this notice advises
the public of the receipt and availability for public review of the
draft City of RPV NCCP/HCP and draft EA, which evaluates the impacts
of, and alternatives to, the City of RPV NCCP/HCP, submitted with an
application for a permit to authorize the incidental take of federally
listed covered species resulting from covered projects/activities
within the plan area. The Service is the Lead Agency pursuant to NEPA.
The proposed Federal action is issuance of an incidental take permit
(ITP) under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA to the City of Rancho Palos
Verdes and their habitat manager, Palos Verdes Peninsula Land
Conservancy.
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 the City of Rancho Palos Verdes
would be to permit incidental take of the covered species resulting
from identified covered City of Rancho Palos Verdes and private
projects/activities within the plan area. Implementation of the City of
RPV NCCP/HCP is intended to maximize conservation for covered species
while providing cost-savings and reducing potential time-delays
associated with processing individual ITPs for each covered project/
activity within the plan area.
The proposed City of RPV NCCP/HCP includes measures intended to
minimize and mitigate the impacts of the taking to the maximum extent
practicable from covered City of Rancho Palos Verdes and private
projects/activities within the plan area.
Proposed Action
The proposed action is the issuance of an ITP by the Service to
City of Rancho Palos Verdes and their habitat manager, Palos Verdes
Peninsula Land Conservancy, for the incidental take of covered species
from identified covered projects/activities, including the avoidance,
minimization, and mitigation of impacts to covered species within the
8,616.6-acre plan area for 40 years. The proposed City of RPV NCCP/HCP
is a conservation plan for the following 10 species:
Federally listed as endangered:
Palos Verdes blue butterfly
El Segundo blue butterfly
Federally listed as threatened:
Coastal California gnatcatcher
Unlisted:
Cactus wren
Aphanisma
South coast salt scale
Catalina crossosoma
Island green dudleya
Santa Catalina Island desert-thorn
Woolly seablite
There are 17 City of Rancho Palos Verdes projects/activities and 5
private projects/activities proposed to be covered by the ITP. The City
of Rancho Palos Verdes projects/activities include landslide abatement,
drainage improvement, dewatering wells, road and canyon repairs, fuel
modification, and maintenance; private projects/activities include
development, remedial grading, and fuel modification. Public use is
also identified as a conditionally allowable use. Potential impacts to
covered species include disruption of normal behavior by covered
projects/activities and injury or death due to construction activities.
The City of RPV NCCP/HCP provides a comprehensive approach to the
conservation and management of these species and their habitat within
the plan area.
The plan area is approximately 8,616.6 acres and includes the
entire boundary of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. The plan area is
constant for all of the alternatives analyzed in the EA. The City of
RPV NCCP/HCP quantifies the expected loss of habitat and the proposed
mitigation, including management and monitoring of the preserve.
Alternatives
We considered five alternatives in the EA: (1) No Action
Alternative; (2) Alternative A, Peninsula NCCP Working Group
Alternative; (3) Alternative B, Landowner Alternative; (4) Alternative
C, The City of Rancho Palos Verdes' Alternative; and (5) Alternative D,
The Proposed Action.
Under the No Action Alternative, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes
NCCP/HCP would not move forward for approval and an ITP would not be
issued. All projects/activities proposed in City of RPV NCCP/HCP would
continue to be reviewed in accordance with existing State land use and
environmental regulations. Alternative A was developed by the working
group, which consisted of stakeholders within the City of Rancho Palos
Verdes, and included the largest preserve area, totaling about 1,559.1
acres. Alternative B was developed by the major landowners in 1999 and
proposed the smallest preserve area of all of the alternatives.
Alternative C was developed by the City of Rancho Palos
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Verdes and was a compromise of Alternative A and B. The preserve size
under Alternative C is slightly larger than that under the Proposed
Action (Alternative D), but the total amount of coastal sage scrub
habitat under Alternative C is slightly lower than that in the Proposed
Action (Alternative D).
The Proposed Action (Alternative D) is the same as Alternative C,
with the following exceptions: (1) A 27.0-acre parcel in the Upper
Filiorum property has been removed from the preserve and is now
identified as a covered project, including the associated dedication of
30 acres of functional and connected habitat; (2) 40.0 acres of a
former archery range property have been removed from the preserve due
to landslide and legal constraints; and (3) 61.5 acres of Malaga Canyon
have been purchased by the City of Rancho Palos Verdes and have been
incorporated into the preserve. The preserve in Alternative D totals
1,402.4 acres.
Request for Comments
Consistent with section 10(c) of the ESA, we invite your submission
of written comments, data, or arguments with respect to the City of
Rancho Palos Verdes' permit application, the City of RPV NCCP/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 60 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).
Scott Sobiech,
Acting Field Supervisor, Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office, Carlsbad,
California.
[FR Doc. 2018-23762 Filed 10-30-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
