Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan for the Scrub-Jay and Eastern Indigo Snake, Volusia County, FL; Categorical Exclusion, 20906-20907 [2019-09710]

Download as PDF 20906 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 92 / Monday, May 13, 2019 / Notices in Federal Reserve Statistical Release H– 15. The Federal Housing Administration has codified this provision in HUD regulations at 24 CFR 203.405(b) and 24 CFR 203.479(b). Section 221(g)(4) of the Act provides that debentures issued pursuant to that paragraph (with respect to the assignment of an insured mortgage to the Secretary) will bear interest at the ‘‘going Federal rate’’ in effect at the time the debentures are issued. The term ‘‘going Federal rate’’ is defined to mean the interest rate that the Secretary of the Treasury determines, pursuant to a statutory formula based on the average yield on all outstanding marketable Treasury obligations of 8- to 12-year maturities, for the 6-month periods of January through June and July through December of each year. Section 221(g)(4) is implemented in the HUD regulations at 24 CFR 221.255 and 24 CFR 221.790. The Secretary of the Treasury has determined that the interest rate to be borne by debentures issued pursuant to Section 221(g)(4) during the 6-month period beginning January 1, 2019, is 31⁄8 percent. The subject matter of this notice falls within the categorical exemption from HUD’s environmental clearance procedures set forth in 24 CFR 50.19(c)(6). For that reason, no environmental finding has been prepared for this notice. Authority: Sections 211, 221, 224, National Housing Act, 12 U.S.C. 1715b, 1715l, 1715o; Section 7(d), Department of HUD Act, 42 U.S.C. 3535(d). Dated: May 6, 2019. Brian D. Montgomery, Assistant Secretary for Housing—Federal Housing Commissioner. [FR Doc. 2019–09828 Filed 5–10–19; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4210–67–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS–R4–ES–2019–0047; FXES11130400000EA–123–FF04EF1000] Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan for the Scrub-Jay and Eastern Indigo Snake, Volusia County, FL; Categorical Exclusion Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments and information. jbell on DSK3GLQ082PROD with NOTICES AGENCY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt of an application from Duke Energy SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:29 May 10, 2019 Jkt 247001 Florida, LLC (applicant) for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed scrub-jay and eastern indigo snake incidental to construction in Volusia County, Florida. We request public comment on the application, which includes the applicant’s proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP) and the Service’s preliminary determination that this HCP qualifies as ‘‘low-effect,’’ categorically excluded, under the National Environmental Policy Act. To make this determination, we used our environmental action statement and low-effect screening form, both of which are also available for review. DATES: We must receive your written comments on or before June 12, 2019. ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: You may obtain copies of the documents online in Docket No. FWS–R4–ES–2019–0047 at https://www.regulations.gov. Submitting Comments: If you wish to submit comments on any of the documents, you may do so in writing by any of the following methods: • Online: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS–R4–ES– 2019–0047. • U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R4–ES–2019–0047, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041– 3803. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin M. Gawera, by telephone at (904) 731– 3121 or via email at erin_gawera@ fws.gov. We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt of an application from Duke Energy Florida, LLC (applicant) for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) and eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi) incidental to the construction of a solar power plant (project) in Volusia County, Florida. We request public comment on the application, which includes the applicant’s proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP) and the Service’s preliminary determination that this HCP qualifies as ‘‘low-effect,’’ categorically excluded, under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). To make this determination, we used our environmental action statement and SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: PO 00000 Frm 00061 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 low-effect screening form, both of which are also available for public review. Project The applicant requests a 10-year ITP to take the scrub-jay and eastern indigo snake incidental to the conversion of approximately 13.45 acres of occupied scrub-jay and 307.1 acres of occupied snake foraging and sheltering habitat for the construction of a solar power plant located on a 916.2-acre parcel, Parcel ID numbers 802900000050, 802800000020, 802000000030, 802000000070, 802000000050, 802000000060, 802100000010, 802100000080, 802100000012, 802000000020, 802000000010, and 801600000032, in Sections 16, 17, 20, 21, 28, 29, 32, and 33, Township 18 South, Range 30 East, Volusia County, Florida. The applicant proposes to mitigate for take of the scrub-jay through the contribution of $412,296.30 to the Florida Scrub-jay Conservation Fund administered by The Nature Conservancy and to mitigate for take of the eastern indigo snake through a contribution of $50,000.00 to the Wildlife Foundation of Florida’s Eastern Indigo Snake Conservation Fund. Public Availability of Comments Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made available to the public. While you may request that we withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Our Preliminary Determination The Service has made a preliminary determination that the applicant’s project, including land clearing, infrastructure building, landscaping, and the proposed mitigation and minimization measures, would individually and cumulatively have a minor or negligible effect on the scrubjay, the eastern indigo snake, and the environment. Therefore, we have preliminarily concluded that the ITP for this project would qualify for categorical exclusion and the HCP is low effect under our NEPA regulations at 43 CFR 46.205 and 46. 210. A low-effect HCP is one that would result in (1) minor or negligible effects on federally listed, proposed, and candidate species and their habitats; (2) minor or negligible effects on other environmental values or resources; and (3) impacts that, when considered together with the impacts of other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable similarly situated projects, E:\FR\FM\13MYN1.SGM 13MYN1 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 92 / Monday, May 13, 2019 / Notices would not over time result in significant cumulative effects to environmental values or resources. Next Steps The Service will evaluate the application and the comments received to determine whether to issue the requested permit. We will also conduct an intra-Service consultation pursuant to section 7 of the ESA to evaluate the effects of the proposed take. After considering the above findings, we will determine whether the permit issuance criteria of section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA have been met. If met, the Service will issue ITP number TE 21556D–0 to Duke Energy Florida, LLC. Authority The Service provides this notice under section 10(c) (16 U.S.C. 1539(c)) of the ESA and NEPA regulation 40 CFR 1506.6. Jay B. Herrington, Field Supervisor, Jacksonville Field Office, Southeast Region. [FR Doc. 2019–09710 Filed 5–10–19; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4333–15–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [Docket No. FWS–R4–ES–2019–0028; FXES11130400000EA–123–FF04EF1000] Endangered and Threatened Wildlife; Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan for the Sand Skink, Lake County, FL; Categorical Exclusion Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment and information. AGENCY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received an application from the City of Groveland, Florida (applicant), to amend an incidental take permit under the Endangered Species Act. The 10-year ITP authorizes take of the federally listed sand skink incidental to the construction of a fire station and parking lot in Lake County, Florida. We request public comment on the application and on our preliminary determination that the proposed amendment of the habitat conservation plan (HCP) qualifies as ‘‘low-effect’’ under the National Environmental Policy Act. To make this determination, we used our environmental action statement and low-effect screening form, which are also available for review. jbell on DSK3GLQ082PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:29 May 10, 2019 Jkt 247001 We must receive your written comments by June 12, 2019. ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: You may obtain copies of the documents online in Docket No. FWS–R4–ES–2019–0028 at https://www.regulations.gov. Submitting Comments: You may submit comments by one of the following methods: • Online: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS–R4–ES– 2019–0028. • U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing; Attn: Docket No. FWS–R4–ES–2019–0028; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: BPHC; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041– 3803. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin M. Gawera, by telephone at 904–731– 3121, via the Federal Relay Service at 800–877–8339, or via email at erin_ gawera@fws.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received an application from the City of Groveland, Florida (applicant), to amend an incidental take permit no. TE69161C–0 (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The 10-year ITP authorizes take of the federally listed sand skink (Neoseps reynoldsi) incidental to the construction of a fire station and parking lot in Lake County, Florida. We request public comment on the application, which includes the proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP), and on our preliminary determination that the proposed amendment of the HCP qualifies as ‘‘low-effect’’ under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). To make this determination, we used our environmental action statement and low-effect screening form, which are also available for review. We issued ITP TE69161C–0 to the applicant authorizing take of the sand skink incidental to the conversion of approximately 1.57 acres of occupied foraging and sheltering habitat for the construction of a fire station and parking lot. The station will be constructed within a 4.61-acre project site located on parcel Number 19–22– 25–000100005200 in Section 19, Township 22 South, Range 25 East, Lake County, Florida. The applicant is requesting that the Service amend its ITP to authorize additional take of the sand skink through the conversion of another 0.41 acre (totaling approximately 1.98 acres) of occupied foraging and sheltering DATES: PO 00000 Frm 00062 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 20907 habitat incidental to the project. The project includes clearing, infrastructure building, and landscaping associated with construction. To mitigate for take under the ITP, the applicant agreed to purchase 3.14 mitigation credits in the Backbone Conservation Bank or another Service-approved sand skink bank. The applicant proposes to purchase an additional .82 credit (totaling 3.96 credits) in the conservation bank to mitigate for additional take of the species. Public Availability of Comments All comments, whether received electronically or via hard copy, will be posted on https://regulations.gov and become part of the decision record associated with this action. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made available to the public. While you can request that we withhold your personal identifying information, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Our Preliminary Determination We have determined that the applicant’s proposal, including the proposed mitigation and minimization measures, would have minor or negligible effects on the sand skinks and the environment. Therefore, we have preliminarily determined that amendment of the ITP would be ‘‘low effect’’ and qualify for categorical exclusion under NEPA. A low-effect HCP is one involving (1) minor or negligible effects on federally listed or candidate species and their habitats, and (2) minor or negligible effects on other environmental values or resources. Next Steps The Service will evaluate the application to amend the ITP and consider all comments received to determine whether to amend the ITP application. We will also conduct an intra-Service consultation pursuant to section 7 of the ESA. After considering the above findings, we will determine whether the requirements of section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA and 50 CFR 13.23 have been met. If met, the Service will issue an amended ITP no. TE69161C–1 to the applicant for incidental take of the sand skink. Authority The Service provides this notice under section 10 of the ESA (16 U.S.C. E:\FR\FM\13MYN1.SGM 13MYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 92 (Monday, May 13, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20906-20907]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-09710]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R4-ES-2019-0047; FXES11130400000EA-123-FF04EF1000]


Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed 
Habitat Conservation Plan for the Scrub-Jay and Eastern Indigo Snake, 
Volusia County, FL; Categorical Exclusion

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments and information.

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

SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt 
of an application from Duke Energy Florida, LLC (applicant) for an 
incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The 
applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed scrub-jay and 
eastern indigo snake incidental to construction in Volusia County, 
Florida. We request public comment on the application, which includes 
the applicant's proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP) and the 
Service's preliminary determination that this HCP qualifies as ``low-
effect,'' categorically excluded, under the National Environmental 
Policy Act. To make this determination, we used our environmental 
action statement and low-effect screening form, both of which are also 
available for review.

DATES: We must receive your written comments on or before June 12, 
2019.

ADDRESSES: 
    Obtaining Documents: You may obtain copies of the documents online 
in Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2019-0047 at https://www.regulations.gov.
    Submitting Comments: If you wish to submit comments on any of the 
documents, you may do so in writing by any of the following methods:
     Online: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2019-0047.
     U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, 
Attn: Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2019-0047, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
MS: BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin M. Gawera, by telephone at (904) 
731-3121 or via email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), 
announce receipt of an application from Duke Energy Florida, LLC 
(applicant) for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The 
applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed scrub-jay 
(Aphelocoma coerulescens) and eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi) 
incidental to the construction of a solar power plant (project) in 
Volusia County, Florida. We request public comment on the application, 
which includes the applicant's proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP) 
and the Service's preliminary determination that this HCP qualifies as 
``low-effect,'' categorically excluded, under the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). To make this 
determination, we used our environmental action statement and low-
effect screening form, both of which are also available for public 
review.

Project

    The applicant requests a 10-year ITP to take the scrub-jay and 
eastern indigo snake incidental to the conversion of approximately 
13.45 acres of occupied scrub-jay and 307.1 acres of occupied snake 
foraging and sheltering habitat for the construction of a solar power 
plant located on a 916.2-acre parcel, Parcel ID numbers 802900000050, 
802800000020, 802000000030, 802000000070, 802000000050, 802000000060, 
802100000010, 802100000080, 802100000012, 802000000020, 802000000010, 
and 801600000032, in Sections 16, 17, 20, 21, 28, 29, 32, and 33, 
Township 18 South, Range 30 East, Volusia County, Florida. The 
applicant proposes to mitigate for take of the scrub-jay through the 
contribution of $412,296.30 to the Florida Scrub-jay Conservation Fund 
administered by The Nature Conservancy and to mitigate for take of the 
eastern indigo snake through a contribution of $50,000.00 to the 
Wildlife Foundation of Florida's Eastern Indigo Snake Conservation 
Fund.

Public Availability of Comments

    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, be aware that 
your entire comment--including your personal identifying information--
may be made available to the public. While you may request that we 
withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we 
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Our Preliminary Determination

    The Service has made a preliminary determination that the 
applicant's project, including land clearing, infrastructure building, 
landscaping, and the proposed mitigation and minimization measures, 
would individually and cumulatively have a minor or negligible effect 
on the scrub-jay, the eastern indigo snake, and the environment. 
Therefore, we have preliminarily concluded that the ITP for this 
project would qualify for categorical exclusion and the HCP is low 
effect under our NEPA regulations at 43 CFR 46.205 and 46. 210. A low-
effect HCP is one that would result in (1) minor or negligible effects 
on federally listed, proposed, and candidate species and their 
habitats; (2) minor or negligible effects on other environmental values 
or resources; and (3) impacts that, when considered together with the 
impacts of other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable similarly 
situated projects,

[[Page 20907]]

would not over time result in significant cumulative effects to 
environmental values or resources.

Next Steps

    The Service will evaluate the application and the comments received 
to determine whether to issue the requested permit. We will also 
conduct an intra-Service consultation pursuant to section 7 of the ESA 
to evaluate the effects of the proposed take. After considering the 
above findings, we will determine whether the permit issuance criteria 
of section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA have been met. If met, the Service 
will issue ITP number TE 21556D-0 to Duke Energy Florida, LLC.

Authority

    The Service provides this notice under section 10(c) (16 U.S.C. 
1539(c)) of the ESA and NEPA regulation 40 CFR 1506.6.

Jay B. Herrington,
Field Supervisor, Jacksonville Field Office, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2019-09710 Filed 5-10-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
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