Draft Habitat Conservation Plan for Eight Species; Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Habitat Conservation Plan for Fort Ord, Monterey County, California, 58733-58734 [2019-23972]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 212 / Friday, November 1, 2019 / Notices developments, deliveries, staffing, and admissions. 4. Updates on the Board of Visitors Subcommittee Groups for the Professional Development Initiative Update and the National Fire Incident Report System. There will be a 10-minute comment period after each agenda item and each speaker will be given no more than 2 minutes to speak. Please note that the public comment period may end before the time indicated following the last call for comments. Contact Deborah GartrellKemp to register as a speaker. Meeting materials will be posted at https:// www.usfa.fema.gov/training/nfa/about/ bov.html by December 10, 2019. Tonya L. Hoover, Superintendent, National Fire Academy, United States Fire Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency. [FR Doc. 2019–23907 Filed 10–31–19; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 9111–45–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS–R8–ES–2019–N064; FXES11140800000–189–FF08EVEN00] Draft Habitat Conservation Plan for Eight Species; Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Habitat Conservation Plan for Fort Ord, Monterey 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 incidental take permit application under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. The permit would authorize take of the federally threatened California tiger salamander, California red-legged frog, and western snowy plover, and the federally endangered Smith’s blue butterfly, incidental to otherwise lawful activities associated with commercial, residential and recreational development, recreational use, and habitat management within portions of the former Fort Ord Army base in the draft habitat conservation plan (HCP). We invite public comment on the applicant’s draft HCP and the draft environmental impact statement, which the Service prepared in response to the application for an incidental take permit. SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:23 Oct 31, 2019 Jkt 250001 Written comments must be received on or before December 16, 2019. ADDRESSES: To obtain documents: You may download a copy of the draft habitat conservation plan and environmental impact statement at https://www.fws.gov/ ventura/, or you may request copies of the documents by sending U.S. mail to our Ventura office (see below), or by phone (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). For information on reviewing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) comments on the draft EIS, see EPA’s Role in the EIS Process under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. To submit written comments: Please send us your written comments using one of the following methods: • U.S. mail: Send your comments to Stephen P. Henry, Field Supervisor, Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura, CA 93003. • Facsimile: Fax your comments to 805–644–3958. • Electronic Mail: Send your comments to fw8fortordhcp@fws.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Leilani Takano, Assistant Field Supervisor, by phone at 805–644–1766, at the Ventura address in ADDRESSES, or via the Federal Relay Service at 800– 877–8339. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received an application for an incidental take permit (ITP) pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The applicant has developed a draft habitat conservation plan (HCP) for the project that includes measures to mitigate and avoid/ minimize impacts to the federally threatened California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense), California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii), western snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus), and Monterey spineflower (Chorizanthe pungens var. pungens); the federally endangered Smith’s blue butterfly (Euphilotes enoptes smithi), Monterey (sand) gilia (Gilia tenuiflora ssp. arenaria), and Yadon’s piperia (Piperia yadonii); and the State endangered seaside bird’s beak (Cordylanthus rigidus ssp. littoralis). The permit would authorize take of the California tiger salamander, California red-legged frog, western snowy plover, and Smith’s blue butterfly incidental to otherwise lawful activities associated with the Fort Ord HCP. We invite public comment on the application, the draft HCP, and draft environmental impact statement (EIS). DATES: PO 00000 Frm 00058 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 58733 Background The California tiger salamander was listed as threatened on August 4, 2004 (69 FR 47212); the California red-legged frog was listed as threatened on May 23, 1996 (61 FR 25813); the western snowy plover was listed as threatened on March 5, 1993 (58 FR 12864); the Monterey spineflower was listed as threatened on February 4, 1994 (59 FR 5499); the Smith’s blue butterfly was listed as endangered on June 1, 1976 (41 FR 22041); the Monterey (sand) gilia was listed as endangered on June 22, 1992 (57 FR 27848); and the Yadon’s piperia was listed as endangered on August 12, 1998 (63 FR 43100). The seaside bird’s beak has no Federal status, but was listed as endangered by the State of California in 1982 (https:// www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/nongame/ list.html), and the applicant has chosen to address this species in the HCP to facilitate State permitting. Section 9 of the ESA and its implementing regulations in effect at the time the above-referenced species were listed prohibited the take of fish or wildlife species listed as endangered or threatened. ‘‘Take’’ is defined under the ESA to include the following activities: ‘‘[T]o 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 fish or 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. Regulations governing incidental take permits for threatened and endangered species are in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR 17.32 and 17.22, respectively. Under the ESA, protections for federally listed plants differ from the protections afforded to federally listed animals. Issuance of an incidental take permit also must not jeopardize the existence of federally listed fish, wildlife, or plant species. The permittees would receive assurances under our ‘‘No Surprises’’ regulations ((50 CFR 17.22(b)(5) and 17.32(b)(5)) regarding conservation activities for the California tiger salamander, California red-legged frog, western snowy plover, Monterey spineflower, Smith’s blue butterfly, Monterey (sand) gilia, Yadon’s piperia, and seaside bird’s beak. Applicant’s Proposed Activities The applicant has applied for a permit for incidental take of the California tiger salamander, California red-legged frog, E:\FR\FM\01NON1.SGM 01NON1 58734 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 212 / Friday, November 1, 2019 / Notices western snowy plover, and Smith’s blue butterfly. Take is likely to occur in association with activities necessary to develop and use commercial, residential, and recreational facilities on non-Federal portions of the former Fort Ord Army base and to manage habitats within conserved areas of the former base. The site contains 4 acres of aquatic breeding habitat and 5,718 acres of upland habitat for the California tiger salamander. The site contains 4 acres of aquatic breeding habitat and 3,494 acres of upland habitat for the California redlegged frog. The site contains 71 acres of breeding, foraging, and overwintering habitat for the western snowy plover, all of which is in critical habitat designated for the species. The site contains 110 acres of habitat (for all of the species’ activities) for the Smith’s blue butterfly. The HCP includes measures to minimize take of the California tiger salamander, California red-legged frog, western snowy plover, and Smith’s blue butterfly in the forms of injury, mortality, and harm. Mitigation for unavoidable take of the species consists of preservation and management of existing habitat and restoration of areas of degraded habitat (primarily through restoration of aquatic breeding habitat for the two amphibian species and of upland habitat for all species). National Environmental Policy Act Compliance The Service has developed a draft EIS in response to the ITP application in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). The draft EIS analyzes three alternatives. The proposed action is issuance of a base-wide ITP, which would address development and use of the former Fort Ord in accordance with the HCP. This would include unrestricted development of some undisturbed habitat areas, redevelopment of areas developed by the Army during its use of the base, and limited development within areas otherwise conserved and managed as habitat. Under the ‘‘no action’’ alternative, a base-wide ITP would not be issued and the HCP would not be implemented. Development and use of the former base would likely continue under existing local and Armyprepared planning documents and the applicant would likely apply for future project-specific ITPs. Under the ‘‘reduced take’’ alternative, a base-wide ITP would be issued, but limited development within areas otherwise conserved and managed as habitat would be eliminated. VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:23 Oct 31, 2019 Jkt 250001 EPA’s Role in the EIS Process The EPA is charged with reviewing all Federal agencies’ EISs and commenting on the adequacy and acceptability of the environmental impacts of proposed actions in EISs. Therefore, EPA is publishing a notice in the Federal Register announcing this draft EIS, as required under section 309 of the Clean Air Act. The publication date of EPA’s notice of availability is the official beginning of the public comment period. EPA’s notices are published on Fridays. EPA serves as the repository (EIS database) for EISs prepared by Federal agencies. All EISs must be filed with EPA. You may search for EPA comments on EISs, along with EISs themselves, at https:// cdxnodengn.epa.gov/cdx-enepa-public/ action/eis/search. Public Comments If you wish to comment on the permit application, draft HCP, draft EIS, and associated documents, you may submit comments by one of the methods 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. Authority We provide this notice under section 10 of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and NEPA and its implementing regulations (40 CFR 1506.6). Michael Long, Acting Assistant Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region, Sacramento, California. [FR Doc. 2019–23972 Filed 10–31–19; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4333–15–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS–R6–ES–2019–N125; FXES11130600000–190–FF06E00000] Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Recovery Plan for the Gunnison Sage-Grouse Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of document availability for review and comment. AGENCY: PO 00000 Frm 00059 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability of a draft recovery plan for Gunnison sage-grouse, a bird species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. We are requesting review and comment from the public on this draft plan. The draft recovery plan includes objective, measurable criteria, and site-specific management actions as may be necessary to remove the species from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. DATES: We must receive any comments on the draft recovery plan on or before December 31, 2019. ADDRESSES: Document availability: Copies of the draft recovery plan are available at https://www.fws.gov/endangered/ species/recovery-plans.html. Alternatively, you may request a copy by U.S. mail from the Colorado Ecological Services Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 445 West Gunnison Avenue, #240, Grand Junction, CO 81501–5711; or via telephone at 970–628–7181. Submitting comments: If you wish to comment on the draft recovery plan, you may submit your comments in writing by email to gusgrecoveryplan@ fws.gov, or by U.S. mail or handdelivery to the Field Supervisor at the address above. Viewing public comments: Comments and materials the Service receives will be available for public inspection by appointment during normal business hours at the address above. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ann Timberman, Field Supervisor, Colorado Ecological Services Field Office, Grand Junction, at the above U.S. mail address or telephone number (see ADDRESSES). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability of a draft recovery plan for Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus; hereafter, GUSG), a bird species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). We are requesting review and comment from the public on this draft recovery plan. SUMMARY: Background Restoring an endangered or threatened animal or plant to the point where it is again a secure, selfsustaining member of its ecosystem is a primary goal of the Service’s endangered species program. Recovery means improving the status of a listed species to the point at which listing is no longer necessary according to the E:\FR\FM\01NON1.SGM 01NON1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 212 (Friday, November 1, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58733-58734]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-23972]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R8-ES-2019-N064; FXES11140800000-189-FF08EVEN00]


Draft Habitat Conservation Plan for Eight Species; Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Habitat Conservation Plan for 
Fort Ord, Monterey 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 incidental take permit application under the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended. The permit would authorize take of the 
federally threatened California tiger salamander, California red-legged 
frog, and western snowy plover, and the federally endangered Smith's 
blue butterfly, incidental to otherwise lawful activities associated 
with commercial, residential and recreational development, recreational 
use, and habitat management within portions of the former Fort Ord Army 
base in the draft habitat conservation plan (HCP). We invite public 
comment on the applicant's draft HCP and the draft environmental impact 
statement, which the Service prepared in response to the application 
for an incidental take permit.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before December 16, 
2019.

ADDRESSES: 
    To obtain documents: You may download a copy of the draft habitat 
conservation plan and environmental impact statement at https://www.fws.gov/ventura/, or you may request copies of the documents by 
sending U.S. mail to our Ventura office (see below), or by phone (see 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). For information on reviewing U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) comments on the draft EIS, see 
EPA's Role in the EIS Process under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
    To submit written comments: Please send us your written comments 
using one of the following methods:
     U.S. mail: Send your comments to Stephen P. Henry, Field 
Supervisor, Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, 2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura, CA 93003.
     Facsimile: Fax your comments to 805-644-3958.
     Electronic Mail: Send your comments to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Leilani Takano, Assistant Field 
Supervisor, by phone at 805-644-1766, at the Ventura address in 
ADDRESSES, or via the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(Service), have received an application for an incidental take permit 
(ITP) pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act, as 
amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The applicant has developed a 
draft habitat conservation plan (HCP) for the project that includes 
measures to mitigate and avoid/minimize impacts to the federally 
threatened California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense), 
California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii), western snowy plover 
(Charadrius nivosus nivosus), and Monterey spineflower (Chorizanthe 
pungens var. pungens); the federally endangered Smith's blue butterfly 
(Euphilotes enoptes smithi), Monterey (sand) gilia (Gilia tenuiflora 
ssp. arenaria), and Yadon's piperia (Piperia yadonii); and the State 
endangered seaside bird's beak (Cordylanthus rigidus ssp. littoralis). 
The permit would authorize take of the California tiger salamander, 
California red-legged frog, western snowy plover, and Smith's blue 
butterfly incidental to otherwise lawful activities associated with the 
Fort Ord HCP. We invite public comment on the application, the draft 
HCP, and draft environmental impact statement (EIS).

Background

    The California tiger salamander was listed as threatened on August 
4, 2004 (69 FR 47212); the California red-legged frog was listed as 
threatened on May 23, 1996 (61 FR 25813); the western snowy plover was 
listed as threatened on March 5, 1993 (58 FR 12864); the Monterey 
spineflower was listed as threatened on February 4, 1994 (59 FR 5499); 
the Smith's blue butterfly was listed as endangered on June 1, 1976 (41 
FR 22041); the Monterey (sand) gilia was listed as endangered on June 
22, 1992 (57 FR 27848); and the Yadon's piperia was listed as 
endangered on August 12, 1998 (63 FR 43100). The seaside bird's beak 
has no Federal status, but was listed as endangered by the State of 
California in 1982 (https://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/nongame/list.html), 
and the applicant has chosen to address this species in the HCP to 
facilitate State permitting.
    Section 9 of the ESA and its implementing regulations in effect at 
the time the above-referenced species were listed prohibited the take 
of fish or wildlife species listed as endangered or threatened. 
``Take'' is defined under the ESA to include the following activities: 
``[T]o 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 fish or 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. Regulations governing incidental take permits for threatened 
and endangered species are in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 
50 CFR 17.32 and 17.22, respectively. Under the ESA, protections for 
federally listed plants differ from the protections afforded to 
federally listed animals. Issuance of an incidental take permit also 
must not jeopardize the existence of federally listed fish, wildlife, 
or plant species. The permittees would receive assurances under our 
``No Surprises'' regulations ((50 CFR 17.22(b)(5) and 17.32(b)(5)) 
regarding conservation activities for the California tiger salamander, 
California red-legged frog, western snowy plover, Monterey spineflower, 
Smith's blue butterfly, Monterey (sand) gilia, Yadon's piperia, and 
seaside bird's beak.

Applicant's Proposed Activities

    The applicant has applied for a permit for incidental take of the 
California tiger salamander, California red-legged frog,

[[Page 58734]]

western snowy plover, and Smith's blue butterfly. Take is likely to 
occur in association with activities necessary to develop and use 
commercial, residential, and recreational facilities on non-Federal 
portions of the former Fort Ord Army base and to manage habitats within 
conserved areas of the former base. The site contains 4 acres of 
aquatic breeding habitat and 5,718 acres of upland habitat for the 
California tiger salamander. The site contains 4 acres of aquatic 
breeding habitat and 3,494 acres of upland habitat for the California 
red-legged frog. The site contains 71 acres of breeding, foraging, and 
overwintering habitat for the western snowy plover, all of which is in 
critical habitat designated for the species. The site contains 110 
acres of habitat (for all of the species' activities) for the Smith's 
blue butterfly. The HCP includes measures to minimize take of the 
California tiger salamander, California red-legged frog, western snowy 
plover, and Smith's blue butterfly in the forms of injury, mortality, 
and harm. Mitigation for unavoidable take of the species consists of 
preservation and management of existing habitat and restoration of 
areas of degraded habitat (primarily through restoration of aquatic 
breeding habitat for the two amphibian species and of upland habitat 
for all species).

National Environmental Policy Act Compliance

    The Service has developed a draft EIS in response to the ITP 
application in accordance with the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). The draft EIS 
analyzes three alternatives. The proposed action is issuance of a base-
wide ITP, which would address development and use of the former Fort 
Ord in accordance with the HCP. This would include unrestricted 
development of some undisturbed habitat areas, redevelopment of areas 
developed by the Army during its use of the base, and limited 
development within areas otherwise conserved and managed as habitat. 
Under the ``no action'' alternative, a base-wide ITP would not be 
issued and the HCP would not be implemented. Development and use of the 
former base would likely continue under existing local and Army-
prepared planning documents and the applicant would likely apply for 
future project-specific ITPs. Under the ``reduced take'' alternative, a 
base-wide ITP would be issued, but limited development within areas 
otherwise conserved and managed as habitat would be eliminated.

EPA's Role in the EIS Process

    The EPA is charged with reviewing all Federal agencies' EISs and 
commenting on the adequacy and acceptability of the environmental 
impacts of proposed actions in EISs. Therefore, EPA is publishing a 
notice in the Federal Register announcing this draft EIS, as required 
under section 309 of the Clean Air Act. The publication date of EPA's 
notice of availability is the official beginning of the public comment 
period. EPA's notices are published on Fridays. EPA serves as the 
repository (EIS database) for EISs prepared by Federal agencies. All 
EISs must be filed with EPA. You may search for EPA comments on EISs, 
along with EISs themselves, at https://cdxnodengn.epa.gov/cdx-enepa-public/action/eis/search.

Public Comments

    If you wish to comment on the permit application, draft HCP, draft 
EIS, and associated documents, you may submit comments by one of the 
methods 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.

Authority

    We provide this notice under section 10 of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 
et seq.) and NEPA and its implementing regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).

Michael Long,
Acting Assistant Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region, 
Sacramento, California.
[FR Doc. 2019-23972 Filed 10-31-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P

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