Draft Environmental Assessment and Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan for the Spring Mountain Raceway Northern Expansion, Pahrump, Nye County, Nevada, 62318-62320 [2020-21769]
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 192 / Friday, October 2, 2020 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND
URBAN DEVELOPMENT
[Docket No. FR–7024–N–41; OMB Control
Number: 2502–0541]
30-Day Notice of Proposed Information
Collection: Lender Qualifications for
Multifamily Accelerated Processing
(MAP) Guide (MAP Guide, 4430.G)
Office of the Chief Information
Officer, HUD.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
HUD has submitted the
proposed information collection
requirement described below to the
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for review, in accordance with
the Paperwork Reduction Act. The
purpose of this notice is to allow for an
additional 30 days of public comment.
DATES: Comments Due Date: November
2, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are
invited to submit comments regarding
this proposal. Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent
within 30 days of publication of this
notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/
Start Printed Page 15501PRAMain. Find
this particular information collection by
selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day
Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or
by using the search function.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Colette Pollard, Reports Management
Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing
and Urban Development, 451 7th Street
SW, Washington, DC 20410; email
Colette Pollard at Colette.Pollard@
hud.gov or telephone 202–402–3400.
Persons with hearing or speech
impairments may access this number
through TTY by calling the toll-free
Federal Relay Service at (800) 877–8339.
This is not a toll-free number. Copies of
available documents submitted to OMB
may be obtained from Ms. Pollard.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
notice informs the public that HUD is
seeking approval from OMB for the
information collection described in
Section A.
SUMMARY:
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
A. Overview of Information Collection
Title of Information Collection:
Multifamily Accelerated Processing
(MAP) Guide.
OMB Approval Number: 2502–0541.
OMB Expiration Date: December 31,
2020.
Type of Request: Revision.
Form Number: Guidebook 4430.G.
Description of the need for the
information and proposed use:
Multifamily Accelerated Processing
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19:38 Oct 01, 2020
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(MAP) is designed to establish uniform
national standards for Federal Housing
Administration (FHA) approved lenders
to prepare, process and submit loan
applications for FHA multifamily
mortgage insurance. The MAP Guide
provides—in one volume with
appendices—guidance for HUD staff,
lenders, third party consultants,
borrowers, and other industry
participants. Topics include mortgage
insurance program descriptions,
borrower and lender eligibility
requirements, application requirements,
underwriting standards for all technical
disciplines and construction loan
administration requirements. The MAP
Guide applies only to FHA multifamily
mortgage insurance programs. Except to
the extent lender monitoring or
enforcement activities overlap, Section
232 and other programs administered by
the Office of Healthcare Programs are
not addressed by the MAP Guide.
The Guide has been updated to reflect
various organizational, policy and
processing changes implemented since
the last edition was published in 2016.
Examples include electronic submission
of data in a standardized format, the
consolidation of HUD Field Offices to
Regional Centers and Satellite Offices,
workload sharing, and a ‘‘risk-based’’
underwriting approach. The goal of
MAP is to provide a consistent,
expedited mortgage insurance
application process at each HUD
Multifamily Regional Center or Satellite
Office. All MAP eligible projects must
be submitted using MAP processing
unless a waiver is granted to process
under Traditional Application
Processing (TAP). Such waiver approval
authority is retained by HUD
Headquarters’ Director of Multifamily
Production. Additionally, two new
chapters were added to this edition of
the Guide: The ‘‘Water and Energy
Conservation’’ chapter and the ‘‘Closing
Guide’’.
Respondents (i.e. affected public):
FHA Approved MAP Lenders
environmental services agencies, green
building services companies, loan
closing attorneys, etc.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
86.
Estimated Number of Responses: 344.
Frequency of Response: 1.
Average Hours per Response: 30
hours [121 hours/4 = 30.25 hours].
Total Estimated Burden: 10,406.
B. Solicitation of Public Comment
This notice is soliciting comments
from members of the public and affected
parties concerning the collection of
information described in Section A on
the following:
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(1) Whether the proposed collection
of information is necessary for the
proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(2) The accuracy of the agency’s
estimate of the burden of the proposed
collection of information;
(3) Ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
(4) Ways to minimize the burden of
the collection of information on those
who are to respond; including through
the use of appropriate automated
collection techniques or the forms of
information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submission of responses.
(5) ways to minimize the burden of
the collection of information on those
who are to respond, including the use
of automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
HUD encourages interested parties to
submit comment in response to these
questions.
C. Authority
Section 3507 of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C.
Chapter 35.
Department Reports Management
Officer for the Office of the Chief
Information Officer, Colette Pollard,
having reviewed and approved this
document, is delegating the authority to
electronically sign this document to
submitter, Nacheshia Foxx, who is the
Federal Register Liaison for HUD, for
purposes of publication in the Federal
Register.
Dated: September 29, 2020.
Nacheshia Foxx,
Federal Liaison for the Department of Housing
and Urban Development.
[FR Doc. 2020–21814 Filed 10–1–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210–67–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS–R8–ES–2020–0115;
FXES11120800000–201–FF08ENVS00]
Draft Environmental Assessment and
Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan
for the Spring Mountain Raceway
Northern Expansion, Pahrump, Nye
County, Nevada
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for comment.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, announce the
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\02OCN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 192 / Friday, October 2, 2020 / Notices
availability of a draft environmental
assessment (EA) under the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). We
also announce receipt of an application
for an incidental take permit (ITP) under
the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and
of a draft habitat conservation plan
(HCP). Spring Mountain Raceway, LLC
has applied for an ITP under the ESA
for an expansion project in Pahrump,
Nye County, Nevada. The ITP would
authorize the take of one species
incidental to the project. We invite the
public and local, State, Tribal, and
Federal agencies to comment on the
draft EA, HCP, and permit application.
Before issuing the requested ITP, we
will take into consideration any
information we receive during the
public comment period.
DATES: We must receive your written
comments on or before November 2,
2020.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may
obtain copies of the draft EA, proposed
HCP, and permit application in Docket
No. FWS–R8–ES–2020–0115 at https://
www.regulations.gov.
Submitting Comments: To submit
written comments, please use one of the
following methods, and note to which
document(s) your comments pertain.
• Internet: https://
www.regulations.gov; search for and
submit comments in Docket No. FWS–
R8–ES–2020–0115.
• U.S. Mail: Public Comments
Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R8–
ES–2020–0115; U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service Headquarters, MS: PRB/3W;
5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA
22041–3803.
For more information, see Public
Comments and Public Availability of
Comments under SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION.
Glen
W. Knowles, Field Supervisor, Southern
Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office, by
phone at 702–515–5244, or via the
Federal Information Relay Service at
800–877–8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the
U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (Service),
announce the availability of a draft
Environmental assessment (draft EA)
prepared pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as
amended (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.), and its implementing regulations
in the Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR) at 40 CFR 1506.6. We also
announce receipt of an application
submitted by Spring Mountain
Raceway, LLC of Pahrump, Nevada
(applicant), for a 5-year incidental take
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
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Jkt 253001
permit (ITP) under section 10 (a)(1)(B)
of the Endangered Species Act, as
amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
The application for the permit requires
the preparation of a habitat conservation
plan (HCP) with measures to avoid,
minimize, and mitigate the impacts of
incidental take of endangered or
threatened species to the maximum
extent practicable. The applicant
prepared the draft Spring Mountain
Raceway Northern Expansion HCP
pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the
ESA. The purpose of the draft EA is to
assess the effects of issuing the ITP and
implementing the draft HCP on the
natural and human environment.
We invite the public and local, State,
Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment
on the draft EA, HCP, and permit
application. Before issuing the
requested ITP, we will take into
consideration any information we
receive during the public comment
period.
Background
Section 9 of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1538)
prohibits the taking of fish and wildlife
species listed as endangered under
section 4 of the ESA; by regulation, take
of certain species listed as threatened is
also prohibited. (16 U.S.C. 1533(d); 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 Federal habitat
conservation plan (HCP) program, go to
https://www.fws.gov/endangered/esalibrary/pdf/hcp.pdf.
National Environmental Policy Act
Compliance
The proposed permit issuance triggers
the need for compliance with the NEPA.
The draft EA was prepared to analyze
the impacts of issuing an ITP based on
the draft HCP and to inform the public
of the proposed action, any alternatives,
and associated impacts, and to disclose
any irreversible commitments of
resources.
Proposed Action Alternative
Under the Proposed Action
Alternative, the Service would issue an
ITP to the applicant for a period of 5
years for certain covered activities
(described below) to construct and
operate an extension of the existing
Spring Mountain Raceway. The
extension includes 2.3 miles of
additional track, flood management
features, classrooms, parking area, and a
paved paddock area for preparing cars.
The applicant has requested an ITP for
one covered species, the Mojave desert
tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), which is
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62319
listed under the ESA as threatened
(April 2, 1990, 55 FR 12178).
Habitat Conservation Plan Area
The geographic scope of the draft HCP
area comprises 227 acres of private land
in the town of Pahrump, in Nye County,
Nevada, where the development will
occur.
Covered Activities
The proposed section 10(a) ITP would
allow incidental take of one covered
species from covered activities in the
proposed HCP area. The applicant is
requesting incidental take authorization
for covered activities, including
construction, operation, and
maintenance of the facility within the
227 ac owned by the applicant.
Construction would begin after
installation of a desert tortoise exclusion
fence and removal of all tortoises.
Construction would entail clearing of
vegetation; grading and leveling of soil
to achieve desired topography for the
track, facilities, and flood management
features; digging and trenching for
utilities; placement of the new track
base and surface; construction of the
flood management features;
construction of the buildings, parking
areas, and paddock; and installation of
the necessary underground power,
phone, sewer, and water pipelines to the
buildings. These activities would
remove approximately half of the native
vegetation in the area based on the
preliminary design, but may remove
more based on final design and future
reconfiguration of the facility. Operation
and maintenance of the expansion
would entail use of the facility in a
manner consistent with the existing
interconnected facility, all of which will
occur on private property within the
desert tortoise exclusion fencing.
Covered activities also include
construction, operation, and
maintenance equipment and other
vehicle travel on existing access roads to
the facility.
The applicant is proposing to
implement best management practices,
as well as general and species-specific
measures to avoid and minimize the
impacts of the take from the covered
activities, including worker
environmental and desert tortoise
awareness training, installation and
maintenance of desert tortoise exclusion
fencing; tortoise removal, translocation,
and monitoring; noxious weed
management; dust control; and support
of conservation and management
measures to offset the loss of occupied
habitat.
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 192 / Friday, October 2, 2020 / Notices
Covered Species
The applicant has requested an ITP
for one federally listed threatened
species:
• Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus
agassizii).
No Action Alternative
Under the No-Action Alternative, the
Service would not issue an ITP to the
applicant, and the draft HCP would not
be implemented. Under this alternative,
the applicant may choose not to
construct the facility or would do so in
a manner presumed not to result in the
take of ESA-listed species.
Public Comments
We request data, comments, new
information, or suggestions from the
public, other concerned governmental
agencies, the scientific community,
Tribes, industry, or any other interested
party on this notice, the draft EA and
the draft HCP. If you wish to comment
on the permit application, plan, and
associated documents, you may submit
comments by any one of the methods in
ADDRESSES.
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Public Availability of Comments
Any comments we receive will
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, you should be aware that
your entire comment—including your
personal identifying information—may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you can 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 and section 7 of
the ESA. We will evaluate the
application, associated documents, and
any public comments we receive as part
of our NEPA compliance process 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 conduct
an intra-Service consultation under
section 7 of the ESA for the Federal
action for the potential issuance of an
ITP. If the intra-Service consultation
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19:38 Oct 01, 2020
Jkt 253001
confirms that issuance of the ITP will
not jeopardize the continued existence
of any endangered or threatened
species, or destroy or adversely modify
critical habitat, we will issue a permit
to the applicant for the incidental take
of the covered species.
Authority
We provide this notice under section
10(c) of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1539(c)) and
its implementing regulations (50 CFR
17.32), and NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.) and NEPA implementing
regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).
Glen Knowles,
Field Supervisor, Southern Nevada Fish and
Wildlife Office.
[FR Doc. 2020–21769 Filed 10–1–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–WASO–NAGPRA–NPS0030810;
PPWOCRADN0–PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion:
Department of Anthropology Museum
at the University of California, Davis,
Davis, CA: Correction
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice; correction.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The University of California,
Davis (UC Davis) has corrected an
inventory of human remains and
associated funerary objects published in
a Notice of Inventory Completion in the
Federal Register on July 7, 2009. This
notice corrects the minimum number of
individuals and the number of
associated funerary objects. Lineal
descendants or representatives of any
Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian
organization not identified in this notice
that wish to request transfer of control
of these human remains and associated
funerary objects should submit a written
request to UC Davis. If no additional
requestors come forward, transfer of
control of the human remains and
associated funerary objects to the lineal
descendants, Indian Tribes, or Native
Hawaiian organizations stated in this
notice may proceed.
DATES: Lineal descendants or
representatives of any Indian Tribe or
Native Hawaiian organization not
identified in this notice that wish to
request transfer of control of these
human remains and associated funerary
objects should submit a written request
with information in support of the
request to UC Davis at the address in
this notice by November 2, 2020.
SUMMARY:
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Megon Noble, NAGPRA
Project Manager, University of
California, Davis, 412 Mrak Hall, One
Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616,
telephone (530) 752–8501, email
mnoble@ucdavis.edu.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Megon Noble, NAGPRA Project
Manager, University of California,
Davis, 412 Mrak Hall, One Shields
Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, telephone
(530) 752–8501, email mnoble@
ucdavis.edu.
ADDRESSES:
Notice is
here given in accordance with the
Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C.
3003, of the correction of an inventory
of human remains and associated
funerary objects under the control of the
University of California, Davis, Davis,
CA. The human remains and associated
funerary objects were removed from
Lake County, CA.
This notice is published as part of the
National Park Service’s administrative
responsibilities under NAGPRA, 25
U.S.C. 3003(d)(3). The determinations in
this notice are the sole responsibility of
the museum, institution, or Federal
agency that has control of the Native
American human remains and
associated funerary objects. The
National Park Service is not responsible
for the determinations in this notice.
This notice corrects the minimum
number of individuals and the number
of associated funerary objects published
in a Notice of Inventory Completion in
the Federal Register (74 FR 32182–
32183, July 7, 2009). Additional human
remains were newly identified after
review of faunal collections. In addition,
human remains from CA–LAK–152
previously identified as culturally
unidentifiable were re-evaluated in
consultation with Indian Tribes and
were determined to be culturally
affiliated. Based on both consultation
and a review of the original field
records, additional associated funerary
objects were identified. Transfer of
control of the items in this correction
notice has not occurred.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Correction
In the Federal Register of July 7,
2009, in FR Doc. E9–16017, on page
32182, make the following corrections:
1. On page 32182, in the third
column, first paragraph, correct the first
sentence to read:
In 1971–1973, human remains
representing a minimum of three
individuals were removed from CA–
LAK–152, Lake County, CA, by the
University of California, Davis
archeological field school.
E:\FR\FM\02OCN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 192 (Friday, October 2, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62318-62320]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-21769]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R8-ES-2020-0115; FXES11120800000-201-FF08ENVS00]
Draft Environmental Assessment and Proposed Habitat Conservation
Plan for the Spring Mountain Raceway Northern Expansion, Pahrump, Nye
County, Nevada
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the
[[Page 62319]]
availability of a draft environmental assessment (EA) under the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). We also announce receipt of
an application for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered
Species Act (ESA), and of a draft habitat conservation plan (HCP).
Spring Mountain Raceway, LLC has applied for an ITP under the ESA for
an expansion project in Pahrump, Nye County, Nevada. The ITP would
authorize the take of one species incidental to the project. We invite
the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment on
the draft EA, HCP, and permit application. Before issuing the requested
ITP, we will take into consideration any information we receive during
the public comment period.
DATES: We must receive your written comments on or before November 2,
2020.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may obtain copies of the draft EA,
proposed HCP, and permit application in Docket No. FWS-R8-ES-2020-0115
at https://www.regulations.gov.
Submitting Comments: To submit written comments, please use one of
the following methods, and note to which document(s) your comments
pertain.
Internet: https://www.regulations.gov; search for and
submit comments in Docket No. FWS-R8-ES-2020-0115.
U.S. Mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-R8-ES-2020-0115; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS:
PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
For more information, see Public Comments and Public Availability of
Comments under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Glen W. Knowles, Field Supervisor,
Southern Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office, by phone at 702-515-5244, or
via the Federal Information Relay Service at 800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), announce the availability of a draft Environmental
assessment (draft EA) prepared pursuant to the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and its
implementing regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 40
CFR 1506.6. We also announce receipt of an application submitted by
Spring Mountain Raceway, LLC of Pahrump, Nevada (applicant), for a 5-
year incidental take permit (ITP) under section 10 (a)(1)(B) of the
Endangered Species Act, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The
application for the permit requires the preparation of a habitat
conservation plan (HCP) with measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate
the impacts of incidental take of endangered or threatened species to
the maximum extent practicable. The applicant prepared the draft Spring
Mountain Raceway Northern Expansion HCP pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B)
of the ESA. The purpose of the draft EA is to assess the effects of
issuing the ITP and implementing the draft HCP on the natural and human
environment.
We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies
to comment on the draft EA, HCP, and permit application. Before issuing
the requested ITP, we will take into consideration any information we
receive during the public comment period.
Background
Section 9 of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1538) prohibits the taking of fish
and wildlife species listed as endangered under section 4 of the ESA;
by regulation, take of certain species listed as threatened is also
prohibited. (16 U.S.C. 1533(d); 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 Federal habitat conservation plan (HCP)
program, go to https://www.fws.gov/endangered/esa-library/pdf/hcp.pdf.
National Environmental Policy Act Compliance
The proposed permit issuance triggers the need for compliance with
the NEPA. The draft EA was prepared to analyze the impacts of issuing
an ITP based on the draft HCP and to inform the public of the proposed
action, any alternatives, and associated impacts, and to disclose any
irreversible commitments of resources.
Proposed Action Alternative
Under the Proposed Action Alternative, the Service would issue an
ITP to the applicant for a period of 5 years for certain covered
activities (described below) to construct and operate an extension of
the existing Spring Mountain Raceway. The extension includes 2.3 miles
of additional track, flood management features, classrooms, parking
area, and a paved paddock area for preparing cars. The applicant has
requested an ITP for one covered species, the Mojave desert tortoise
(Gopherus agassizii), which is listed under the ESA as threatened
(April 2, 1990, 55 FR 12178).
Habitat Conservation Plan Area
The geographic scope of the draft HCP area comprises 227 acres of
private land in the town of Pahrump, in Nye County, Nevada, where the
development will occur.
Covered Activities
The proposed section 10(a) ITP would allow incidental take of one
covered species from covered activities in the proposed HCP area. The
applicant is requesting incidental take authorization for covered
activities, including construction, operation, and maintenance of the
facility within the 227 ac owned by the applicant.
Construction would begin after installation of a desert tortoise
exclusion fence and removal of all tortoises. Construction would entail
clearing of vegetation; grading and leveling of soil to achieve desired
topography for the track, facilities, and flood management features;
digging and trenching for utilities; placement of the new track base
and surface; construction of the flood management features;
construction of the buildings, parking areas, and paddock; and
installation of the necessary underground power, phone, sewer, and
water pipelines to the buildings. These activities would remove
approximately half of the native vegetation in the area based on the
preliminary design, but may remove more based on final design and
future reconfiguration of the facility. Operation and maintenance of
the expansion would entail use of the facility in a manner consistent
with the existing interconnected facility, all of which will occur on
private property within the desert tortoise exclusion fencing. Covered
activities also include construction, operation, and maintenance
equipment and other vehicle travel on existing access roads to the
facility.
The applicant is proposing to implement best management practices,
as well as general and species-specific measures to avoid and minimize
the impacts of the take from the covered activities, including worker
environmental and desert tortoise awareness training, installation and
maintenance of desert tortoise exclusion fencing; tortoise removal,
translocation, and monitoring; noxious weed management; dust control;
and support of conservation and management measures to offset the loss
of occupied habitat.
[[Page 62320]]
Covered Species
The applicant has requested an ITP for one federally listed
threatened species:
Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii).
No Action Alternative
Under the No-Action Alternative, the Service would not issue an ITP
to the applicant, and the draft HCP would not be implemented. Under
this alternative, the applicant may choose not to construct the
facility or would do so in a manner presumed not to result in the take
of ESA-listed species.
Public Comments
We request data, comments, new information, or suggestions from the
public, other concerned governmental agencies, the scientific
community, Tribes, industry, or any other interested party on this
notice, the draft EA and the draft HCP. If you wish to comment on the
permit application, plan, and associated documents, you may submit
comments by any one of the methods in ADDRESSES.
Public Availability of Comments
Any comments we receive will 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, you should be aware that your entire comment--including
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available
at any time. While you can 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 and section 7 of the ESA. We will
evaluate the application, associated documents, and any public comments
we receive as part of our NEPA compliance process 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 conduct an intra-
Service consultation under section 7 of the ESA for the Federal action
for the potential issuance of an ITP. If the intra-Service consultation
confirms that issuance of the ITP will not jeopardize the continued
existence of any endangered or threatened species, or destroy or
adversely modify critical habitat, we will issue a permit to the
applicant for the incidental take of the covered species.
Authority
We provide this notice under section 10(c) of the ESA (16 U.S.C.
1539(c)) and its implementing regulations (50 CFR 17.32), and NEPA (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and NEPA implementing regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).
Glen Knowles,
Field Supervisor, Southern Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office.
[FR Doc. 2020-21769 Filed 10-1-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
