Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan for the Sand Skink and Blue-Tailed Mole Skink; Polk County, FL; Categorical Exclusion, 16384 [2021-06354]

Agencies

• Fish and Wildlife Service
• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 58 (Monday, March 29, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 16384]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-06354]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R4-ES-2020-0016; FXES11140400000-212-FF04EF4000]


Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed 
Habitat Conservation Plan for the Sand Skink and Blue-Tailed Mole 
Skink; Polk County, FL; Categorical Exclusion

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

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

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt 
of an application from Forestar Group, Inc. (applicant) for an 
incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The 
applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed sand skink and 
blue-tailed mole skink incidental to the construction of a residential 
development in Polk County, Florida. We request public comment on the 
application, which includes the applicant's proposed habitat 
conservation plan (HCP), and on 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 public review.

DATES: We must receive your written comments on or before April 28, 
2021.

ADDRESSES: 
    Obtaining Documents: You may obtain copies of the documents online 
in Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2021-0016 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-2021-0016.
     U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. 
FWS-R4-ES-2021-0016; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alfredo Begazo, by U.S. mail (see 
ADDRESSES) or via phone at 772-469-4234. Individuals who are hearing 
impaired or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 800-
877-8339 for TTY assistance.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, announce 
receipt of an application from Forestar Group, Inc. (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 sand skink (Neoseps reynoldsi) and 
blue-tailed mole skink (Eumeces egregious lividus) (skinks) incidental 
to the construction of a residential development in Polk County, 
Florida. We request public comment on the application, which includes 
the applicant's HCP, and on 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 5-year ITP to take skinks through the 
conversion of approximately 0.82 acre of occupied skink foraging and 
sheltering habitat incidental to the construction of a residential 
development on a 32-acre parcel in Section 17, Township 29S, Range 26E 
in Polk County, Florida. The applicant proposes to mitigate for take of 
the skinks by purchasing credits equivalent to 1.64 acres of skink-
occupied habitat from a Service-approved conservation bank. The Service 
would require the applicant to purchase the credits prior to engaging 
in any phase of the project.

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, 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 the construction of single-family homes, 
paved roads, green areas, storm water ponds, and associated 
infrastructure (e.g., electric, water, and sewer lines), would 
individually and cumulatively have a minor or negligible effect on the 
skinks and the environment. Therefore, we have preliminarily concluded 
that the ITP for this project would qualify for categorical exclusion 
and that the HCP would be 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, would not result in 
significant cumulative effects to environmental values or resources 
over time.

Next Steps

    The Service will evaluate the application and the comments 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 
preceding matters, 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 TE88352D-0 to Forestar Group, Inc. for 
incidental take of skinks.

Authority

    The Service provides this notice under section 10(c) of the ESA (16 
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (50 CFR 17.32) 
and NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (40 
CFR 1506.6 and 43 CFR 46.305).

Roxanna Hinzman,
Field Supervisor, South Florida Ecological Services Office.
[FR Doc. 2021-06354 Filed 3-26-21; 8:45 am]
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