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, 2971-2972 [2024-00751]
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 11 / Wednesday, January 17, 2024 / Notices
enhance the propagation or survival of
the affected species. Service regulations
regarding prohibited activities with
endangered species, captive-bred
wildlife registrations, and permits for
any activity otherwise prohibited by the
ESA with respect to any endangered
species are available in title 50 of the
Code of Federal Regulations in part 17.
from E. rufous mouse lemur
[Microcebus rufus; synonym Goodman’s
mouse lemur (Microcebus
lehilahytsara)] from the Institute of
Zoology at the University of Veterinary
Medicine Hannover Foundation (TiHo),
Germany, for the purpose of scientific
research. This notification is for a single
import.
III. Permit Applications
We invite comments on the following
applications.
Applicant: Duke University Lemur
Center, Durham, NC; Permit No.
PER6238013
Applicant: Duke University, Durham,
NC; Permit No. PER0056306
The applicant requests authorization
to import biological samples derived
The applicant requests a permit to
export two captive-bred Coquerel’s
sifakas (Propithecus coquereli) to
Tierpark Berlin Zoo in Germany, for the
purpose of enhancing the propagation or
survival of the species. This notification
is for a single export.
Applicant: Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical
Garden, Cincinnati, OH; Permit No.
PER6139919
The applicant requests a captive-bred
wildlife registration under 50 CFR
17.21(g) for the following species, to
enhance the propagation or survival of
the species. This notification covers
activities to be conducted by the
applicant over a 5-year period.
Common name
Scientific name
Cheetah ..............................................................................................................................................................
Blue-throated macaw .........................................................................................................................................
Aye-aye ..............................................................................................................................................................
Eastern black rhinoceros ...................................................................................................................................
Southern rockhopper penguin ............................................................................................................................
Black-footed cat .................................................................................................................................................
Gorilla .................................................................................................................................................................
Japanese crane (Red-crowned crane) ..............................................................................................................
White-handed gibbon (Lar gibbon) ....................................................................................................................
Ring-tailed lemur ................................................................................................................................................
Brazilian ocelot ...................................................................................................................................................
Rothschild’s starling (Bali starling) .....................................................................................................................
African wild dog (African painted dog) ...............................................................................................................
Clouded leopard .................................................................................................................................................
Bonobo ...............................................................................................................................................................
African lion .........................................................................................................................................................
Malayan tiger ......................................................................................................................................................
Sumatran orangutan ..........................................................................................................................................
Coquerel’s sifaka ................................................................................................................................................
Indian rhinoceros ................................................................................................................................................
African penguin ..................................................................................................................................................
Siamang .............................................................................................................................................................
Snow leopard .....................................................................................................................................................
Andean condor ...................................................................................................................................................
IV. Next Steps
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
After the comment period closes, we
will make decisions regarding permit
issuance. If we issue permits to any of
the applicants listed in this notice, we
will publish a notice in the Federal
Register. You may locate the notice
announcing the permit issuance by
searching https://www.regulations.gov
for the permit number listed above in
this document. For example, to find
information about the potential issuance
of Permit No. 12345A, you would go to
regulations.gov and search for
‘‘12345A’’.
V. Authority
We issue this notice under the
authority of the Endangered Species Act
of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.), and its implementing regulations.
Timothy MacDonald,
Government Information Specialist, Branch
of Permits, Division of Management
Authority.
[FR Doc. 2024–00782 Filed 1–16–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS–R4–ES–2023–0247;
FXES11140400000–245–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.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:14 Jan 16, 2024
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PO 00000
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2971
Fmt 4703
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Acinonyx jubatus.
Ara glaucogularis.
Daubentonia madagascariensis.
Diceros bicornis michaeli.
Eudyptes chrysocome.
Felis nigripes.
Gorilla gorilla.
Grus japonensis.
Hylobates lar.
Lemur catta.
Leopardus pardalis mitis.
Leucopsar rothschildi.
Lycaon pictus.
Neofelis nebulosa.
Pan paniscus.
Panthera leo melanochaita.
Panthera tigris jacksoni.
Pongo abelii.
Propithecus coquereli.
Rhinoceros unicornis.
Spheniscus demersus.
Symphalangus syndactylus.
Uncia uncia.
Vultur gryphus.
Notice of availability; request
for comments.
ACTION:
We, the Fish and Wildlife
Service (Service), announce receipt of
an application from St. John Methodist
Church of Sebring 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 (Neoseps reynoldsi)
and blue-tailed mole-skink (Eumeces
egregius lividus) incidental to the
construction of a residential
development in Highlands 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
the proposed permitting action may be
eligible for a categorical exclusion
pursuant to the Council on
Environmental Quality’s National
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\17JAN1.SGM
17JAN1
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
2972
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 11 / Wednesday, January 17, 2024 / Notices
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
regulations, the Department of the
Interior’s (DOI) NEPA regulations, and
the DOI Departmental Manual. To make
this preliminary determination, we
prepared a draft environmental action
statement and low-effect screening form,
both of which are also available for
public review. We invite comment from
the public and local, State, Tribal, and
Federal agencies.
DATES: We must receive your written
comments on or before February 16,
2024.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: The documents
this notice announces, as well as any
comments and other materials that we
receive, will be available for public
inspection online in Docket No. FWS–
R4–ES–2023–0247 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
one of the following methods:
• Online: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments
on Docket No. FWS–R4–ES–2023–0247.
• U.S. mail: Public Comments
Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R4–
ES–2023–0247; U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 Leesburg
Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041–3803.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alfredo Begazo, by telephone at 772–
469–4234 or via email at alfredo_
begazo@fws.gov. Individuals in the
United States who are deaf, deafblind,
hard of hearing, or have a speech
disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or
TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services.
Individuals outside the United States
should use the relay services offered
within their country to make
international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the
Fish and Wildlife Service (Service),
announce receipt of an application from
St. John Methodist Church of Sebring
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
egregius lividus) (skinks) incidental to
the construction and operation of a
church in Highlands 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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:14 Jan 16, 2024
Jkt 262001
this proposed ITP qualifies as low effect,
and may qualify for a categorical
exclusion pursuant to the Council on
Environmental Quality’s National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
regulations (40 CFR 1501.4), the
Department of the Interior’s (DOI) NEPA
regulations (43 CFR 46), and the DOI’s
Departmental Manual (516 DM
8.5(C)(2)). To make this preliminary
determination, we prepared a draft
environmental action statement and
low-effect screening form, both of which
are also available for public review.
Proposed Project
The applicant requests a 5-year ITP to
take skinks via the conversion of
approximately 1.33 acres (ac) of
occupied nesting, foraging, and
sheltering skink habitat incidental to the
construction and operation of a church
on a 16.33-ac parcel in Section 22,
Township 34 South, Range 28 East,
Highlands County, Florida. The
applicant proposes to mitigate for take
of the skinks by purchasing credits
equivalent to 2.66 ac 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
construction phase of the project.
Our Preliminary Determination
The Service has made a preliminary
determination that the applicant’s
project, including the construction of a
church, driveways, parking spaces,
green areas, stormwater pond, and
associated infrastructure (e.g., electric,
water, and sewer lines), would
individually and cumulatively have a
minor effect on the skinks and the
human environment. Therefore, we
have preliminarily determined that the
proposed ESA section 10(a)(1)(B) permit
would be a ‘‘low-effect’’ ITP that
individually or cumulatively would
have a minor effect on the sand skink
and may qualify for application of a
categorical exclusion pursuant to the
Council on Environmental Quality’s
NEPA regulations, DOI’s NEPA
regulations, and the DOI Departmental
Manual. A low-effect incidental take
permit is one that would result in (1)
minor or nonsignificant effects on
species covered in the HCP; (2)
nonsignificant effects on the human
environment; and (3) impacts that,
when added together with the impacts
of other past, present, and reasonably
foreseeable actions, would not result in
significant cumulative effects to the
human environment.
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Frm 00055
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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 and other
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
PER5348829 to St. John Methodist
Church of Sebring Inc.
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.
Authority
The Service provides this notice
under section 10(c) of the Endangered
Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and
its implementing regulations (50 CFR
17.32) and the National Environmental
Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and
its implementing regulations (40 CFR
1500–1508 and 43 CFR 46).
Robert L. Carey,
Division Manager, Environmental Review,
Florida Ecological Services Office.
[FR Doc. 2024–00751 Filed 1–16–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS–R8–ES–2023–0055;
FF08ESMF00–FXES11140800000–234]
Receipt of Incidental Take Permit
Application and Proposed Habitat
Conservation Plan for the Aramis Solar
Energy Generation and Storage
Project, Alameda County, CA;
Availability of Draft Environmental
Assessment
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of permit
application; request for comment.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, announce the
availability of a draft environmental
assessment under the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for an
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\17JAN1.SGM
17JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 17, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2971-2972]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-00751]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2023-0247; FXES11140400000-245-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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt
of an application from St. John Methodist Church of Sebring 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 (Neoseps reynoldsi) and blue-tailed mole-skink
(Eumeces egregius lividus) incidental to the construction of a
residential development in Highlands 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 the proposed permitting action may be eligible for a
categorical exclusion pursuant to the Council on Environmental
Quality's National
[[Page 2972]]
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations, the Department of the
Interior's (DOI) NEPA regulations, and the DOI Departmental Manual. To
make this preliminary determination, we prepared a draft environmental
action statement and low-effect screening form, both of which are also
available for public review. We invite comment from the public and
local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies.
DATES: We must receive your written comments on or before February 16,
2024.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: The documents this notice announces, as well
as any comments and other materials that we receive, will be available
for public inspection online in Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2023-0247 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 one of the following methods:
Online: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2023-0247.
U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-R4-ES-2023-0247; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alfredo Begazo, by telephone at 772-
469-4234 or via email at [email protected]. Individuals in the
United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a
speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United
States should use the relay services offered within their country to
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service),
announce receipt of an application from St. John Methodist Church of
Sebring 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 egregius
lividus) (skinks) incidental to the construction and operation of a
church in Highlands 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 proposed ITP qualifies as low effect, and may qualify for a
categorical exclusion pursuant to the Council on Environmental
Quality's National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations (40 CFR
1501.4), the Department of the Interior's (DOI) NEPA regulations (43
CFR 46), and the DOI's Departmental Manual (516 DM 8.5(C)(2)). To make
this preliminary determination, we prepared a draft environmental
action statement and low-effect screening form, both of which are also
available for public review.
Proposed Project
The applicant requests a 5-year ITP to take skinks via the
conversion of approximately 1.33 acres (ac) of occupied nesting,
foraging, and sheltering skink habitat incidental to the construction
and operation of a church on a 16.33-ac parcel in Section 22, Township
34 South, Range 28 East, Highlands County, Florida. The applicant
proposes to mitigate for take of the skinks by purchasing credits
equivalent to 2.66 ac 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 construction phase of the project.
Our Preliminary Determination
The Service has made a preliminary determination that the
applicant's project, including the construction of a church, driveways,
parking spaces, green areas, stormwater pond, and associated
infrastructure (e.g., electric, water, and sewer lines), would
individually and cumulatively have a minor effect on the skinks and the
human environment. Therefore, we have preliminarily determined that the
proposed ESA section 10(a)(1)(B) permit would be a ``low-effect'' ITP
that individually or cumulatively would have a minor effect on the sand
skink and may qualify for application of a categorical exclusion
pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality's NEPA regulations,
DOI's NEPA regulations, and the DOI Departmental Manual. A low-effect
incidental take permit is one that would result in (1) minor or
nonsignificant effects on species covered in the HCP; (2)
nonsignificant effects on the human environment; and (3) impacts that,
when added together with the impacts of other past, present, and
reasonably foreseeable actions, would not result in significant
cumulative effects to the human environment.
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 and other 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 PER5348829 to St. John Methodist
Church of Sebring Inc.
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.
Authority
The Service provides this notice under section 10(c) of the
Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and its implementing
regulations (50 CFR 17.32) and the National Environmental Policy Act
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (40 CFR 1500-
1508 and 43 CFR 46).
Robert L. Carey,
Division Manager, Environmental Review, Florida Ecological Services
Office.
[FR Doc. 2024-00751 Filed 1-16-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
