Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan for the Eastern Indigo Snake; Decatur County, GA; Categorical Exclusion, 84186-84188 [2024-24261]
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 203 / Monday, October 21, 2024 / Notices
Privacy Act and the Freedom of
Information Act.
Background
The ESA prohibits certain activities
with endangered and threatened species
unless authorized by a Federal permit.
The ESA and our implementing
regulations in part 17 of title 50 of the
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
provide for the issuance of such permits
and require that we invite public
comment before issuing permits for
activities involving endangered species.
A recovery permit issued by us under
section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA
authorizes the permittee to conduct
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Application Number
Applicant
ES809630 ..............
Allen Kurta, Ypsilanti,
MI.
ESPER0009122 .....
Emily Grossman,
O’Fallon, MO.
ES64081B ..............
Joseph Hoyt,
Blacksburg, VI.
activities with endangered species for
scientific purposes that promote
recovery or for enhancement of
propagation or survival of the species.
Our regulations implementing section
10(a)(1)(A) for these permits are found
at 50 CFR 17.22 for endangered wildlife
species, 50 CFR 17.32 for threatened
wildlife species, 50 CFR 17.62 for
endangered plant species, and 50 CFR
17.72 for threatened plant species.
Permit Applications Available for
Review and Comment
The ESA requires that we invite
public comment before issuing these
Species
Location
Activity
Type of take
Add new species—tricolored bat
(Perimyotis
subflavus)—to existing authorized species: Indiana bat
(Myotis sodalis) and
northern long-eared
bat (Myotis
septentrionalis).
Add new species—
western fanshell
(Cyprogenia aberti)
and Ouachita
fanshell
(Cyprogenia sp. cf.
aberti) to the list of
21 freshwater mussel species.
Indiana bat (Myotis
sodalis) and northern long-eared bat
(M. septentrionalis).
IL, IN, MI, OH ............
Conduct presence/absence surveys, document habitat use,
conduct population
monitoring, and
evaluate impacts.
Capture with mist nets
or harp traps, identify, handle, collect
non-intrusive measurements, band,
radio tag, enter
hibernacula, and release.
Renew and
amend.
AR, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY,
LA, MI, MN, MO,
MS, NC, NE, NY,
OH, OK, PA, SD,
WI, WV.
Conduct presence/absence surveys, document habitat use,
conduct population
monitoring, and
evaluate impacts.
Capture, dentify, handle, collect non-intrusive measurements, tag, and relocate in special circumstances.
Amend.
IL, MI, NY, WI ............
Conduct presence/absence surveys, document habitat use,
conduct population
monitoring, and
evaluate impacts.
Add harp trapping to
mist netting, pit tagging, capture, handle, enter
hibernacula, bio
sample and release.
Amend.
Public Availability of Comments
Written comments we receive become
part of the administrative 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. Moreover, 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.
we will publish a notice in the Federal
Register.
Authority
We publish this notice under section
10(c) of the Endangered Species Act of
1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.).
Lori Nordstrom,
Assistant Regional Director, Ecological
Service, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2024–24254 Filed 10–18–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
16:27 Oct 18, 2024
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Permit action
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS–R4–ES–2024–0155;
FXES11140400000–245–FF04EG1000]
Receipt of Incidental Take Permit
Application and Proposed Habitat
Conservation Plan for the Eastern
Indigo Snake; Decatur County, GA;
Categorical Exclusion
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for comments and information.
AGENCY:
We, the Fish and Wildlife
Service (Service), announce receipt of
an application from Tri-State II Solar
Project, LLC (applicant) for an
incidental take permit (ITP) under the
Endangered Species Act. The applicant
requests the ITP to take the federally
listed threatened eastern indigo snake
incidental to the construction and
operation of a solar facility in Decatur
SUMMARY:
Next Steps
If we decide to issue permits to any
of the applicants listed in this notice,
VerDate Sep<11>2014
permits. Accordingly, we invite local,
State, Tribal, and Federal agencies and
the public to submit written data, views,
or arguments with respect to these
applications. The comments and
recommendations that will be most
useful and likely to influence agency
decisions are those supported by
quantitative information or studies.
Proposed activities in the following
permit requests are for the recovery and
enhancement of propagation or survival
of the species in the wild.
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 203 / Monday, October 21, 2024 / Notices
County, Georgia. 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
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 November 20,
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–2024–0155 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–2024–0155.
• U.S. mail: Public Comments
Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R4–
ES–2024–0155; U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, MS: PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg
Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041–3803.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michele Elmore, Georgia Ecological
Services Field Office, by phone at 706–
613–9493 or via email at GAES_
assistance@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
Tri-State II Solar Project, 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
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:27 Oct 18, 2024
Jkt 265001
threatened eastern indigo snake
(Drymarchon couperi) incidental to the
construction and operation of a solar
facility in Decatur County, Georgia. We
request public comment on the
application, which includes the
applicant’s 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 10-year ITP
to take three eastern indigo snakes and
one nest via the conversion of
approximately 600 acres (ac) of
occupied nesting, foraging, and
sheltering habitat incidental to the
construction and operation of a solar
facility on a 788-ac parcel. The parcel is
approximately 3 miles northwest of the
city of Bainbridge, Georgia, between
Highways 27 and 84. The applicant
proposes to avoid and minimize take of
the species to the greatest extent
possible by implementing the Service’s
standard protection measures for the
eastern indigo snake during
implementation of activities associated
with the construction and operation of
the solar facility. The applicant
proposes to mitigate for take of the
eastern indigo snake by contributing
$157,500.00 to the Wildlife Foundation
of Florida’s Eastern Indigo Snake
Conservation Fund. These funds will be
used for the management or restoration
of eastern indigo snake habitat,
purchase of occupied habitat, purchase
of development rights of occupied
habitat, or a combination thereof, in
Georgia. The Service would require the
applicant to provide the contribution of
the funds prior to engaging in any phase
of the project.
Our Preliminary Determination
The Service has made a preliminary
determination that the applicant’s
proposed project, including the
construction and operation of the solar
facility, would individually and
cumulatively have a minor effect on the
eastern indigo snake and the human
environment. Therefore, we have
preliminarily determined that the
proposed ESA section 10(a)(1)(B) permit
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84187
would be a low-effect ITP that
individually or cumulatively would
have a minor effect on eastern indigo
snakes 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 ITP 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 reasonable 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 ITP. 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
PER12687707 to Tri-State II Solar
Project, LLC.
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. If you submit a
comment at https://
www.regulations.gov, your entire
comment, including any personal
identifying information, will be posted
on the website. If you submit a
hardcopy comment that includes
personal identifying information, such
as your address, phone number, or
email address, you may request at the
top of your document that we withhold
this information from public review.
However, we cannot guarantee that we
will be able to do so. Moreover, 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.
Authority
The Service provides this notice
under section 10(c) of the Endangered
Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and
E:\FR\FM\21OCN1.SGM
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84188
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 203 / Monday, October 21, 2024 / Notices
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).
Peter Maholland,
Field Supervisor, Georgia Ecological Services
Office.
[FR Doc. 2024–24261 Filed 10–18–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R1–ES–2024–N050;
FXES11130100000–234–FF01E00000]
Endangered Species; Receipt of
Recovery Permit Application
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit
application; request for comments.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, have received an
application for a permit to conduct
activities intended to enhance the
propagation and survival of endangered
species under the Endangered Species
Act. We invite the public and local,
State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to
comment on this application. Before
issuing the requested permit, we will
take into consideration any information
that we receive during the public
comment period.
DATES: We must receive your written
comments on or before November 20,
2024.
ADDRESSES: Document availability and
comment submission: Submit a request
SUMMARY:
Application No.
Applicant, city, state
ES003483–35 ........
U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific
Island Ecosystems Research
Center, Honolulu, HI.
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Written comments we receive become
part of the administrative 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
16:27 Oct 18, 2024
Jkt 265001
Background
With some exceptions, the ESA
prohibits activities that constitute take
Species
Public Availability of Comments
VerDate Sep<11>2014
for a copy of the application and related
documents and submit any comments
by one of the following methods. All
requests and comments should specify
the applicant name and application
number (e.g., Dana Ross, ES001705):
• Email: permitsR1ES@fws.gov.
• U.S. Mail: Paul Leonard, Acting
Regional Program Manager, Restoration
and Endangered Species Classification,
Ecological Services, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Pacific Regional
Office, 911 NE 11th Avenue, Portland,
OR 97232–4181.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Karen Colson, Regional Recovery Permit
Coordinator, Ecological Services, (503)
231–6283 (telephone); permitsR1ES@
fws.gov (email). 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
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite
the public to comment on an
application for a permit under section
10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species
Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The requested
permit would allow the applicant to
conduct activities intended to promote
recovery of a species listed as
endangered under the ESA.
of listed species unless a Federal permit
is issued that allows such activity. The
ESA’s definition of ‘‘take’’ includes such
activities as pursuing, harassing,
trapping, capturing, or collecting, in
addition to hunting, shooting, harming,
wounding, or killing.
A recovery permit issued by us under
section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA
authorizes the permittee to conduct
activities with endangered or threatened
species for scientific purposes that
promote recovery or for enhancement of
propagation or survival of the species.
These activities often include such
prohibited actions as capture and
collection. Our regulations
implementing section 10(a)(1)(A) for
these permits are found in the Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR
17.22 for endangered wildlife species,
50 CFR 17.32 for threatened wildlife
species, 50 CFR 17.62 for endangered
plant species, and 50 CFR 17.72 for
threatened plant species.
Permit Application Available for
Review and Comment
Proposed activities in the following
permit request are for the recovery and
enhancement of propagation or survival
of the species in the wild. The ESA
requires that we invite public comment
before issuing the requested permit.
Accordingly, we invite local, State,
Tribal, and Federal agencies and the
public to submit written data, views, or
arguments with respect to this
application. The comments and
recommendations that will be most
useful and likely to influence agency
decisions are those supported by
quantitative information or studies.
Location
Pacific sheath-tailed bat
(Emballonura semicaudata
rotensis).
Hawaii ...................
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.
Take activity
Harass by videographic and
acoustic monitoring and collection of cave information.
Permit action
Amend.
1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.).
Paul B. Leonard,
Acting Regional Program Manager for
Restoration and Endangered Species
Classification, Pacific Region.
Next Steps
[FR Doc. 2024–24260 Filed 10–18–24; 8:45 am]
If we decide to issue a permit to the
applicant listed in this notice, we will
publish a notice in the Federal Register.
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P
Authority
We publish this notice under section
10(c) of the Endangered Species Act of
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 203 (Monday, October 21, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 84186-84188]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-24261]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2024-0155; FXES11140400000-245-FF04EG1000]
Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed
Habitat Conservation Plan for the Eastern Indigo Snake; Decatur County,
GA; 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 Tri-State II Solar Project, LLC (applicant) for
an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The
applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed threatened
eastern indigo snake incidental to the construction and operation of a
solar facility in Decatur
[[Page 84187]]
County, Georgia. 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 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 November 20,
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-2024-0155 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-2024-0155.
U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-R4-ES-2024-0155; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W; 5275
Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michele Elmore, Georgia Ecological
Services Field Office, by phone at 706-613-9493 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 Tri-State II Solar Project, 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 threatened
eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi) incidental to the
construction and operation of a solar facility in Decatur County,
Georgia. We request public comment on the application, which includes
the applicant's 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 10-year ITP to take three eastern indigo
snakes and one nest via the conversion of approximately 600 acres (ac)
of occupied nesting, foraging, and sheltering habitat incidental to the
construction and operation of a solar facility on a 788-ac parcel. The
parcel is approximately 3 miles northwest of the city of Bainbridge,
Georgia, between Highways 27 and 84. The applicant proposes to avoid
and minimize take of the species to the greatest extent possible by
implementing the Service's standard protection measures for the eastern
indigo snake during implementation of activities associated with the
construction and operation of the solar facility. The applicant
proposes to mitigate for take of the eastern indigo snake by
contributing $157,500.00 to the Wildlife Foundation of Florida's
Eastern Indigo Snake Conservation Fund. These funds will be used for
the management or restoration of eastern indigo snake habitat, purchase
of occupied habitat, purchase of development rights of occupied
habitat, or a combination thereof, in Georgia. The Service would
require the applicant to provide the contribution of the funds prior to
engaging in any phase of the project.
Our Preliminary Determination
The Service has made a preliminary determination that the
applicant's proposed project, including the construction and operation
of the solar facility, would individually and cumulatively have a minor
effect on the eastern indigo snake 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 eastern indigo snakes 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 ITP 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 reasonable 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 ITP. 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 PER12687707 to Tri-State II Solar Project, LLC.
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. If you submit a comment at https://www.regulations.gov, your entire comment, including any personal
identifying information, will be posted on the website. If you submit a
hardcopy comment that includes personal identifying information, such
as your address, phone number, or email address, you may request at the
top of your document that we withhold this information from public
review. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Moreover, 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.
Authority
The Service provides this notice under section 10(c) of the
Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and
[[Page 84188]]
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).
Peter Maholland,
Field Supervisor, Georgia Ecological Services Office.
[FR Doc. 2024-24261 Filed 10-18-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
