Department of the Interior May 15, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Cedar City and the Paiute Tribe of Utah (Applicants) have applied to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for incidental take permits pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as amended. The requested permits, which are for a period of 20 years, would authorize incidental take of the Utah prairie dog (UPD) (Cynomys parvidens), a species federally-listed as threatened. The proposed take would occur as a result of maintenance of the Cedar City Golf Course and Paiute Tribal recreational grounds in Cedar City, Utah. We also announce the availability of a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) and a draft Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for public review and comment. The Service requests comments from the public on the permit application, EA, and HCP. The permit application includes the proposed HCP and associated draft Implementation Agreement. The HCP describes the proposed action and the measures the Applicants will undertake to minimize and mitigate to the maximum extent practicable the take of UDP. All comments on the EA, HCP, and permit application will become part of the administrative record and will be available to the public. A determination of whether jeopardy to the species will occur, a Finding of No Significant Impact, and/or issuance of the incidental take permits, will not be made before 60 days from the date of publication of this notice. This notice is provided pursuant to section 10(c) of the ESA and National Environmental Policy Act regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).