Fish and Wildlife Service October 5, 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received an application from the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) for an incidental take permit (permit) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as amended. The ODOT's application requests a 25-year permit that would authorize ``take'' of the endangered Fender's blue butterfly and the threatened Oregon silverspot butterfly incidental to otherwise lawful activities associated with road right- of-way (ROW) maintenance and management activities. The application includes ODOT's draft habitat conservation plan (HCP), which describes the actions ODOT will implement to minimize and mitigate the impacts of incidental take caused by covered activities. We invite comment on the application, draft HCP, and the Service's draft environmental action statement (EAS) and preliminary determination that the draft HCP qualifies for a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).