Fish and Wildlife Service July 7, 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice advises the public that the Center of Excellence in Hazardous Material Management (CEHMM; applicant) and the New Mexico State Land Office (NMSLO, applicant) have applied to the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for two separate enhancement of survival permits pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The permit application includes draft programmatic candidate conservation agreement with assurances (CCAA) for the Texas hornshell and other covered species (the Rio Grande River cooter, gray redhorse, blue sucker, and Pecos springsnail) in west Texas and southeast New Mexico. A separate permit application includes a draft programmatic candidate conservation agreement with assurances (CCAA) for the Texas hornshell and other covered species (the Rio Grande River cooter, gray redhorse, blue sucker, and Pecos springsnail) that is valid only on New Mexico State trust lands. Additionally, the Service received a draft candidate conservation agreement (CCA) for the Texas hornshell and the other covered species from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that would address threats to these species on Federal land in southeastern New Mexico. The CCAAs, and associated permits, would authorize incidental take resulting from voluntary activities to restore, maintain, enhance, or create habitat for the covered species. The Service also announces the availability of a draft environmental assessment (EA) that has been prepared to evaluate the permit application in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. We are making the permit application packages, including the draft CCA, draft CCAAs, and draft EA, available for public review and comment.