Fish and Wildlife Service July 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the receipt of an application for an amendment of an enhancement of survival permit (permit) and an application for transferring a permit pursuant to the Endangered Species Act. The applications were developed in accordance with the Template Safe Harbor Agreement (Template SHA) for the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit. The Washington Department of Natural Resources is requesting a permit amendment to add 3,628 acres of lands in Douglas and Grant Counties, Washington, to their site plan enrolled under the Template SHA. The proposed permit transfer was requested by Mr. Jim Myers following his purchase of 1,320 acres of land in Grant County, Washington, enrolled under the Template SHA. The amendment and transfer of these permits would authorize incidental take that is above the baseline conditions of the properties enrolled under the Template SHA and that may result from the permittees' otherwise lawful management activities. The Service requests comments from the public regarding the proposed amendment and transfer of these permits.

On July 22, 2019, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announced via a Federal Register notice the availability for public comment of a low-effect habitat conservation plan (HCP) for the desert tortoise in San Bernardino County, California. Our Federal Register notice inadvertently did not give the correct contact name and phone number and incorrectly identified the HCP as the High Desert Power Project. The correct name is the High Desert Solar Project. In this notice, we correct those errors. We also wish to provide an additional source for the public to use to access the documents. Finally, while the original end date for the comment period was August 21, 2019, we are extending the comment period to August 26, 2019, because of the errors in our original notice.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are initiating 5-year status reviews of 58 species in California, Nevada, and the Klamath Basin of Oregon under the Endangered Species Act. A 5-year review is based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review; therefore, we are requesting submission of any new information on these species that has become available since the last review.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received an application for an incidental permit to take federally listed fish or wildlife species. We invite comments on this application, which we will take into consideration before issuing an incidental take permit.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received applications for permits to conduct activities intended to enhance the propagation or survival of endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment on these applications. Before issuing any of the requested permits, we will take into consideration any information that we receive during the public comment period.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received an application from Davis and Davis Farms (applicant) for an Endangered Species Act (ESA) incidental take permit (ITP) in association with the Douglas County Multiple Species General Conservation Plan (GCP). The applicant agrees to implement conservation measures consistent with the GCP that will minimize and mitigate the impacts of the taking on the Columbia Basin distinct population segment of the pygmy rabbit, the greater sage-grouse, the Washington ground squirrel, and the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse. Covered activities include dryland farming of wheat and horse grazing on the Davis and Davis farm in Douglas County, Washington. We invite the public to review and comment on the permit application and associated documents.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are proposing to renew an information collection with revisions.

Under the Endangered Species Act, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on a federally listed American burying beetle incidental take permit (ITP) application. The applicant anticipates American burying beetle take as a result of impacts to Oklahoma habitat the species uses for breeding, feeding, and sheltering. The take would be incidental to the applicant's activities associated with oil and gas well field and pipeline infrastructure (gathering, transmission, and distribution), including geophysical exploration (seismic), construction, maintenance, operation, repair, decommissioning, and reclamation. If approved, the permit would be issued under the approved American Burying Beetle Amended Oil and Gas Industry Conservation Plan (ICP) Endangered Species Act Section 10(a)(1)(B) Permit Issuance in Oklahoma.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received applications for permits to conduct activities intended to enhance the propagation or survival of endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment on these applications. Before issuing any of the requested permits, we will take into consideration any information that we receive during the public comment period.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received an application from Canyon Mesa Solar, LLC for an incidental take permit under the Endangered Species Act. The requested permit would authorize take of the Mojave desert tortoise resulting from the construction, operation, and maintenance of a solar photovoltaic facility in Pahrump, Nevada. The permit application includes a proposed low-effect habitat conservation plan (HCP). In accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), we have prepared a draft low- effect screening form supporting our preliminary determination that the proposed action qualifies as a categorical exclusion under NEPA. We are accepting comments on the permit application, proposed low-effect HCP, and draft NEPA compliance documentation.

In 2018, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) received a petition for rulemaking, which asks the Service to revise the existing rules pertaining to the religious use of federally protected bird feathers. The Service published the petition in the Federal Register for public comment pursuant to the terms of a settlement agreement entered into in 2016 by the United States with McAllen Grace Brethren Church et al. Today's action extends the comment period for 15 days.