Fish and Wildlife Service March 12, 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), received incidental take permit applications pursuant to section 10 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA), from eight parties seeking authorization to take listed seabirds on Kauai due to impacts associated with nighttime light attraction. Each of the applications relies on the Kauai Seabird Habitat Conservation Plan (KSHCP), which describes the actions the applicants will take to minimize and mitigate the impacts of taking the threatened Newell's shearwater, endangered Hawaiian petrel, and the endangered Hawaii distinct population segment of the band-rumped storm-petrel incidental to the otherwise lawful use of nighttime lighting on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. We also announce the availability of each applicant's draft KSHCP participant inclusion plan specific to the applicant's facilities, as well as a draft environmental assessment (EA) developed by the Service that addresses the effects of the KSHCP and the proposed permits on the human environment in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. We invite the public to review and comment on these documents.