Notice2021-24126
Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan for the Eastern Indigo Snake, Citrus County, FL; Categorical Exclusion
Primary source
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Published
November 5, 2021
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentFish and Wildlife Service
Abstract
We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt of an application from Florida Department of Transportation--Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (applicant) (Suncoast Parkway 2) for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed eastern indigo snake incidental to construction of the four-lane Suncoast Parkway 2 in Citrus County, Florida. We request public comment on the application, which includes the applicant's proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP), and the Service's preliminary determination that this HCP qualifies as "low-effect," categorically excluded, under the National Environmental Policy Act. To make this determination, we used our environmental action statement and low-effect screening form, both of which are also available for public review.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 212 (Friday, November 5, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 212 (Friday, November 5, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61314-61315]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-24126]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2021-0124; FXES11130400000EA-123-FF04EF4000]
Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed
Habitat Conservation Plan for the Eastern Indigo Snake, Citrus County,
FL; Categorical Exclusion
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment and information.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt
of an application from Florida Department of Transportation--Florida's
Turnpike Enterprise (applicant) (Suncoast Parkway 2) for an incidental
take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The applicant
requests the ITP to take the federally listed eastern indigo snake
incidental to construction of the four-lane Suncoast Parkway 2 in
Citrus County, Florida. We request public comment on the application,
which includes the applicant's proposed habitat conservation plan
(HCP), and the Service's preliminary determination that this HCP
qualifies as ``low-effect,'' categorically excluded, under the National
Environmental Policy Act. To make this determination, we used our
environmental action statement and low-effect screening form, both of
which are also available for public review.
DATES: We must receive your written comments on or before December 6,
2021.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may obtain copies of the documents online
in Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2021-0124 at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>.
Submitting Comments: If you wish to submit comments on any of the
documents, you may do so in writing by any of the following methods:
<bullet> Online: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2021-0124.
<bullet> U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-R4-ES-2021-0124; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Zakia Williams, by telephone at 904-
731-3119 or via email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#384259535159674f5154545159554b785e4f4b165f574e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="3d475c56545c624a545151545c504e7d5b4a4e135a524b">[email protected]</span></a>. Individuals who are
hearing or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-
877-8339 for TTY assistance.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service),
announce receipt of an application from Florida Department of
Transportation--Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (applicant) for an
incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973,
as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The applicant requests the
ITP to take the federally listed eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon
corais couperii) incidental to the construction of the four-lane
Suncoast Parkway 2 (project) in Citrus County, Florida. We request
public comment on the application, which includes the applicant's
proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP), and the Service's preliminary
determination that this HCP qualifies as ``low-effect,'' categorically
excluded, under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C.
4231 et seq.). To make this determination, we used our environmental
action statement and low-effect screening form, which are also
available for public review.
Project
Florida Department of Transportation--Florida's Turnpike Enterprise
requests a 10-year ITP to take no more than two eastern indigo snakes
(one male and one female) and one eastern indigo snake egg clutch
incidental to the construction of the Suncoast Parkway 2. The take is
based on the estimated home range of the species and the conversion of
approximately 140 acres (ac) of occupied eastern indigo snake foraging
and sheltering habitat during construction of the roadway from SR 44 to
CR 486 in Sections 29, 30, 32, Township 18S, Range 18E, Citrus County,
Florida. The applicant proposes
[[Page 61315]]
to mitigate for take of the eastern indigo snake by implementing
conservation measures in the Standard Protection Measures for the
Eastern Indigo Snake (Service 2013), which primarily focus on the
preservation of the species during land conversion. The applicant will
also install and maintain silt fence and chain-link fence along the
entire project boundary and the perimeter of the project area to deter
the species from entering the roadway and to reduce wildlife
interactions within the construction zone. In addition to these
measures, the applicant will contribute $22,820, which is calculated as
$163 per ac of converted habitat, to the Wildlife Foundation of
Florida--Eastern Indigo Snake Conservation Fund. This contribution will
be used to help ensure the long-term viability of the species by
maintaining and enhancing existing populations via habitat
conservation, restoration, and management; monitoring the status of the
extant populations; identifying and securing additional eastern indigo
snake populations and habitat; repatriating populations through
reintroductions; and supporting research that guides land management
and provides demographic and ecological data. The Service would require
the applicant to make the contribution to the Fund prior to engaging in
activities associated with the project.
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, be aware that
your entire comment, including your personal identifying information,
may be made available to the public. While you may request that we
withhold your personal identifying information, we cannot guarantee
that we will be able to do so.
Our Preliminary Determination
The Service has made a preliminary determination that the
applicant's project, including land clearing, infrastructure building,
landscaping, and the proposed mitigation measures, would individually
and cumulatively have a minor or negligible effect on the eastern
indigo snake and the environment. Therefore, we have preliminarily
concluded that the ITP for this project would qualify for categorical
exclusion and the HCP is low effect under our NEPA regulations at 43
CFR 46.205 and 46.210. A low-effect HCP is one that would result in (1)
minor or negligible effects on federally listed, proposed, and
candidate species and their habitats; (2) minor or negligible effects
on other environmental values or resources; and (3) impacts that, when
considered together with the impacts of other past, present, and
reasonably foreseeable similarly situated projects, would not over time
result in significant cumulative effects to environmental values or
resources.
Next Steps
The Service will evaluate the application and the comments received
to determine whether to issue the requested permit. We will also
conduct an intra-Service consultation pursuant to section 7 of the ESA
to evaluate the effects of the proposed take. After considering the
preceding findings, we will determine whether the permit issuance
criteria of section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA have been met. If met, the
Service will issue ITP number PER0017213 to Florida Department of
Transportation--Florida's Turnpike Enterprise.
Authority
The Service provides this notice under section 10(c) of the ESA (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (50 CFR 17.32)
and NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (40
CFR 1506.6 and 43 CFR 46.305).
Robert L. Carey,
Division Manager, Environmental Review, Florida Ecological Services
Field Office.
[FR Doc. 2021-24126 Filed 11-4-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
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