Notice2025-17662
Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan for the Sand Skink and Blue-Tailed Mole-Skink, Polk County, FL; Categorical Exclusion
Primary source
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Published
September 12, 2025
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentFish and Wildlife Service
Abstract
We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt of an application from the City of Davenport (applicant) for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed threatened sand skink and blue-tailed mole skink incidental to the expansion of the city's utility infrastructure in Polk County, Florida. We request public comment on the application, which includes the applicant's proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP), and on the Service's preliminary determination that the proposed permitting action may be eligible for a categorical exclusion pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Department of the Interior's (DOI) NEPA regulations, and the DOI Departmental Manual (DM). To make this preliminary determination, we prepared a draft screening form and NEPA statement for HCPs, both of which are available for public review. We invite comment from the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 175 (Friday, September 12, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 175 (Friday, September 12, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44210-44211]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-17662]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2025-0111; FXES11140400000-256-FF04EF4000]
Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed
Habitat Conservation Plan for the Sand Skink and Blue-Tailed Mole-
Skink, Polk County, FL; Categorical Exclusion
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt
of an application from the City of Davenport (applicant) for an
incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed threatened
sand skink and blue-tailed mole skink incidental to the expansion of
the city's utility infrastructure in Polk County, Florida. We request
public comment on the application, which includes the applicant's
proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP), and on the Service's
preliminary determination that the proposed permitting action may be
eligible for a categorical exclusion pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Department of the Interior's (DOI)
NEPA regulations, and the DOI Departmental Manual (DM). To make this
preliminary determination, we prepared a draft screening form and NEPA
statement for HCPs, both of which are available for public review. We
invite comment from the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal
agencies.
DATES: We must receive your written comments on or before October 14,
2025.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: The documents this notice announces, as well
as any comments and other materials that we receive, will be available
for public inspection online in Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2025-0111 at
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
Submitting Comments: If you wish to submit comments on any of the
documents, you may do so in writing by one of the following methods:
<bullet> Online: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2025-0111.
<bullet> U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No.
FWS-R4-ES-2025-0111; U.S. Fish and Wildlife
[[Page 44211]]
Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jose Rivera, by U.S. mail (see
ADDRESSES), by telephone at 772-226-8018, or via email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#23494c50467c514a55465142634554500d444c55"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0d67627e68527f647b687f6c4d6b7a7e236a627b">[email protected]</span></a>. Individuals in the United States who are deaf,
deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711
(TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services.
Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services
offered within their country to make international calls to the point-
of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service),
announce receipt of an application from the City of Davenport
(applicant) for an 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 threatened sand skink (Neopseps
(=Plestiodon) reynoldsi) and blue-tailed mole skink (Eumeces egregius
lividus) (skinks), incidental to the expansion of the city's utility
infrastructure in Polk County, Florida. We request public comment on
the application, which includes the applicant's HCP, and on the
Service's preliminary determination that this proposed ITP may qualify
for a categorical exclusion pursuant to NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.),
the DOI's NEPA regulations (43 CFR part 46), and the DOI's Departmental
Manual (516 DM 8.5(C)(2)). To make this preliminary determination, we
prepared a draft screening form and NEPA statement for HCPs, both of
which are available for public review.
Proposed Project
The applicant requests a 10-year ITP to take skinks via the
conversion of approximately 4.5 acres (ac) of occupied nesting,
foraging, and sheltering skink habitat incidental to the expansion of
its utility infrastructure on a 6.26 ac parcel within Sections 4 and 5
of Township 27 South in Range 27 East, Polk County, Florida. The
applicant proposes to mitigate for take of skinks through the purchase
of 9 ac of conservation credits (in accordance with the Service's 2:1
mitigation ratio guidelines) from a Service-authorized conservation
bank prior to engaging in any phase of the project. The Service would
require the applicant to purchase the credits prior to engaging in any
phase of the project.
Our Preliminary Determination
The Service has made a preliminary determination that reasonably
foreseeable effects of the applicant's proposed project, including the
expansion of its existing utilities and associated infrastructure
(e.g., electric, water, and sewer lines), would have a minor effect on
the skinks and the human environment. Therefore, no extraordinary
circumstances in 43 CFR 46.215 apply. Reasonably foreseeable effects
encompass effects of implementation of the action including effects of
the action in addition to other past, present, and reasonably
foreseeable future effects. Therefore, we have preliminarily determined
that the proposed ESA section 10(a)(1)(B) permit would be a low-effect
ITP that may qualify for application of a categorical exclusion (516 DM
8.5(C)(2)), pursuant to NEPA, the DOI's NEPA regulations, and the DOI
DM. A low-effect ITP is one that would result in (1) nonsignificant or
minor individual or cumulative effects on species covered in the HCP;
(2) no significant effects on the human environment; and (3) reasonably
foreseeable effects that would not result in significant effects to the
human environment.
Next Steps
The Service will evaluate the application and the comments to
determine whether to issue the requested ITP. 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 and
other matters, 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 PER17860289 to the City of Davenport.
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. If you submit a comment at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>, your entire comment, including any personal
identifying information, will be posted on the website. If you submit a
hardcopy comment that includes personal identifying information, such
as your address, phone number, or email address, you may request at the
top of your document that we withhold this information from public
review. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Moreover, all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from
individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of
organizations or businesses, will be made available for public
disclosure in their entirety.
Authority
The Service provides this notice under section 10(c) of the
Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and its implementing
regulations (50 CFR 17.32), NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the DOI's
implementing regulations (43 CFR part 46).
Jos[eacute] J. Rivera,
Acting Manager, Division of Environmental Review, Florida Ecological
Services Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-17662 Filed 9-11-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
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