Receipt of Incidental Take Permit Application and Proposed Habitat Conservation Plan for the Alabama Beach Mouse; Baldwin County, AL; Categorical Exclusion

Issuing agencies

Abstract

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt of an application from Stillwater Capital Assets, LLC (applicant) for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The applicant requests the ITP to take the federally listed threatened Alabama beach mouse incidental to the construction of a single-family home in Baldwin County, Alabama. We request public comment on the application, which includes the applicant's proposed habitat conservation plans (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. To make this preliminary determination, we prepared a draft screening form and NEPA statement for HCPs, both of which are also available for public review. We invite comment from the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies.