83 FR 31415 - Four Habitat Conservation Plans for Sand Skink and Blue-Tailed Mole Skink, Polk and Osceola Counties, FL

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 129 (July 5, 2018)

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, announce receipt of four incidental take permit (ITP) applications and four habitat conservation plans (HCPs). Each of the four applicants requests an ITP under the Endangered Species Act. If granted, the ITPs would authorize take of the sand skink and blue-tailed mole skink via destruction of the species' feeding, breeding, and sheltering habitat. The applicants are Tohopekaliga Water Authority; Mystic Dunes, LLC; Clay Cut, LLC; and Land Acquisition One, LLC. We invite comments from the public and Federal, Tribal, State, and local governments on the four applicants' HCPs, and our draft environmental action statements and low-effect screening forms, which support categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act.

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 129 (Thursday, July 5, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31415-31416]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-14395]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R4-ES-2018-N068; FXES11140400000-178-FF04EF2000]


Four Habitat Conservation Plans for Sand Skink and Blue-Tailed 
Mole Skink, Polk and Osceola Counties, FL

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments and information.

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, announce receipt of four 
incidental take permit (ITP) applications and four habitat conservation 
plans (HCPs). Each of the four applicants requests an ITP under the 
Endangered Species Act. If granted, the ITPs would authorize take of 
the sand skink and blue-tailed mole skink via destruction of the 
species' feeding, breeding, and sheltering habitat. The applicants are 
Tohopekaliga Water Authority; Mystic Dunes, LLC; Clay Cut, LLC; and 
Land Acquisition One, LLC. We invite comments from the public and 
Federal, Tribal, State, and local governments on the four applicants' 
HCPs, and our draft environmental action statements and low-effect 
screening forms, which support categorical exclusions under the 
National Environmental Policy Act.

DATES: We must receive your written comments on or before August 6, 
2018.

ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: You may obtain copies of the documents 
by any of the following methods:
     Telephone: Alfredo Begazo, 772-469-4234 (telephone).
     Email: [email protected].
     U.S. mail: Alfredo Begazo, South Florida Ecological 
Services Office; Attn: [Insert appropriate ITP numbers; see 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 1339 20th 
Street; Vero Beach, FL 32960-3559. In addition, we will make the 
documents available for public inspection by appointment during normal 
business hours at this address. Please call to make an appointment.
    Submitting Comments: If you wish to comment on any of the 
documents, you may do so via any one of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Use ``Attn: ITP numbers 
[Insert appropriate ITP numbers; see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION'' as 
your message subject line.
     Fax: Alfredo Begazo, 772-562-4288, ``[Attn.: [Insert 
appropriate ITP numbers; see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.''
     U.S. mail or hand-delivery: See our South Florida 
Ecological Services Office address, above. Be sure to specify clearly 
the ITP applications on which you are commenting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Alfredo Begazo, telephone: 772-
469-4234.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), 
announce receipt of four incidental take permit (ITP) applications and 
four habitat conservation plans (HCPs). Each of the four applicants 
requests an ITP under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Endangered Species Act 
of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The applicants and 
potential ITP numbers are:
     Tohopekaliga Water Authority (TE69950C-0).
     Mystic Dunes, LLC (TE69951C-0).
     Clay Cut, LLC (TE69952C-0).
     Land Acquisition One, LLC (TE69953C-0).
    Each applicant seeks authority to take sand skink (Neoseps 
reynoldsi) and blue-tailed mole skink (Eumeces egregius) via 
destruction of the species' feeding, breeding, and sheltering habitat 
incidental to land preparation and construction in Polk and Osceola 
Counties, Florida. The applicants' proposed HCPs provide measures to 
mitigate for the effects of their respective construction activities on 
the species, which were federally-listed as threatened in 1987 
(November 6, 1987; 52 FR 42658).

Applicants' Proposed Projects

     Tohopekaliga Water Authority (TE69950C-0) anticipates 
taking 2.2 acres of species' habitat, incidental to land preparation 
and construction in Sections 10 and 11, Township 25 South, Range 28 
East, in Polk County, Florida.
     Mystic Dunes, LLC (ITP TE69951C-0) anticipates taking 6.7 
acres of species' habitat incidental to land preparation and 
construction in Section 15, Township 25 South, Range 27 East, in 
Osceola County, Florida.

[[Page 31416]]

     Clay Cut, LLC (ITP TE69952C-0) anticipates taking 8.6 
acres of species' habitat incidental to land preparation and 
construction in Section 3, Township 27 South, Range 28 East, in Polk 
County, Florida.
     Land Acquisition One, LLC (ITP TE69953C-0) anticipates 
taking 11.2 acres of species' habitat incidental to land preparation 
and construction in Sections 18 and 19, Township 25 South, Range 27 
East, in Osceola County, Florida.
    None of the applicants currently has a timeframe for development or 
specific site plans; however, each applicant intends to develop its 
parcel by constructing one or more structures and parking areas and 
installing associated utilities.
    The applicants propose to mitigate for impacts to the species by 
purchasing credits from a Service-approved conservation bank as 
follows:
     Tohopekaliga Water Authority proposes to purchase the 
equivalent of 4.4 acres of credits.
     Mystic Dunes, LLC proposes to purchase the equivalent of 
13.4 acres of credits.
     Clay Cut, LLC proposes to purchase the equivalent of 17.2 
acres of credits.
     Land Acquisition One, LLC proposes to purchase the 
equivalent of 22.4 acres of credits.

Our Preliminary Determination

    The Service has made a preliminary determination that each of the 
applicants' projects, including the mitigation measures, will 
individually and cumulatively have a minor or negligible effect on the 
species. Therefore, we have determined that the ITPs for each of these 
projects would be ``low effect'' and qualify for categorical exclusions 
under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.).

Public Availability of Comments

    Written comments we receive become part of the administrative 
record associated with this action. Before including your address, 
phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information 
in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly 
available at any time. While you can request in your comment that we 
withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we 
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. 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: We provide this notice under section 10(c) of the ESA 
(16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (50 CFR 
17.22 and 17.32) and NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its 
implementing regulations (40 CFR 1506.6 and 43 CFR 46.305).

Roxanna Hinzman,
Field Supervisor, South Florida Ecological Services Office.
[FR Doc. 2018-14395 Filed 7-3-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P