[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 86 (Friday, May 3, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19105-19106]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-09112]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R8-ES-2019-N053; FXES11140800000-190-FF08E00000]
Green Diamond Resource Company Final Forest Habitat Conservation
Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement; Humboldt and Del Norte
Counties, CA
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of final environmental impact statement
and final habitat conservation plan.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of a final environmental impact statement (FEIS) under the
National Environmental Policy Act. We also announce the availability of
the final habitat conservation plan (HCP). These documents were
prepared in support of a permit application submitted to us under the
Endangered Species Act. We will use these documents to inform our
decision regarding issuance of the permit.
DATES: A record of decision will be signed no sooner than 30 days after
the publication of this notice of availability in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining Documents: You may obtain copies of the FEIS and other
documents by the following methods.
Internet: https://www.fws.gov/arcata/es/HCP.htm.
Public libraries: Electronic copies of the documents will
be available for viewing at Del Norte and Humboldt County Libraries on
their public access computer stations. In Del Norte County, the
documents will be available at the Main Library in Crescent City and at
the branch library in Smith River. In Humboldt County, the documents
will be at the Eureka Main Library, and at branch libraries in Arcata,
McKinleyville, and Willow Creek.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer L. Norris, Deputy Field
Supervisor, by phone at 707-822-7201, or via U.S. mail to U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, 1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521-4573.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), Green Diamond Resource Company
has applied for a 50-year incidental take permit (ITP); the applicant
prepared the final Green Diamond Resource Company Forest Habitat
Conservation Plan (HCP) pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA. We,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability
of the HCP, and also announce the availability of the final
environmental impact statement (FEIS) under the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1967 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). These documents were both
prepared in support of the permit application. We will use these
documents to inform our decision regarding issuance of the permit.
Background
Section 9 of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and our Federal
regulations (50 CFR part 17) prohibit the taking of fish and wildlife
species listed as endangered or threatened under section 4 of the ESA.
Regulations governing permits for endangered and threatened species are
at 50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32, respectively. For more information about the
Federal habitat conservation plan program, go to http://www.fws.gov/endangered/esa-library/pdf/hcp.pdf.
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA; 16 U.S.C. 703-712)
protects over 1,000 species of birds, including the barred owl. The
MBTA provides that it is unlawful to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill,
possess, sell, purchase, barter, import, export, or transport any
migratory bird, or any part, nest, or egg of any such bird, unless
authorized under a permit issued by the Secretary of the Interior. As
authorized by the MBTA, the Service may issue permits for scientific
collecting (50 CFR 21.23).
Applicant's Final Habitat Conservation Plan
Proposed Action Alternative
The Proposed Action Alternative is implementation of the final HCP;
issuance of a 50-year ITP authorizing incidental take of the northern
spotted owl, fisher, red tree vole, and Sonoma tree vole that may occur
as a result of implementation of the HCP; and issuance of an MBTA
permit for barred owl experiments.
Plan Area
The HCP area encompasses 357,412 acres in Humboldt and Del Norte
Counties, California.
Covered Activities
The HCP contains conservation measures considered necessary to
minimize and mitigate the impacts, to the maximum extent practicable,
of the potential taking of federally listed species to be covered by
the HCP. The covered activities under the HCP are those associated with
commercial forest management within the plan area.
Covered Species
The proposed ITP includes one bird species, the northern spotted
owl (Strix occidentalis caurina), which is federally listed as
threatened. Three mammal species with no Federal listing status are
also proposed to be covered--The fisher (Pekania pennanti), red tree
vole (Arborimus longicaudus), and Sonoma vole (Arborimus pomo). In
addition, experiments on barred owl (Strix varia) will be conducted as
part of implementation of the HCP for the benefit of northern spotted
owls.
National Environmental Policy Act Compliance
The final EIS analyzed four land management alternatives. These
include a ``no action'' alternative, which allows the existing 30-year
incidental take permit to expire at the end of its term in 2022 with no
permit replacement. The proposed action consists of a four-species HCP
and associated permit with a 50-year term. Two other ``action''
alternatives are included. Alternatives A and B evaluate a single-
species HCP and 50-year permit for the northern spotted owl only.
Alternative B differs from Alternative A by proposing a shift in Green
Diamond company policy from even-aged forest management toward uneven-
aged forest management.
Public Review
The Service published a notice of intent to prepare an EIS in the
Federal Register on April 16, 2010 (75 FR
[[Page 19106]]
19994), announcing a 30-day public scoping period, during which the
public was invited to provide written comments. The Service published a
notice of availability (NOA) of the draft EIS and draft HCP in the
Federal Register on July 23, 2018 (83 FR 34861). The NOA announced a
45-day public comment period, during which the public was invited to
provide written comments. In accordance with NEPA, the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) will announce the final EIS in the Federal
Register.
Next Steps
Issuance of an ITP is a Federal proposed action subject to
compliance with NEPA. We will evaluate the application, associated
documents, and the public comments we received to determine whether the
requirements of NEPA regulations and section 10(a) of the ESA have been
met. If we determine that those requirements are met, we will issue a
record of decision no sooner than 30 days after the EPA publishes
notice of the final EIS in the Federal Register. Subsequently, we will
issue a permit to the applicant for the incidental take of the covered
species.
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), the MBTA
(16 U.S.C. 703 et seq.) and its implementing regulations (50 CFR
21.23), and NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and its implementing
regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).
Jody Holzworth,
Deputy Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region, Sacramento,
California.
[FR Doc. 2019-09112 Filed 5-2-19; 8:45 am]
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