The Lower Colorado River Authority and Lower Colorado River Authority Transmission Services Corporation (Applicants) have applied to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for an Native Endangered and Threatened Species Enhancement of Survival Permit (Permit) pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act). The requested Permit and associated Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances, which is for a period of 20 years, would provide conservation benefit to four freshwater mussel species currently under review for listing under the Act, Balcones Spike (Fusconaia iheringi), Texas Fatmucket (Lampsilis bracteata), Texas Fawnsfoot (Truncilla macrodon), and Texas Pimpleback (Cyclonaias petrina).
The Service has made a preliminary determination that the CCAA is eligible for categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The basis for this determination is contained in a draft NEPA screening form to support the use of a categorical exclusion under NEPA, which evaluates the impacts of EOS permit issuance and implementation of the proposed CCAA. The documents available for comment include the NEPA screening form and the CCAA. These documents are available at https://www.fws.gov/library/collections/lower-colorado-river-authority-candidate-conservation-agreement-assurances.
