17664 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 61 / Wednesday, March 30, 2011 / Notices 

Status Communities. If the applicant is 

from the agency that holds Point of 

Contact status in a particular Preferred 

Sustainability Status Community, it 

must be certified by the appropriate 

HUD Regional Administrator in 

consultation with field staff. 

DATES: Comments Due Date: April 29, 

2011. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit comments regarding 

this proposal. 

Comments should refer to the 

proposal by name and/or OMB approval 

Number (2535–Pending) and should be 

sent to: HUD Desk Officer, Office of 

Management and Budget, New 

Executive Office Building, Washington, 

DC 20503; e-mail OIRA– 

Submission@omb.eop.gov; fax: 202– 

395–5806. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Colette Pollard, Reports Management 

Officer, QDAM, Department of Housing 

and Urban Development, 451 Seventh 

Street, SW., Washington, DC 20410; email Colette Pollard at 

Colette.Pollard@hud.gov; or telephone 

(202) 402–3400. This is not a toll-free 

number. Copies of available documents 

submitted to OMB may be obtained 

from Ms. Pollard. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

notice informs the public that the 

Department of Housing and Urban 

Development has submitted to OMB a 

request for approval of the 

Information collection described 

below. This notice is soliciting 

comments from members of the public 

and affecting agencies concerning the 

proposed collection of information to: 

(1) Evaluate whether the proposed 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of the 

functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; (2) Evaluate the 

accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the 

burden of the proposed collection of 

information; (3) Enhance the quality, 

utility, and clarity of the information to 

be collected; and (4) Minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on those who are to respond; including 

through the use of appropriate 

automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology, 

e.g., permitting electronic submission of 

responses. 

This notice also lists the following 

information: 

Title of Proposal: Certification of 

Consistency and Nexus between 

Activities Proposed by the Applicant 

with Livability Principles Advanced in 

Preferred Sustainability Status 

Communities. 

OMB Approval Number: 2535– 

Pending. 

Form Numbers: HUD–2995. 

Description of the Need for the 

Information and its Proposed Use: 

The proposed form, an attachment to 

HUD Federal Financial Assistance 

applications, requests applicants to 

obtain a certification from the 

Designated Point of Contact for 

designated Preferred Sustainability 

Status Community using form HUD– 

2995 which verifies that the applicant 

has met the above criteria. The form will 

certify the nexus between the proposed 

activities of the applicant and the 

Livability Principles as they are being 

advanced in the Preferred Sustainability 

Status Communities. If the applicant is 

from the agency that holds Point of 

Contact status in a particular Preferred 

Sustainability Status Community, it 

must be certified by the appropriate 

HUD Regional Administrator in 

consultation with field staff. 

Frequency of Submission: Other Upon 

submission of grant application. 

Number of 

respondents 

Annual 

responses × Hours per response = Burden hours 

Reporting Burden .............................................................................. 11,000 1 0.1 1,100 

Total Estimated Burden Hours: 1,100. 

Status: New Collection. 

Authority: Section 3507 of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 35, as 

amended. 

Dated: March 23, 2011. 

Colette Pollard, 

Departmental Reports Management Officer, 

Office of the Chief Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2011–7404 Filed 3–29–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4210–67–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R8–ES–2011–N038; 1112–0000– 

81440–F2] 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 

and Plants; Permits, City of Scotts 

Valley and Santa Cruz County, CA 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (Service), have received 

applications from the County of Santa 

Cruz (County) and the City of Scotts 

Valley (City) (applicants) for incidental 

take permits under section the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (Act). We are considering 

issuing permits that would authorize the 

applicants’ take of the Federally 

endangered Mount Hermon June beetle 

(Polyphylla barbata) incidental to 

otherwise lawful activities that would 

result in the permanent loss of 139 acres 

of habitat for the species in Santa Cruz 

County, California. The permits would 

also include the Federally endangered 

Ben Lomond spineflower (Chorizanthe 

pungens var. hartwegiana) as a covered 

species. We invite comments from the 

public on the applications, which 

include an Interim Programmatic 

Habitat Conservation Plan (IPHCP) and 

an Implementing Agreement (IA) that 

describe the proposed project and 

measures the applicants would 

undertake to minimize and mitigate 

anticipated take of the species. We also 

invite comments from the public on the 

draft environmental assessment (EA) 

prepared to comply with the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). 

DATES: Please send your written 

comments by May 31, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Please address written 

comments to Diane K. Noda, Field 

Supervisor, Ventura Fish and Wildlife 

Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura, CA 

93003. You may alternatively send 

comments by facsimile to (805) 644– 

3958. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jen 

Lechuga, HCP Coordinator, 2493 Portola 

Road, Suite B, Ventura, CA 93003, or by 

telephone at (805) 644–1766, extension 

224. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Availability of Documents 

You may download a copy of the 

IPHCP, IAs and related documents on 

the Internet at http://www.fws.gov/ 

ventura/, or you may request documents 

WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 61 / Wednesday, March 30, 2011 / Notices 17665 

by U.S. mail or phone. Individuals 

wishing copies of the Draft IPHCP, Draft 

EA, and/or Draft IAs, should contact the 

Service by telephone (see FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT). 

Background 

The Service designated the Ben 

Lomond spineflower and Mount 

Hermon June beetle as Federally 

endangered in 1994 and 1997, 

respectively, under the Act (59 FR 5499, 

February 4, 1994; 62 FR 3616, January 

24, 1997). Section 9 of the Act (16 

U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and our 

implementing Federal regulations in the 

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 

CFR part 17 prohibit the ‘‘take’’ of fish 

or wildlife species listed as endangered 

or threatened. Take of listed fish or 

wildlife is defined under the Act as ‘‘to 

harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, 

wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect, or 

to attempt to engage in any such 

conduct’’ (16 U.S.C. 1532). However, 

under limited circumstances, we issue 

permits to authorize incidental take (i.e., 

take that is incidental to, and not the 

purpose of, the carrying out of an 

otherwise lawful activity). Regulations 

governing incidental take permits for 

threatened and endangered species are 

at 50 CFR 17.32 and 17.22, respectively. 

The Act’s take prohibitions do not apply 

to Federally listed plants on private 

lands. In addition to meeting other 

permit issuance criteria, the applicant’s 

proposed covered activities must not 

jeopardize the existence of Federally 

listed fish, wildlife, or plants. 

Project Location 

The Project is located on soils known 

as Zayante sands. These soils support 

the Zayante sandhills ecosystem, which 

occurs exclusively in the Santa Cruz 

Mountains near the City of Scotts Valley 

and the communities of Ben Lomond, 

Mount Hermon, Felton, Olympia, 

Corralitos, and Bonny Doon. The Mount 

Hermon June beetle is restricted to 

Zayante sands soils in the Scotts 

Valley–Mount Hermon–Felton–Ben 

Lomond area and is found in association 

with vegetation of the Zayante 

sandhills, which is characterized by a 

mosaic of ponderosa pines (Pinus 

ponderosa), silverleaf manzanita 

(Arctostaphylos silvicola), and areas that 

are sparsely vegetated with grasses and 

herbs. 

Project Information 

In the Zayante Sandhills region, 

numerous private landowners within 

the City or County are interested in 

applying for ITPs to allow for the take 

of the Mount Hermon June beetle 

incidental to small development 

projects (e.g., single-family dwelling, 

garage, house remodel, deck, etc.) on 

private parcels and to address 

associated impacts to Ben Lomond 

spineflower. The Service recommended 

that the City and County coordinate ITP 

applications and develop a regional 

programmatic habitat conservation plan 

(HCP) for the Sandhills. Completion and 

implementation of a regional HCP 

would provide conservation benefits for 

these and other rare species associated 

with this habitat and would streamline 

the process for landowners to comply 

with the Act and local and State 

permits. 

The City and County propose to 

extend their take authorization issued 

by the Service to project proponents 

through a certificate of inclusion. 

Individual projects on private land 

would be eligible for ITP coverage if the 

project meets specific criteria. 

Landowners would determine if their 

proposed project is eligible for ITP 

coverage (that is, whether their project 

is a Covered Activity under the ITP) 

based on a set of criteria and a checklist 

of eligibility requirements. These 

determinations by landowners would be 

reviewed by the City or County. The 

City or County would review individual 

projects based on the following criteria: 

• Project is residential. 

• Project is located on a parcel that is 

1.5 acres or less in size. 

• Project would result in ground 

disturbance of Zayante soils. 

• Development envelope for the 

project, when combined with the 

development envelope for any project 

previously implemented on the same 

parcel using the proposed IPHCP and 

the relevant ITP, will not exceed 15,000 

square feet (0.34 acre). 

• Proposed development is one or 

more of the following project types that 

requires a City or County discretionary 

or building permit that involves ground 

disturbance. Examples include: (1) 

Single-family dwelling; (2) guest cottage 

(or accessory dwelling unit); (3) 

attached or detached garage, shed, 

storage building; (4) room addition; (5) 

remodels that involve ground 

disturbance; and (6) septic system 

installations and upgrades that involve 

new ground disturbance. 

• On a case-by-case basis, the Service 

and the appropriate local jurisdiction 

may also approve for coverage under the 

proposed IPHCP and ITPs other similar 

development projects that meet the 

eligibility requirements listed in the 

proposed IPHCP. 

Ten Project Units (Designated group 

of land parcels) within the IPHCP 

boundary were identified within the 

communities of Ben Lomond, Felton, 

Mount Hermon, and Scotts Valley. 

These Project Units range in size from 

3.2 to 373 acres and encompass a total 

of 1,693.2 acres, including roads, 

common areas, and substantial areas 

containing prior development. Within 

these Project Units, a maximum of 139 

acres of Sandhills habitat may be 

developed or otherwise disturbed under 

the proposed IPHCP as a result of 

Covered Activities. According to the 

proposed IPHCP, this acreage represents 

5 percent of the estimated total amount 

(2,800 acres) of Sandhills habitat with 

documented occurrences of the Mount 

Hermon June beetle as of 2004. 

The IPHCP proposes to provide a 

process under which landowners may 

proceed with small development 

projects in areas where on-site 

avoidance of habitat for the Mount 

Hermon June beetle and Ben Lomond 

spineflower is not feasible. In such 

cases, landowners will first be required 

to minimize habitat loss and 

disturbance via the implementation of 

the following required minimization 

measures (see the IPHCP for additional 

details about these measures): 

• Impacts to plants that are native to 

the Sandhills must be avoided to the 

greatest extent feasible, consistent with 

the purpose of the Covered Activity. 

• Ground-disturbing activities 

associated with construction (e.g., 

vegetation clearance, grading, digging, 

etc.) must be minimized between May 

15 and August 15 within the 

development envelope. 

• If construction-related ground 

disturbance associated with Covered 

Activities cannot be scheduled to avoid 

the May 15 to August 15 timeframe, 

participating landowners must ensure 

that areas that have been disturbed by 

construction activities during this 

timeframe are covered each evening 

during this timeframe with tarps, 

landscape fabric, or other similar 

material. Only the immediate areas that 

have been recently disturbed (i.e., with 

exposed dirt just before the species 

flight season) must be covered in this 

manner between May 15 and August 15. 

• Landscaping elements that degrade 

habitat must be minimized to the 

greatest extent feasible, as determined 

by the City or County, and consistent 

with the purpose of the Covered 

Activity. 

• Indirect impacts to the Mount 

Hermon June beetle from project 

lighting must be minimized to the 

greatest extent feasible. 

In addition to the above minimization 

measures, the impacts of Covered 

Activities must be mitigated and 

compensated for through the 

WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES

17666 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 61 / Wednesday, March 30, 2011 / Notices 

implementation of the following 

mitigation measures (see the IPHCP for 

additional details about these 

measures): 

• To the maximum extent feasible, 

the City and County will require that 

any revegetation or landscaping 

activities associated with Covered 

Activities are conducted using locally 

derived source material (i.e., seeds or 

cuttings) of plant species native to the 

Sandhills, with particular emphasis on 

the plant species identified in Appendix 

F of the IPHCP. 

• Prior to beginning any grounddisturbing activities, the impacts of 

Covered Activities must be mitigated in 

one of the following ways: (1) The 

landowner must secure conservation 

credits for the Mount Hermon June 

beetle at a ratio of 1:1 in terms of acres 

of disturbance to numbers of credits 

(e.g., a project with a 0.1-acre 

disturbance envelope will mitigate by 

securing 0.1 acre of conservation credits 

for the Mount Hermon June beetle) at 

the Zayante Sandhills Conservation 

Bank; or (2) The landowner must secure 

conservation credits for the Mount 

Hermon June beetle at a ratio of 1:1 in 

terms of acres of disturbance to numbers 

of credits (e.g., a project with a 0.1-acre 

disturbance envelope will mitigate by 

securing 0.1 acre of conservation credits 

for the Mount Hermon June beetle) at 

another Service-approved conservation 

bank; this bank must also have an 

Operating Agreement with the County if 

the parcel is within the County’s 

jurisdiction. 

Environmental Assessment (EA) 

The Draft EA considers the effects on 

the human environment of: (1) Our 

proposed action of issuing ITPs to the 

City and County based on the IPHCP, 

(2) a Reduced-Take Alternative to the 

proposed action, and (3) No Action 

Alternative. Under the Reduced-Take 

Alternative, we would propose to issue 

ITPs to the City and County where the 

total amount of development that would 

be covered under the IPHCP and related 

ITPs would be 100 acres, instead of 139 

acres as is currently proposed. The 

maximum disturbance footprint would 

remain at 15,000 square feet (0.34 acre) 

per parcel. The boundaries of the 10 

project units would remain unchanged 

as would the minimization and 

mitigation measures of the IPHCP’s 

operating conservation plan. Under the 

No Action Alternative, the Service 

would not issue ITPs for the Mount 

Hermon June beetle to the City and 

County; thus, private landowners within 

the IPHCP area would have to apply to 

the Service individually to obtain an 

ITP. 

Request for Comments 

We are requesting comments on our 

preliminary determination that the 

proposed project will not have 

significant effects on the environment, 

and suggestions for issues we should 

consider in our analysis. The Service 

will use the EA to determine whether its 

decision can result in a Finding of No 

Significant Impact (FONSI) or if an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

must be prepared. 

Based on our review of public 

comments that we receive in response to 

this notice, we may revise this 

preliminary determination. 

Public Availability of Comments 

Please direct any comments to the 

Service contact listed above in the 

ADDRESSES section, and any questions to 

the Service contact listed in the FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section. 

All comments and materials we receive, 

including names and addresses, will 

become part of the administrative record 

and may be released to the public. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, e-mail 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 ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Next Steps 

We will evaluate the IPHCP and 

comments we receive to determine 

whether the permit applications meet 

the requirements of section 10(a) of the 

Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and 

complete our compliance with NEPA. If 

we determine that the applications meet 

these requirements, we will issue the 

permits for incidental take of the Mount 

Hermon June beetle. We will also 

evaluate whether issuance of section 

10(a)(1)(B) permits would comply with 

section 7 of the Act by conducting an 

intra-Service section 7 consultation. We 

will use the results of this consultation, 

in combination with the above findings, 

in our final analysis to determine 

whether or not to issue a permit. If the 

requirements are met, we will issue the 

permits to the applicants. 

Authority 

We provide this notice under section 

10 of the Act (U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and 

NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1506.6). 

Dated: March 24, 2011. 

Paul B McKim, 

Acting Deputy Regional Director, Pacific 

Southwest Region, Sacramento, CA. 

[FR Doc. 2011–7426 Filed 3–29–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R8–ES–2011–N010; 1112–0000– 

80221–F2] 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 

and Plants; Permits; Joint 

Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Report/Environmental Impact 

Statement, Riverside County, CA 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife 

Service (Service), in coordination with 

the Coachella Valley Conservation 

Commission (CVCC), are gathering 

information necessary for the 

preparation of a joint Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Report/ 

Environmental Impact Statement 

(Supplemental EIR/EIS) under the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA). This is a Supplemental EIR/EIS 

to the approved and certified September 

2007 Final Recirculated EIR/EIS for the 

Coachella Valley Multiple Species 

Habitat Conservation Plan (Plan, or 

CVMSHCP). The Supplemental EIR/EIS 

will consider the environmental effects 

associated with the issuance of an 

amended permit for the CVMSHCP, 

adding the City of Desert Hot Springs 

(City) and Mission Springs Water 

District (MSWD) as permittees under the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), 

as amended.We are furnishing this 

notice to announce the initiation of a 

public scoping period, during which we 

invite other agencies, Tribes, and 

interested persons to provide comments 

to identify and discuss the scope of 

issues and alternatives that should be 

addressed in the Supplemental EIR/EIS. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received by 5 p.m. on April 29, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Mr. Jim 

A. Bartel, Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service, 6010 Hidden 

Valley Road, Suite 101, Carlsbad, CA 

92011. Alternatively, you may submit 

comments by facsimile to (760) 918– 

0638. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Carol Roberts, Division Chief, Coachella 

and Imperial Valleys (see ADDRESSES), 

telephone (760) 431–9440. 

WReier-Aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES