82394 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 225 / Friday, November 24, 2023 / Notices 

(ITP) under the Endangered Species Act 

of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 

1531 et seq.). The applicant requests the 

ITP to take the federally listed sand 

skink (Neoseps reynoldsi) (skink) 

incidental to the construction and 

operation of a public library, including 

a shared use area consisting of parking 

infrastructure, a YMCA facility, and 

ancillary improvements, and the 

associated clearing, infrastructure, and 

landscaping, in Orange County, Florida. 

We request public comment on the 

application, which includes the 

applicant’s habitat conservation plan 

(HCP), and on the Service’s preliminary 

determination that this proposed ITP 

qualifies as low effect, and may qualify 

for a categorical exclusion pursuant to 

the Council on Environmental Quality’s 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) regulations (40 CFR 1501.4), the 

Department of the Interior’s (DOI) NEPA 

regulations (43 CFR 46), and the DOI’s 

Departmental Manual (516 DM 

8.5(C)(2)). To make this preliminary 

determination, we prepared a draft 

environmental action statement and 

low-effect screening form, both of which 

are also available for public review. 

Proposed Project 

The applicant requests a 5-year ITP to 

take skinks via the conversion of 

approximately 8.69 acres (ac) of 

occupied nesting, foraging, and 

sheltering skink habitat incidental to the 

construction and operation of a public 

library, including a shared use area 

consisting of parking infrastructure, a 

YMCA facility, and ancillary 

improvements, and the associated 

clearing, infrastructure, and landscaping 

on 12.45 ac on Parcels 16–23–27–0000– 

00–021, 16–23–27–0000–00–009, and 

16–23–27–0000–00–031 in Section 16, 

Township 23 South, Range 27 East, 

Orange County, Florida. The applicant 

proposes to mitigate for take of the 

skinks by purchasing credits equivalent 

to 17.40 ac of skink-occupied habitat 

within the Lake Wales Conservation 

Bank or another Service-approved 

conservation bank. The Service would 

require the applicant to purchase the 

credits prior to engaging in any 

construction phase of the project. 

Our Preliminary Determination 

The Service has made a preliminary 

determination that the applicant’s 

proposed project, including the 

construction of the buildings and 

associated infrastructure (e.g., electric, 

water, and sewer lines), would 

individually and cumulatively have a 

minor or negligible effect on the sand 

skink and the environment. Therefore, 

we have preliminarily determined that 

the proposed ESA section 10(a)(1)(B) 

permit would be a low-effect ITP that 

individually or cumulatively would 

have a minor effect on the sand skink 

and may qualify for application of a 

categorical exclusion pursuant to the 

Council on Environmental Quality’s 

NEPA regulations, DOI’s NEPA 

regulations, and the DOI Departmental 

Manual. A low-effect ITP is one that 

would result in (1) minor or negligible 

effects on species covered in the HCP; 

(2) nonsignificant effects on the human 

environment; and (3) impacts that, 

when added together with the impacts 

of other past, present, and reasonably 

foreseeable actions, would not result in 

significant cumulative effects to the 

human environment. 

Next Steps 

The Service will evaluate the 

application and the comments to 

determine whether to issue the 

requested permit. We will also conduct 

an intra-Service consultation pursuant 

to section 7 of the ESA to evaluate the 

effects of the proposed take. After 

considering the preceding and other 

matters, we will determine whether the 

permit issuance criteria of section 

10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA have been met. If 

met, the Service will issue ITP number 

PER3397936 to Orange County Public 

Library System (Horizon West Library). 

Public Availability of Comments 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, be aware that your entire 

comment, including your personal 

identifying information, may be made 

available to the public. While you may 

request that we withhold your personal 

identifying information, we cannot 

guarantee that we will be able to do so. 

Authority 

The Service provides this notice 

under section 10(c) of the Endangered 

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

its implementing regulations (50 CFR 

17.32) and the National Environmental 

Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and 

its implementing regulations (40 CFR 

1500–1508 and 43 CFR 46). 

Robert L. Carey, 

Manager, Division of Environmental Review, 

Florida Ecological Services Field Office. 

[FR Doc. 2023–25943 Filed 11–22–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[Docket No. FWS–R4–ES–2023–0221; 

FXES1114040000–245–FF04EF4000] 

Receipt of Incidental Take Permit 

Application and Proposed Habitat 

Conservation Plan for the Sand Skink 

and Blue-Tailed Mole Skink; Polk 

County, FL; Categorical Exclusion 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife 

Service (Service), announce receipt of 

an application from Vistas at Davenport, 

LLC (applicant) for an incidental take 

permit (ITP) under the Endangered 

Species Act. The applicant requests the 

ITP to take the federally listed sand 

skink and blue-tailed mole skink 

incidental to the construction of a 

residential development in Polk County, 

Florida. We request public comment on 

the application, which includes the 

applicant’s proposed habitat 

conservation plan (HCP), and on the 

Service’s preliminary determination that 

the proposed permitting action may be 

eligible for a categorical exclusion 

pursuant to the Council on 

Environmental Quality’s National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

regulations, the Department of the 

Interior’s (DOI) NEPA regulations, and 

the DOI Departmental Manual. To make 

this preliminary determination, we 

prepared a draft environmental action 

statement and low-effect screening form, 

both of which are also available for 

public review. We invite comment from 

the public and local, State, Tribal, and 

Federal agencies. 

DATES: We must receive your written 

comments on or before December 26, 

2023. 

ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: The 

documents this notice announces, as 

well as any comments and other 

materials that we receive, will be 

available for public inspection online in 

Docket No. FWS–R4–ES–2023–0221 at 

https://www.regulations.gov. 

Submitting Comments: If you wish to 

submit comments on any of the 

documents, you may do so in writing by 

one of the following methods: 

• Online: https://

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments 

on Docket No. FWS–R4–ES–2023–0221. 

• U.S. mail: Public Comments 

Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R4– 

ES–2023–0221; U.S. Fish and Wildlife 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 225 / Friday, November 24, 2023 / Notices 82395 

Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 Leesburg 

Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041–3803. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Alfredo Begazo, by U.S. mail (see 

ADDRESSES), by telephone at 772–469– 

4234, or via email at afredo_begazo@

fws.gov. Individuals in the United States 

who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, 

or have a speech disability may dial 711 

(TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 

telecommunications relay services. 

Individuals outside the United States 

should use the relay services offered 

within their country to make 

international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the 

Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), 

announce receipt of an application from 

Vistas at Davenport, LLC (applicant) for 

an incidental take permit (ITP) under 

the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). 

The applicant requests the ITP to take 

the federally listed sand skink (Neoseps 

reynoldsi) and blue-tailed mole-skink 

(Eumeces egregius lividus) (skinks) 

incidental to the construction and 

operation of a residential development 

in Polk County, Florida. We request 

public comment on the application, 

which includes the applicant’s habitat 

conservation plan (HCP), and on the 

Service’s preliminary determination that 

this proposed ITP qualifies as low effect, 

and may qualify for a categorical 

exclusion pursuant to the Council on 

Environmental Quality’s National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

regulations (40 CFR 1501.4), the 

Department of the Interior’s (DOI) NEPA 

regulations (43 CFR 46), and the DOI’s 

Departmental Manual (516 DM 

8.5(C)(2)). To make this preliminary 

determination, we prepared a draft 

environmental action statement and 

low-effect screening form, both of which 

are also available for public review. 

Proposed Project 

The applicant requests a 15-year ITP 

to take skinks via the conversion of 

approximately 6.71 acres (ac) of 

occupied nesting, foraging, and 

sheltering skink habitat incidental to the 

construction and operation of a 

residential development on a 56.5-ac 

parcel in Sections 23 and 24, Township 

26 South, Range 27 East in Polk County, 

Florida. The applicant proposes to 

mitigate for take of the skinks by 

purchasing credits equivalent to 13.42 

ac of skink-occupied habitat from a 

Service-approved conservation bank. 

The Service would require the applicant 

to purchase the credits prior to engaging 

in any construction phase of the project. 

Our Preliminary Determination 

The Service has made a preliminary 

determination that the applicant’s 

project, including the construction of 

multiple single-family residences, 

driveways, parking spaces, green areas, 

stormwater pond, and associated 

infrastructure (e.g., electric, water, and 

sewer lines), would individually and 

cumulatively have a minor or negligible 

effect on the skinks and the 

environment. Therefore, we have 

preliminarily determined that the 

proposed ESA section 10(a)(1)(B) permit 

would be a low-effect ITP that 

individually or cumulatively would 

have a minor effect on the skinks and 

may qualify for application of a 

categorical exclusion pursuant to the 

Council on Environmental Quality’s 

NEPA regulations, DOI’s NEPA 

regulations, and the DOI Departmental 

Manual. A low-effect ITP is one that 

would result in (1) minor or negligible 

effects on species covered in the HCP; 

(2) nonsignificant effects on the human 

environment; and (3) impacts that, 

when added together with the impacts 

of other past, present, and reasonably 

foreseeable actions, would not result in 

significant cumulative effects to the 

human environment. 

Next Steps 

The Service will evaluate the 

application and the comments to 

determine whether to issue the 

requested permit. We will also conduct 

an intra-Service consultation pursuant 

to section 7 of the ESA to evaluate the 

effects of the proposed take. After 

considering the preceding and other 

matters, we will determine whether the 

permit issuance criteria of section 

10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA have been met. If 

met, the Service will issue ITP number 

PER5062905 to Vistas at Davenport, 

LLC. 

Public Availability of Comments 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, be aware that your entire 

comment, including your personal 

identifying information, may be made 

available to the public. While you may 

request that we withhold your personal 

identifying information, we cannot 

guarantee that we will be able to do so. 

Authority 

The Service provides this notice 

under section 10(c) of the Endangered 

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

its implementing regulations (50 CFR 

17.32) and the National Environmental 

Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and 

its implementing regulations (40 CFR 

1500–1508 and 43 CFR 46). 

Robert L. Carey, 

Manager, Division of Environmental Review, 

Florida Ecological Services Field Office. 

[FR Doc. 2023–25949 Filed 11–22–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Geological Survey 

[GX24EB00A181100; OMB Control Number 

1028–0101] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; The William T. Pecora 

Award Application and Nomination 

Process 

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey, 

Department of the Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of information collection; 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 

(PRA), the U.S. Geological Survey 

(USGS) is seeking to extend an 

information collection. 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before January 

23, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on 

this information collection request (ICR) 

by mail to USGS, Information 

Collections Clearance Officer, 12201 

Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 159, Reston, 

VA 20192; or by email to gs-info_

collections@usgs.gov. Please reference 

OMB Control Number 1028–0101 The 

William T. Pecora Award Application 

and Nomination Process in the subject 

line of your comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To 

request additional information about 

this ICR, contact Sarah Cook by email at 

scook@usgs.gov or by telephone at 703– 

648–6136. Individuals in the United 

States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of 

hearing, or have a speech disability may 

dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to 

access telecommunications relay 

services. Individuals outside the United 

States should use the relay services 

offered within their country to make 

international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 

accordance with the PRA (44 U.S.C. 

3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), all 

information collections require approval 

under the PRA. We may not conduct or 

sponsor, nor are you required to 

respond to, a collection of information 

unless it displays a currently valid OMB 

control number. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1