84186 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 203 / Monday, October 21, 2024 / Notices 

Privacy Act and the Freedom of 

Information Act. 

Background 

The ESA prohibits certain activities 

with endangered and threatened species 

unless authorized by a Federal permit. 

The ESA and our implementing 

regulations in part 17 of title 50 of the 

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 

provide for the issuance of such permits 

and require that we invite public 

comment before issuing permits for 

activities involving endangered species. 

A recovery permit issued by us under 

section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA 

authorizes the permittee to conduct 

activities with endangered species for 

scientific purposes that promote 

recovery or for enhancement of 

propagation or survival of the species. 

Our regulations implementing section 

10(a)(1)(A) for these permits are found 

at 50 CFR 17.22 for endangered wildlife 

species, 50 CFR 17.32 for threatened 

wildlife species, 50 CFR 17.62 for 

endangered plant species, and 50 CFR 

17.72 for threatened plant species. 

Permit Applications Available for 

Review and Comment 

The ESA requires that we invite 

public comment before issuing these 

permits. Accordingly, we invite local, 

State, Tribal, and Federal agencies and 

the public to submit written data, views, 

or arguments with respect to these 

applications. The comments and 

recommendations that will be most 

useful and likely to influence agency 

decisions are those supported by 

quantitative information or studies. 

Proposed activities in the following 

permit requests are for the recovery and 

enhancement of propagation or survival 

of the species in the wild. 

Application Number Applicant Species Location Activity Type of take Permit action 

ES809630 .............. Allen Kurta, Ypsilanti, 

MI.

Add new species—tricolored bat 

(Perimyotis 

subflavus)—to existing authorized species: Indiana bat 

(Myotis sodalis) and 

northern long-eared 

bat (Myotis 

septentrionalis).

IL, IN, MI, OH ............ Conduct presence/absence surveys, document habitat use, 

conduct population 

monitoring, and 

evaluate impacts.

Capture with mist nets 

or harp traps, identify, handle, collect 

non-intrusive measurements, band, 

radio tag, enter 

hibernacula, and release.

Renew and 

amend. 

ESPER0009122 ..... Emily Grossman, 

O’Fallon, MO.

Add new species— 

western fanshell 

(Cyprogenia aberti) 

and Ouachita 

fanshell 

(Cyprogenia sp. cf. 

aberti) to the list of 

21 freshwater mussel species.

AR, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, 

LA, MI, MN, MO, 

MS, NC, NE, NY, 

OH, OK, PA, SD, 

WI, WV.

Conduct presence/absence surveys, document habitat use, 

conduct population 

monitoring, and 

evaluate impacts.

Capture, dentify, handle, collect non-intrusive measurements, tag, and relocate in special circumstances.

Amend. 

ES64081B .............. Joseph Hoyt, 

Blacksburg, VI.

Indiana bat (Myotis 

sodalis) and northern long-eared bat 

(M. septentrionalis).

IL, MI, NY, WI ............ Conduct presence/absence surveys, document habitat use, 

conduct population 

monitoring, and 

evaluate impacts.

Add harp trapping to 

mist netting, pit tagging, capture, handle, enter 

hibernacula, bio 

sample and release.

Amend. 

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. Moreover, 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. 

Next Steps 

If we decide to issue permits to any 

of the applicants listed in this notice, 

we will publish a notice in the Federal 

Register. 

Authority 

We publish this notice under section 

10(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 

1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 

seq.). 

Lori Nordstrom, 

Assistant Regional Director, Ecological 

Service, Midwest Region. 

[FR Doc. 2024–24254 Filed 10–18–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[Docket No. FWS–R4–ES–2024–0155; 

FXES11140400000–245–FF04EG1000] 

Receipt of Incidental Take Permit 

Application and Proposed Habitat 

Conservation Plan for the Eastern 

Indigo Snake; Decatur County, GA; 

Categorical Exclusion 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comments and information. 

SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife 

Service (Service), announce receipt of 

an application from Tri-State II Solar 

Project, LLC (applicant) for an 

incidental take permit (ITP) under the 

Endangered Species Act. The applicant 

requests the ITP to take the federally 

listed threatened eastern indigo snake 

incidental to the construction and 

operation of a solar facility in Decatur 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 203 / Monday, October 21, 2024 / Notices 84187 

County, Georgia. 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 November 20, 

2024. 

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–2024–0155 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–2024–0155. 

• U.S. mail: Public Comments 

Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS–R4– 

ES–2024–0155; U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, MS: PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg 

Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041–3803. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michele Elmore, Georgia Ecological 

Services Field Office, by phone at 706– 

613–9493 or via email at GAES_

assistance@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 

Tri-State II Solar Project, 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 

threatened eastern indigo snake 

(Drymarchon couperi) incidental to the 

construction and operation of a solar 

facility in Decatur County, Georgia. 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 10-year ITP 

to take three eastern indigo snakes and 

one nest via the conversion of 

approximately 600 acres (ac) of 

occupied nesting, foraging, and 

sheltering habitat incidental to the 

construction and operation of a solar 

facility on a 788-ac parcel. The parcel is 

approximately 3 miles northwest of the 

city of Bainbridge, Georgia, between 

Highways 27 and 84. The applicant 

proposes to avoid and minimize take of 

the species to the greatest extent 

possible by implementing the Service’s 

standard protection measures for the 

eastern indigo snake during 

implementation of activities associated 

with the construction and operation of 

the solar facility. The applicant 

proposes to mitigate for take of the 

eastern indigo snake by contributing 

$157,500.00 to the Wildlife Foundation 

of Florida’s Eastern Indigo Snake 

Conservation Fund. These funds will be 

used for the management or restoration 

of eastern indigo snake habitat, 

purchase of occupied habitat, purchase 

of development rights of occupied 

habitat, or a combination thereof, in 

Georgia. The Service would require the 

applicant to provide the contribution of 

the funds prior to engaging in any phase 

of the project. 

Our Preliminary Determination 

The Service has made a preliminary 

determination that the applicant’s 

proposed project, including the 

construction and operation of the solar 

facility, would individually and 

cumulatively have a minor effect on the 

eastern indigo snake and the human 

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 eastern indigo 

snakes 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 

nonsignificant 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 reasonable 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 ITP. 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 

PER12687707 to Tri-State II Solar 

Project, 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. If you submit a 

comment at https://

www.regulations.gov, your entire 

comment, including any personal 

identifying information, will be posted 

on the website. If you submit a 

hardcopy comment that includes 

personal identifying information, such 

as your address, phone number, or 

email address, you may request at the 

top of your document that we withhold 

this information from public review. 

However, we cannot guarantee that we 

will be able to do so. Moreover, 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 

The Service provides this notice 

under section 10(c) of the Endangered 

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


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84188 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 203 / Monday, October 21, 2024 / Notices 

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). 

Peter Maholland, 

Field Supervisor, Georgia Ecological Services 

Office. 

[FR Doc. 2024–24261 Filed 10–18–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R1–ES–2024–N050; 

FXES11130100000–234–FF01E00000] 

Endangered Species; Receipt of 

Recovery Permit Application 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit 

application; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, have received an 

application for a permit to conduct 

activities intended to enhance the 

propagation and survival of endangered 

species under the Endangered Species 

Act. We invite the public and local, 

State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to 

comment on this application. Before 

issuing the requested permit, we will 

take into consideration any information 

that we receive during the public 

comment period. 

DATES: We must receive your written 

comments on or before November 20, 

2024. 

ADDRESSES: Document availability and 

comment submission: Submit a request 

for a copy of the application and related 

documents and submit any comments 

by one of the following methods. All 

requests and comments should specify 

the applicant name and application 

number (e.g., Dana Ross, ES001705): 

• Email: permitsR1ES@fws.gov. 

• U.S. Mail: Paul Leonard, Acting 

Regional Program Manager, Restoration 

and Endangered Species Classification, 

Ecological Services, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, Pacific Regional 

Office, 911 NE 11th Avenue, Portland, 

OR 97232–4181. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Karen Colson, Regional Recovery Permit 

Coordinator, Ecological Services, (503) 

231–6283 (telephone); permitsR1ES@

fws.gov (email). 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 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite 

the public to comment on an 

application for a permit under section 

10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species 

Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 

U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The requested 

permit would allow the applicant to 

conduct activities intended to promote 

recovery of a species listed as 

endangered under the ESA. 

Background 

With some exceptions, the ESA 

prohibits activities that constitute take 

of listed species unless a Federal permit 

is issued that allows such activity. The 

ESA’s definition of ‘‘take’’ includes such 

activities as pursuing, harassing, 

trapping, capturing, or collecting, in 

addition to hunting, shooting, harming, 

wounding, or killing. 

A recovery permit issued by us under 

section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA 

authorizes the permittee to conduct 

activities with endangered or threatened 

species for scientific purposes that 

promote recovery or for enhancement of 

propagation or survival of the species. 

These activities often include such 

prohibited actions as capture and 

collection. Our regulations 

implementing section 10(a)(1)(A) for 

these permits are found in the Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR 

17.22 for endangered wildlife species, 

50 CFR 17.32 for threatened wildlife 

species, 50 CFR 17.62 for endangered 

plant species, and 50 CFR 17.72 for 

threatened plant species. 

Permit Application Available for 

Review and Comment 

Proposed activities in the following 

permit request are for the recovery and 

enhancement of propagation or survival 

of the species in the wild. The ESA 

requires that we invite public comment 

before issuing the requested permit. 

Accordingly, we invite local, State, 

Tribal, and Federal agencies and the 

public to submit written data, views, or 

arguments with respect to this 

application. The comments and 

recommendations that will be most 

useful and likely to influence agency 

decisions are those supported by 

quantitative information or studies. 

Application No. Applicant, city, state Species Location Take activity Permit action 

ES003483–35 ........ U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific 

Island Ecosystems Research 

Center, Honolulu, HI.

Pacific sheath-tailed bat 

(Emballonura semicaudata 

rotensis).

Hawaii ................... Harass by videographic and 

acoustic monitoring and collection of cave information.

Amend. 

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. 

Next Steps 

If we decide to issue a permit to the 

applicant listed in this notice, we will 

publish a notice in the Federal Register. 

Authority 

We publish this notice under section 

10(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 

1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 

seq.). 

Paul B. Leonard, 

Acting Regional Program Manager for 

Restoration and Endangered Species 

Classification, Pacific Region. 

[FR Doc. 2024–24260 Filed 10–18–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 


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