Endangered and Threatened Species; Issuance of Enhancement of Survival and Incidental Take Permits for Safe Harbor Agreements, Candidate Conservation Agreements, Habitat Conservation Plans, and Recovery Activities, January 1, 2020, Through December 31, 2020

AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in accordance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA), provide a list to the public of permits issued under the ESA. With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits take of listed species unless a Federal permit is issued that authorizes or exempts the taking under the ESA. We provide this list to the public as a summary of our permit issuances for candidate conservation agreements with assurances, safe harbor agreements, habitat conservation plans, and recovery activities for calendar year 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For general information about the ESA permit process, contact Amanda Murnane, via phone at 703-358-2469, viaemailatamanda_murnane@fws.gov, or via the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339. For information on specific permits, see the contact information below in Permits Issued.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in accordance with section 10(d) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), as amended, provide a list to the public of the permits issued under section 10(a)(1)(A) and 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA. With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits take of listed species unless a Federal permit is issued that authorizes the taking, or the take is exempted through section 7 of the ESA. Under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA, we issue enhancement of survival permits in conjunction with candidate conservation agreements with assurances (CCAAs) and safe harbor agreements (SHAs). Section 10(a)(1)(A) also authorizes recovery permits. Section 10(a)(1)(B) permits authorize take of listed species incidental to otherwise lawful activities associated with habitat conservation plans (HCPs). We provide this list to the public as a summary of our permit issuances for CCAAs, SHAs, HCPs, and recovery permits for calendar year 2020.

Background

Under the authority of section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA, we have issued enhancement of survival permits to conduct activities that provide a conservation benefit for endangered or threatened species, or for unlisted species should they become listed in the future, in response to permit applications that we received in conjunction with a SHA or a CCAA.

Recovery permits have been issued under ESA section 10(a)(1)(A) to allow for take as part of activities intended to foster the recovery of listed species, typically for scientific research in order to understand better the species' long-term survival needs.

Under ESA section 10(a)(1)(B), we may issue permits for any taking otherwise prohibited by ESA section 9 if such taking is incidental to, and not the purpose of, carrying out an otherwise lawful activity (known as an incidental take permit (ITP)) and the permit applicant submits a habitat conservation plan (HCP) that meets the permit issuance criteria under section 10(a)(2)(B). Typically, applicants seek an ITP to conduct activities such as residential and commercial development, infrastructure development or maintenance, and energy development projects that range in scale from small to landscape-level planning efforts.

The permits associated with SHAs, CCAAs, HCPs, and recovery activities that we issued between January 1 and December 31, 2020, are listed in the tables below.

Under section 10(a)(1)(A), we issued each permit only after we determined that it was applied for in good faith, that granting the permit would not be to the disadvantage of the listed species, or to the unlisted species should it be listed; that the proposed activities would benefit the recovery or the enhancement of survival of the species; and that the terms and conditions of the permits were consistent with the purposes and policy set forth in the ESA. Under section 10(a)(1)(B), we issued permits only after we determined that the applicant is eligible and has submitted a complete application and HCP that fully meets the permit issuance criteria consistent with section 10(a)(2)(B).

Permits Issued

Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon (Except for the Klamath Basin), Washington, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the Pacific Trust Territories

The following permits, sorted in the table below by type of permit or agreement and date issued, were issued by the Regional office responsible for section 10 permitting in the States and territories listed above.

HCPs, CCAAs, and SHAs

For more information about any of the following HCP, CCAA, or SHA permits, contact the field office that issued the permit by telephone at the appropriate telephone number: Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office (OR): 503-231-6179; Washington Fish and Wildlife Office (WA): 360-753-9440; Pacific Islands (HI): 808-792-9400.

Recovery Permits

For more information about any of the recovery permits in the following table, contact the Recovery Permit Coordinator by email at PermitsR1ES@fws.gov or by telephone at 503-231-6131.

Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas

The following permits, sorted in the table below by type of permit or agreement and date issued, were issued by the Regional office responsible for section 10 permitting in the States listed above.

HCPs and CCAAs

For more information about any of the following HCP or CCAA permits, contact the HCP or CCAA Permit Coordinator by email at FW2_HCP_Permits@fws.gov or by telephone at 505-248-6651.

Recovery Permits

For more information about any of the following recovery permits, contact the Recovery Permit Coordinator by email at PermitsR2ES@fws.gov or by telephone at 505-248-6649.

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin

The following permits, sorted in the table below by type of permit or agreement and date issued, were issued by the Regional office responsible for section 10 permitting in the States listed above.

HCPs and CCAAs

For more information about any of the following HCP or CCAA permits, contact the field office that issued the permit by telephone: Illinois-Iowa Ecological Services Field Office (IL), at 309-757-5800, or Bloomington Ecological Services Field Office (IN), at 812-334-4261.

Recovery Permits

For more information about any of the following recovery permits, contact the Recovery Permit Coordinator by email at PermitsR3ES@fws.gov or by telephone at 612-713-5343.

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands

The following permits, sorted in the table below by type of permit or agreement and date issued, were issued by the Regional office responsible for section 10 permitting in the States and territories listed above.

HCPs

For more information about any of the following HCPs, contact the HCP Permit Coordinator by email at PermitsR4ES@fws.gov or by telephone at 404-679-7310.

Recovery Permits

For more information about any of the following recovery permits, contact the Recovery Permit Coordinator by email at PermitsR4ES@fws.gov or by telephone at 404-679-7097.

Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia

The following permits, sorted in the table below by type of permit or agreement and date issued, were issued by the Regional office responsible for section 10 permitting in the States listed above.

HCPs

For more information about any of the following HCP, contact the HCP Permit Coordinator by telephone at 413-253-8200.

Recovery Permits

For more information about any of the following recovery permits, contact the Recovery Permit Coordinator by email at PermitsR5ES@fws.gov or by telephone at 413-253-8212.

Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming

The following permits, sorted in the table below by type of permit or agreement and date issued, were issued by the Regional office responsible for section 10 permitting in the States listed above.

HCPs and CCAAs

For more information about any of the following HCP or CCAA permits, contact the HCP or CCAA Permit Coordinator by telephone at 303-236-7905.

Recovery Permits

For more information about any of the following recovery permits, contact the Recovery Permit Coordinator by email at PermitsR6ES@fws.gov, or by telephone at 303-236-4224.

Alaska

The following permit was issued by the Regional office responsible for section 10 permitting in Alaska. For more information about this recovery permit, contact the Permit Coordinator, by email at PermitsR7ES@fws.gov or by telephone at 907-786-3323.

California, Nevada, and the Klamath Basin Portion of Oregon

The following permits, sorted in the table below by type of permit or agreement and date issued, were issued by the Regional office responsible for section 10 permitting in the States and region listed above.

HCPs and SHAs

For more information about any of the follow HCP permits contact the HCP Permit Coordinator by email at dan_cox@fws.gov.

Recovery Permits

For more information about any of the following recovery permits, contact the Recovery Permit Coordinator by email at PermitsR8ES@fws.gov or by telephone at 916-414-6464.

Availability of Documents

You may request copies of the Federal Register documents publishing the receipt of applications for these permits from the office that issued the permit (see contact information above). Documents and other information submitted with these applications are also available for review, subject to the requirements of the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) and Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552), by any party who submits a written request for a copy of such documents.

Authority

We provide this notice under the authority of section 10 of the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).