Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 127 / Friday, July 2, 2004 / Notices 40409

Yosemite National Park Naval Air Station above address; telephone 505/346–2525, Tamarack Flat Marietta Co: Cobb GA 30060– facsimile 505/346–2542. Yosemite Co: Mariposa CA 95389– Location: 50–52, 61–61, 55–59, 66–69, 86–87, SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Landholding Agency: Interior 206 Property Number: 61200420009 Landholding Agency: Navy Background Status: Unutilized Property Number: 77200420066 Reason: Extensive deterioration Status: Excess Restoring an endangered or threatened or plant to the point Bldg. 4702 Reasons: Within 2,000 ft. of flammable or Yosemite National Park explosive material where it is again a secure, self- Mariposa Grove Secured Area sustaining member of its ecosystem is a primary goal of the Service’s Yosemite Co: Mariposa CA 95389– Land (by State) Landholding Agency: Interior program. To help Property Number: 61200420010 Alabama guide the recovery effort, the Service is Status: Unutilized Stockpile Storage Site working to prepare Recovery Plans for Reason: Extensive deterioration Hamilton Blvd. most of the listed species native to the Bldg./Lodge Republished United States. Recovery Plans describe Yosemite National Park Theodore AL 36582– actions considered necessary for Yosemite Co: Mariposa CA 95389– Landholding Agency: GSA conservation of species, establish Property Number: 54200420003 Landholding Agency: Interior criteria for downlisting or delisting Property Number: 61200420011 Status: Excess Status: Unutilized Within 2,000 ft. of flammable or explosive them, and estimate time and cost for Reason: Extensive deterioration material implementing the recovery measures needed. Bldg. 89 GSA Number: 4–G–AL–0772 The Endangered Species Act of 1973 Naval Base [FR Doc. 04–14723 Filed 7–1–04; 8:45 am] San Diego Co: CA – (Act), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et BILLING CODE 4210–29–P Landholding Agency: Navy seq.) requires the development of Property Number: 77200420059 Recovery Plans for listed species unless Status: Excess such a Plan would not promote the DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Reason: Extensive deterioration conservation of a particular species. Bldg. 128 Fish and Wildlife Service Section 4(f) of the Act, as amended in Naval Base 1988, requires that public notice and an San Diego Co: CA – Notice of Availability of the Draft opportunity for public review and Landholding Agency: Navy Recovery Plan for the Pecos Sunflower comment be provided during Recovery Property Number: 77200420060 (Helianthus paradoxus) Plan development. The Service will Status: Excess consider all information presented Reason: Extensive deterioration AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, during a public comment period prior to Bldg. 249 Interior. approval of each new or revised Naval Base Recovery Plan. The Service and other San Diego Co: CA – ACTION: Notice of document availability. Landholding Agency: Navy Federal agencies will also take these SUMMARY: Property Number: 77200420061 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife comments into account in the course of Status: Excess Service (Service) announces the implementing Recovery Plans. Reason: Extensive deterioration availability for public review of the draft The document submitted for review is Bldg. 250 Recovery Plan for the Pecos sunflower the draft Recovery Plan for the Pecos Naval Base (Helianthus paradoxus). The Pecos sunflower. The species was listed as San Diego Co: CA – sunflower is a wetland annual plant that threatened on October 20, 1999, under Landholding Agency: Navy grows on wet, alkaline soils at spring the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Property Number: 77200420062 seeps, wet meadows and pond margins. The threats facing the survival and Status: Excess It has six widely spaced populations in recovery of this species are the loss and Reason: Extensive deterioration west-central and eastern New Mexico alteration of its wetland due to Bldg. 357 and west . The Service solicits aquifer depletions, diversions of surface Naval Base review and comment from the public on water, and filling wetlands for San Diego Co: CA – this draft plan. conversion to dry land; competition Landholding Agency: Navy from non-native plant species, including Property Number: 77200420063 DATES: The comment period for this Status: Excess proposal closes on August 2, 2004. Russian olive and saltcedar; excessive Reason: Extensive deterioration Comments on the draft Recovery Plan livestock grazing; and, highway Bldg. 467 must be received by the closing date. maintenance and mowing. The draft Recovery Plan includes scientific Naval Base ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review information about the species and San Diego Co: CA – the draft Recovery Plan can obtain a provides objectives and actions needed Landholding Agency: Navy copy from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Property Number: 77200420064 to delist the species. Recovery activities Service, New Mexico Ecological Status: Excess designed to achieve these objectives Services Field Office, 2105 Osuna, NE., Reason: Extensive deterioration include identifying and securing core Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87113. If Bldg. 469 conservation essential for the you wish to comment, you may submit Naval Base long-term survival of this species, your comments and materials San Diego Co: CA – continuing life history, population, and concerning this draft Recovery Plan to Landholding Agency: Navy habitat studies, ensuring compliance Property Number: 77200420065 the Field Supervisor at the address with existing regulations, and Status: Excess above. Reason: Extensive deterioration promoting opportunities for voluntary FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: conservation of the species. Georgia Rawles Williams, New Mexico The draft Recovery Plan is being 17 Bldgs. Ecological Services Field Office, at the submitted for technical and agency

VerDate jul<14>2003 19:02 Jul 01, 2004 Jkt 203001 PO 00000 Frm 00062 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\02JYN1.SGM 02JYN1 40410 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 127 / Friday, July 2, 2004 / Notices

review. After consideration of provided pursuant to section 10(c) of Issuance of the permit would comments received during the review the Act and NEP regulations (40 CFR authorize activities described above on period, the Recovery Plan will be 1506.6). approximately 6,792 acres of the submitted for final approval. DATES: Written comments on the 142,526-acre covered area. Facilities Public Comments Solicited application should be received on or already in existence cover before August 31, 2004. approximately 4,241.2 of the 6,792 The Service solicits written comments acres. Coverage of the remaining 2,550.4 ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review on the draft Recovery Plan described. acres will result from the installation of All comments received by the date the application may obtain a copy by new facilities. Many existing facilities specified above will be considered prior writing to the Regional Director, U.S. (on approximately 2,240.8 acres) occur to approval of the final Recovery Plan. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 1306, Room 4102, Albuquerque, New within right-of-ways (ROW) (primarily Authority Mexico 87103. Persons wishing to road ROWs) managed and maintained The authority for this action is section review the EA/HCP may obtain a copy by other entities. The Applicants 4(f) of the Endangered Species Act, 16 by written or telephone request to Scott estimate that 2,023.5 acres of the U.S.C. 1533(f). Rowin, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, anticipated future facilities would be Dated: June 15, 2004. Ecological Services Office, 10711 Burnet placed within similar ROWs. The remaining 526.9 acres of new facilities Dom Ciccone, Road, Suite 200, Austin, Texas 78758 (512/490–0057). Documents will be would likely be constructed outside of Acting Regional Director, Region 2. available for public inspection by existing roadway ROWs and throughout [FR Doc. 04–15063 Filed 7–1–04; 8:45 am] written request or by appointment only the covered area. Installation of new BILLING CODE 4310–55–P during normal business hours (8:00 am facilities would be accomplished to 4:30 pm) at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife gradually over the life of the permit. Service Office, Austin, Texas. Data or DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Both the Service and Applicants agree comments concerning the application that not all portions of the covered area Fish and Wildlife Service and EA/HCP should be submitted in writing to the Field Supervisor, U.S. contain suitable Houston habitat, and not all covered activities would Notice of Availability of an Fish and Wildlife Service, 10711 Burnet result in take of the Houston toad. Environmental Assessment/Habitat Road, Suite 200, Austin, Texas 78758. Conservation Plan and Receipt of Please refer to permit number TE– However, in an effort to efficiently and Application for Incidental Take of the 078366–0 when submitting comments. effectively allow normal business practices to continue, and to Houston Toad by Aqua Water Supply FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Corporation, Lower Colorado River Scott Rowin at the U.S. Fish and compensate for any impacts to the Authority, Bluebonnet Electric Wildlife Service, 10711 Burnet Road, Houston toad, the Applicants propose to Cooperative, Inc., and Austin Energy Suite 200, Austin, Texas 78758 (512/ mitigate for all activities performed 490–0057). within the covered area as described in AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sections 6.2.1.2, 6.2.1.3, and 6.2.2 of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 9 Interior. EA/HCP, which would provide ACTION: Notice of availability. of the Act prohibits the ‘‘taking’’ of endangered species such as the Houston mitigation fees throughout the life of the permit and thus provide a substantial SUMMARY: The Aqua Water Supply toad. However, the Service, under Corporation, Lower Colorado River limited circumstances, may issue and dependable source of funds for toad Authority, Bluebonnet Electric permits to take endangered wildlife conservation; an expected $1,866,354 Cooperative, Inc., and Austin Energy species incidental to, and not the over the life of the permit. The (Applicants) have applied to the U.S. purpose of, otherwise lawful activities. Applicants proposed this mitigation Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for Regulations governing permits for strategy so that the cost of mitigation an incidental take permit (TE–078366– endangered species are at 50 CFR 17.22. could be spread over the life of the 0) pursuant to Section 10(a) of the Applicants: Aqua Water Supply permit. Additionally, under this strategy Endangered Species Act of 1973, as Corporation, Lower Colorado River the costs associated with mitigation amended (Act). The requested permit, Authority, Bluebonnet Electric could be incorporated into long-term which is for a period of 30 years, would Cooperative, Inc., and Austin Energy budgeting and planning. Mitigation authorize incidental take of the have developed an HCP that specifies would occur regardless of whether the endangered Houston toad (Bufo what steps the applicants will take to activities described above would result houstonensis) during the routine minimize and mitigate impacts to the in take of the Houston toad. maintenance and repair of existing Houston toad during routine activities facilities and installation of new including, but not limited to, Susan MacMullin, facilities within the 142,526-acre maintenance, repair, upgrades, and new Acting Regional Director, Region 2, covered area of Bastrop and Lee installation of linear and fixed Albuquerque, New Mexico. counties, Texas. foundation facilities. The Applicants [FR Doc. 04–15069 Filed 7–1–04; 8:45 am] The Service and applicant have cooperatively developed this alternative BILLING CODE 4510–55–P prepared the Environmental in order to provide tangible Assessment/Habitat Conservation Plan conservation measures for the Houston (EA/HCP) for the incidental take toad and wildlife in general, provide a application. A determination of reliable source of funding available for jeopardy to the species and a decision additional conservation initiatives, under the National Environmental provide realistic and immediate Policy Act (NEPA) will not be made solutions to business needs, and until at least 60 days from the date of continue to provide timely and publication of this notice. This notice is affordable services to local residents.

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