Threatened and endangered species are placed on a federal list by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and receive protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. The only T species known to occur in the vicinity of the project area is the threatened desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii). In the Mojave region, the desert tortoise occurs primarily on flats and bajadas with soils ranging from sand to sandy-gravel characterized by scattered shrubs and abundant inter-shrub space for herbaceous plant growth. They are also found on rocky terrain and slopes. This project lies within the Las Vegas Valley programmatic area and falls within low density tortoise habitat. Desert tortoise survey data conducted for the preparation of the Disposal Boundary EIS indicates there are tortoise burrows located within the project site.