[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 10 (Friday, January 15, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2197-2198]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-00748]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE395


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
Hatchery Programs Along the Oregon Coast

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement; 
request for comments.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), this 
notice announces that NMFS intends to obtain information necessary to 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Hatchery and 
Genetic Management Plans (HGMPs) submitted by the Oregon Department of 
Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) for NMFS's evaluation and determination under 
Limit 5 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) 4(d) Rule for threatened 
salmon and steelhead. The HGMPs specify the propagation of salmon, 
steelhead, and trout released in rivers, streams, and lakes throughout 
the Oregon Coast region.
    NMFS provides this notice to: (1) Advise other agencies and the 
public of its plans to analyze effects related to the action, and (2) 
obtain suggestions and information that may be useful to the scope of 
issues and alternatives to include in the EIS. This notice further 
serves to notify the public of the availability of the HGMPs for 
comment prior to a decision by NMFS on whether to approve the proposed 
hatchery programs.

DATES: Written or electronic scoping comments must be received at the 
appropriate address or email mailbox (see ADDRESSES) no later than 5 
p.m. Pacific Time February 16, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent by any of the following 
methods:
     Email to the following address: 
[email protected] with the following identifier in 
the subject line: Oregon Coast Hatchery EIS.
     Mail or hand-deliver to NMFS Sustainable Fisheries 
Division, 2900 NW Stewart Parkway, Roseburg, OR 97471.
     Fax to (541) 957-3386.
    Comments received will be available for public inspection, by 
appointment, during normal business hours at the above address. All 
Personal Identifying Information (for example, name, address, etc.) 
voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do 
not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or 
protected information.
    Additional information to assist with consideration of the notice 
of intent, as well as the HGMPs themselves, is available on the 
Internet at www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lance Kruzic, NMFS, by phone at (541) 
957-3381, or email to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

ESA-Listed Species Covered in This Notice

    Coho salmon (O. kisutch): Threatened, naturally-produced and 
specified artificially-produced stocks in the Southern Oregon/Northern 
California Coast and Oregon Coast Evolutionarily Significant Units 
(ESUs).

Background

    The ODFW has submitted HGMPs for all hatchery programs along the 
Oregon Coast to NMFS, pursuant to Limit 5 of the 4(d) Rule for salmon 
and steelhead promulgated under the ESA (65 FR 42422, July 10, 2000). 
Before a decision is made by NMFS on these HGMPs, NEPA requires Federal 
agencies to conduct environmental analyses of proposed actions to fully 
consider their effects on the human environment. NMFS's action of 
evaluating ODFW's HGMPs under Limit 5 of the 4(d) Rule is a major 
Federal action subject to environmental review under NEPA. Therefore, 
NMFS is seeking public input on the scope of the required NEPA 
analysis, including the range of reasonable alternatives, 
recommendations for relevant analysis methods, and information 
associated with impacts of the alternatives to the resources listed 
below or other relevant resources.
    The hatchery facilities to be considered in the analysis are Cole 
Rivers Hatchery, Indian Hatchery, Elk Hatchery, Bandon Hatchery, Rock 
Hatchery (Umpqua River), Alsea Hatchery, Salmon Hatchery, Cedar 
Hatchery, Trask Hatchery, Nehalem Hatchery, and associated satellite 
facilities. Hatchery fish are released into the following waterbodies: 
Chetco, Rogue, Elk, Coquille, Coos Umpqua, Siuslaw, Alsea, Yaquina, 
Siletz, Salmon, Nestucca, Trask, Wilson, and Nehalem Rivers, Tenmile 
Creek, and various coastal lakes. A list of all of the hatchery 
programs, including links to the HGMPs themselves, is available on the 
Internet (see ADDRESSES).
    NMFS will perform an environmental review of the Oregon Coast HGMPs 
(and associated hatchery facilities) and prepare an EIS that will 
evaluate potentially significant direct, indirect, and cumulative 
impacts on the following resources identified to have a potential for 
effect from the proposed action:

 Water quantity and water quality
 Fish and wildlife species and their habitats
 Socioeconomics
 Environmental Justice
 Cumulative impacts

    NMFS will rigorously explore and objectively evaluate a full range 
of reasonable alternatives in the EIS, including the proposed action 
(implementation of ODFW's HGMPs) and a no-action alternative. 
Additional alternatives could include a reduction in artificial 
production and/or elimination of the hatchery programs along the Oregon 
Coast.
    For all potentially significant impacts, the EIS will identify 
measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate the impacts, where feasible, 
to a level below significance.

Request for Comments

    NMFS provides this notice to: (1) Advise other agencies and the 
public of

[[Page 2198]]

its plans to analyze effects related to the action, and (2) obtain 
suggestions and information that may be useful to the scope of issues 
and the full range of alternatives to include in the EIS.
    NMFS invites comment from all interested parties to ensure that the 
full range of issues related to Oregon Coast HGMPs is identified. 
Comments should be as specific as possible.
    Written comments concerning the proposed action and the 
environmental review should be directed to NMFS as described above (see 
ADDRESSES). All comments and materials received, including names and 
addresses, will become part of the administrative record and may be 
released to the public.

Authority

    The environmental review of the Oregon Coast HGMPs will be 
conducted in accordance with requirements of the NEPA of 1969 as 
amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), NEPA Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-
1508), other appropriate Federal laws and regulations, and policies and 
procedures of NMFS for compliance with those regulations. This notice 
is being furnished in accordance with 40 CFR 1501.7 to obtain 
suggestions and information from other agencies and the public on the 
scope of issues and alternatives to be addressed in the EIS.
    Under section 4 of the ESA, the Secretary of Commerce is required 
to adopt such regulations as he deems necessary and advisable for the 
conservation of species listed as threatened. The ESA salmon and 
steelhead 4(d) rule (65 FR 42422, July 10, 2000, as updated in 70 FR 
37160, June 28, 2005) specifies categories of activities that 
contribute to the conservation of listed salmonids and sets out the 
criteria for such activities. Limit 5 of the updated 4(d) rule (50 CFR 
223.203(b)(5)) further provides that the prohibitions of paragraph (a) 
of the updated 4(d) rule (50 CFR 223.203(a)) do not apply to activities 
associated with artificial propagation programs provided that an HGMP 
has been approved by NMFS to be in accordance with the salmon and 
steelhead 4(d) rule (65 FR 42422, July 10, 2000, as updated in 70 FR 
37160, June 28, 2005).

    Dated: January 12, 2016.
Perry F. Gayaldo,
 Deputy Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-00748 Filed 1-14-16; 8:45 am]
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