[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 4, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26776-26777]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-10426]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XE592
Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish
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 10 Hatchery and
Genetic Management Plans (HGMPs) for salmon and steelhead hatchery
programs jointly submitted by the Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife (WDFW) with the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and the Suquamish
Tribe (referred to as the co-managers), for NMFS's evaluation and
determination under Limit 6 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) 4(d)
Rule for threatened salmon and steelhead. The HGMPs specify the
propagation of salmon and steelhead in
[[Page 26777]]
the Duwamish-Green River basin in Washington State.
NMFS provides this notice to advise other agencies and the public
of its plans to analyze effects related to the action, and obtain
suggestions and information that may be useful to the scope of issues
and alternatives to include in the EIS.
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 June 3, 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: Green Hatcheries EIS.
Mail or hand-deliver to NMFS Sustainable Fisheries
Division, 510 Desmond Drive SE., Suite 103, Lacey, WA 98503.
Fax to (360) 753-9517.
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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Leider, NMFS, by phone at (360)
753-4650, or email to [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ESA-Listed Species Covered in This Notice
Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss): threatened, naturally and
artificially produced in Puget Sound.
Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha): threatened, naturally and
artificially produced in Puget Sound.
Chum salmon (O. keta): threatened, naturally and artificially
produced Hood Canal summer-run.
Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus): threatened Puget Sound/
Washington Coast.
Background
The WDFW, Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, and Suquamish Tribe have
jointly submitted to NMFS HGMPs for 10 hatchery programs in the
Duwamish-Green River basin in Washington State. The HGMPs were
submitted to NMFS from 2013 to 2015, pursuant to limit 6 of the 4(d)
Rule for salmon and steelhead. The hatchery programs include releases
of ESA-listed Chinook salmon and winter-run steelhead into the
Duwamish-Green River basin. The hatchery programs also release non-
listed coho and fall-run chum salmon and summer-run steelhead into the
Duwamish-Green River basin. One hatchery program releases coho salmon
into marine waters adjacent to the Duwamish-Green River basin. Seven of
the programs are currently operating, and three are new.
NEPA requires Federal agencies to conduct environmental analyses of
their proposed major actions to determine if the actions may affect the
human environment. NMFS's action of determining under Limit 6 of the
4(d) Rule for salmon and steelhead that implementation of the co-
managers' HGMPs would not appreciably reduce the likelihood of survival
and recovery of affected threatened ESUs 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.
NMFS will perform an environmental review of the HGMPs and prepare
an EIS that will identify potentially significant direct, indirect, and
cumulative impacts on the following resources identified to have a
potential for effect from the proposed action:
Listed and Non-listed Species and their habitats
Water Quantity
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
and a no-action alternative. Other alternatives may include a decreased
production alternative.
For all potentially significant impacts, the EIS will identify
measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate the impacts, where feasible.
Request for Comments
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 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 the 10 salmon and steelhead 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 10 salmon and steelhead HGMPs in
the Duwamish-Green River basin of Washington State 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 through 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.
Dated: April 29, 2016.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-10426 Filed 5-3-16; 8:45 am]
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