[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 127 (Friday, July 1, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43187-43188]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-15688]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

RIN 0648-XE317


Notice of Intent to Prepare a Joint Environmental Impact 
Statement for a Programmatic Review of Harvest Actions for Salmon and 
Steelhead in the Columbia River Basin Related to U.S. v. Oregon

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce; and United States Fish and 
Wildlife Service (USFWS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), this 
notice announces that NMFS and USFWS (together, the Services) intend to 
prepare a joint Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) conducting a 
programmatic review of harvest actions for salmon and steelhead in the 
action area, which is the Columbia River Basin (the Proposed Action), 
to inform the Services' proposed signing of the post-2017 U.S. v. 
Oregon Management Agreement and the Endangered Species Act (ESA) 
Section 7 consultation process. The Services provide this notice to 
advise other agencies and the public of their plans to analyze effects 
related to the action and to 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) on or before 
August 1, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected] and/or [email protected].
     Mail: William W. Stelle, Jr., Regional Administrator, West 
Coast Region, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way NE., Seattle, WA 98115-6349; 
and/or Theresa Rabot, Deputy Regional Director, Pacific Region, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, 911 NE. 11th Avenue, Portland, OR 97232.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peggy Mundy, NMFS West Coast Region, 
telephone: 206-526-4323, email: [email protected]; or Mark 
Bagdovitz, USFWS, Pacific Region, telephone: 503-736-4711, email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The States of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho; the Nez Perce Tribe, 
the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the 
Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, the 
Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation (collectively, the 
Columbia River Treaty Tribes); the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes; and the 
United States (as represented by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the 
Services) (hereafter ``Parties''), are parties to U.S. v. Oregon, Civ. 
No. 68-513-KI, (D. Or.). A management agreement for managing and 
regulating fisheries in the Columbia River Basin, entered as a court 
order in 2008, expires December 31, 2017. The Parties are negotiating a 
new agreement that would take effect when the existing agreement 
expires. The new agreement would include a list of hatchery programs 
with stipulated production levels, and a list of Tribal and non-Tribal 
salmonid

[[Page 43188]]

fisheries in the Columbia River Basin, including designated off-channel 
sites, which are intended to: (1) Ensure fair sharing of harvestable 
fish between tribal and non-tribal fisheries in accordance with Treaty 
fishing rights standards and U.S. v. Oregon, and (2) be responsive to 
the needs of ESA-listed species. While the agreement includes a 
hatchery production component, the NEPA analysis of hatchery production 
within the action area has been completed, or will be supplemented, in 
a separate EIS that will be incorporated by reference in this EIS. 
Consequently, the Proposed Action in this EIS analysis focuses on 
harvest. Construction of new hatchery facilities to mitigate impacts to 
fisheries from The Dalles Dam and John Day Dam hydropower operations is 
being analyzed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in a separate 
analysis, which will also be incorporated by reference into this 
analysis.

Environmental Impact Statement

    NEPA (42 U.S.C. Sec.  4321 et seq.) requires that Federal agencies 
conduct an environmental analysis of their Proposed Actions to 
determine if the actions may significantly affect the human 
environment. The Services have determined that an EIS should be 
prepared under NEPA for the purpose of informing the Services' proposed 
signing of the new agreement. The information and analysis in the EIS 
will help to inform the subsequent ESA Section 7 consultation on the 
new agreement. The Services will prepare the EIS as joint lead agencies 
(40 CFR Sec. Sec.  1501.5, 1508.16) in consultation with the Treaty 
Tribes pursuant to the Federal trust responsibility, Secretarial Order 
3206, and Executive Order 13175. We will prepare an EIS in accordance 
with NEPA requirements, as amended (40 U.S. C. Sec.  4321 et seq.); 
NEPA implementing regulations (40 CFR Sec. Sec.  1500-1508); and other 
Federal laws, regulations, and policies.
    The Services' purpose and need for the Proposed Action is three-
fold: (1) To meet the Federal government's tribal treaty rights and 
trust and fiduciary responsibilities; (2) to support fishing 
opportunities to the states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, and the 
tribes; and (3) to work collaboratively with co-managers to protect and 
conserve ESA-listed and non-listed species.

Development of Initial Alternatives

    The Services have preliminarily identified the following six 
alternatives for the public to consider. The preferred alternative will 
be developed to reflect a policy direction that would be compatible 
with the Purpose and Need indicated above.
    No-action Alternative (status quo): Under this alternative, the 
Services would not sign a new agreement, and the parties would continue 
to manage salmonid fisheries in the Columbia River consistent with the 
terms of the 2008-2017 agreement. A No-action Alternative is required 
in the full range of analyzed alternatives.
    Abundance-based Management Alternative: Under this alternative, the 
Services would sign a new agreement with the other parties, and 
salmonid fisheries in the Columbia River would be managed under an 
abundance-based management framework.
    Fixed Exploitation Rate Management Alternative: Under this 
alternative, the Services would sign a new agreement with the other 
parties, and salmonid fisheries in the Columbia River would be managed 
under a fixed exploitation rate management framework.
    Escapement-based Management Alternative: Under this alternative, 
the Services would sign a new agreement with the other parties, and 
salmonid fisheries in the Columbia River would be managed under an 
escapement-based management framework.
    Fixed Effort-based Management Alternative: Under this alternative, 
the Services would sign a new agreement with the other parties, and 
salmonid fisheries in the Columbia River would be managed under a fixed 
effort management framework.
    No Fisheries Alternative: Under this alternative, the Services 
would sign a new agreement with the other parties; however, the parties 
would decide that salmonid fisheries would not be allowed in the 
Columbia River. Although this alternative does not meet the purpose and 
need for the Proposed Action, it is included to provide a full range of 
alternatives for analysis.

Request for Comments

    The Services request data, comments, pertinent information, or 
suggestions from the public, other concerned governmental agencies, the 
scientific community, tribes, the business community, or any other 
interested party regarding the Proposed Action discussed in this 
notice. We will consider all comments we receive in complying with the 
requirements of NEPA. We particularly seek specific comments 
concerning:
    (1) The direct, indirect, and cumulative effects that 
implementation of any reasonable alternative could have on endangered 
and threatened species, and other non-ESA-listed species and their 
habitats;
    (2) Other reasonable alternatives (in addition to the initial 
alternatives presented in this notice), and their associated effects;
    (3) Measures that would minimize and mitigate potentially adverse 
effects of the proposed actions;
    (4) Other plans or projects that might be relevant to this project.
    The EIS will analyze the effects that the various alternatives 
would have on salmon and steelhead and other fish species in the 
Columbia River Basin as well as the other aspects of the human 
environment, including but not limited to, water quality, habitat, 
wildlife (ESA-listed and non-ESA-listed), vegetation, socioeconomics 
(including fishery dependent communities and culture and economic 
impacts), environmental justice, cultural resources, transportation, 
and the cumulative impacts of the alternatives.

    Authority:  42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.

    Dated: June 27, 2016.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, National Marine Fisheries Service, 
Protected Resources.
    Dated: June 22, 2016.
Robyn Thorson,
Regional Director, Pacific Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
Portland, Oregon.
[FR Doc. 2016-15688 Filed 6-30-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P; 4333-15-P