[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 176 (Monday, September 12, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62732-62733]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-21779]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE871


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 eight Hatchery and 
Genetic Management Plans (HGMP) for ongoing salmon and steelhead 
hatchery programs jointly submitted by the Washington Department of 
Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, and the 
Muckleshoot Indian Tribe (referred to as the co-managers), for NMFS' 
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 the Puyallup-White 
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 October 12, 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: Puyallup Hatcheries Scoping.
     Mail or hand-deliver to NMFS West Coast Region, 
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 Coastal Recovery 
Unit.

Background

    The WDFW, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, and the Muckleshoot Indian 
Tribe have jointly submitted to NMFS plans for eight ongoing hatchery 
programs in the Puyallup-White River Basin. The plans were submitted to 
NMFS from 2012 to 2016, pursuant to Limit 6 of the ESA 4(d) Rule for 
salmon and steelhead. The hatchery programs include releases of ESA-
listed Chinook salmon and winter-run steelhead, and non-listed coho and 
fall-run chum salmon into the Puyallup-White River Basin.
    NEPA requires Federal agencies to conduct environmental analyses of 
their proposed major actions to determine if the actions may affect the 
human environment. NMFS' action of determining that the co-managers' 
HGMPs meet criteria under Limit 6 of the 4(d) Rule for salmon and 
steelhead promulgated under the ESA 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 that may be affected by 
the Proposed Action or its alternatives:
     Listed and Non-listed Species and their habitats;
     Water Quantity;
     Socioeconomics;

[[Page 62733]]

     Environmental Justice; and
     Cumulative Impacts.
    NMFS will rigorously explore and objectively evaluate a full range 
of reasonable alternatives in the EIS, including the Proposed Action 
(implementation of the co-managers' submitted HGMPs) and a no-action 
alternative (continuation of the hatchery programs with no 4(d) 
determination). Other alternatives may include a decreased production 
alternative and a no-production alternative. 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 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 eight 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 eight salmon and steelhead HGMPs in 
the Puyallup-White 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 1500-1508), 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: September 6, 2016.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-21779 Filed 9-9-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P