[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 241 (Thursday, December 15, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 90787-90788]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-30182]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF077


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 salmon and 
steelhead hatchery programs currently operating in the Upper Willamette 
River Basin of Oregon. NMFS is also requesting public review and 
comment on four Hatchery and Genetic Management Plans (HGMPs) submitted 
by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for 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 hatchery spring Chinook salmon released in the North 
Santiam, South Santiam, McKenzie, Middle Fork Willamette, Coast Fork 
Willamette, and Molalla Rivers.
    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 four 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 January 30, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments by either of the following methods:
     Email to the following address: 
[email protected] with the following identifier in the 
subject line: Comments on Intent to Prepare the Willamette Hatchery 
EIS.
     Mail or hand-deliver to NMFS Sustainable Fisheries 
Division, 2900 NW. Stewart Parkway, Roseburg, OR 97471.
     Fax to (541) 957-3386.
    Instructions: NMFS may not consider comments if they are sent by 
any other method, to any other address or individual, or received after 
the comment period ends. All comments received are part of the public 
record and NMFS will generally post for public viewing on 
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying 
information (for example, name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by 
the commenter will be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential 
business information or otherwise sensitive or protected information. 
NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required 
fields if you wish to remain anonymous).
    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

    Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha): threatened, naturally-produced and 
specified artificially-produced stocks in the Upper Willamette ESU.
    Winter steelhead (O. mykiss): threatened, naturally-produced in the 
Upper Willamette distinct population segment.

Background

    The USACE has submitted four HGMPs for spring Chinook salmon 
hatchery programs in the Upper

[[Page 90788]]

Willamette River 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 USACE'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 programs considered in the analysis are those rearing 
and releasing North Santiam, South Santiam, McKenzie, and Middle Fork 
Willamette hatchery spring Chinook salmon. The EIS will also consider 
the potential effects of the current summer steelhead program. Hatchery 
fish are released into the following waterbodies: North Santiam River, 
South Santiam River, McKenzie River, Middle Fork Willamette River, 
Molalla River, and Coast Fork Willamette River. A list of all of the 
hatchery programs, including links to the HGMPs undergoing public 
comment, is available online (see ADDRESSES).
    NMFS will perform an environmental review of the hatchery salmon 
and steelhead programs 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 USACE's HGMPs) and a no-action alternative. 
Additional alternatives could include a reduction in artificial 
production and/or elimination of the hatchery programs.
    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 hatchery salmon and steelhead are 
identified. Comments should be as specific as possible, with 
recommendations to address identified issues.
    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 hatchery salmon and steelhead 
programs 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: December 12, 2016.
Donna S. Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-30182 Filed 12-14-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P