[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 47 (Thursday, March 12, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10724-10725]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-5383]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XN86
Notice of Decision to Expand Scope of the Environmental Impact
Statement Analyzing Mitchell Act Funding and Operation of Columbia
River Hatcheries
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces its
decision to expand the scope of the Mitchell Act Hatchery Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) to include analysis of the environmental effects
of hatchery programs in a way that will inform future NMFS decisions
about Endangered Species Act compliance for all Columbia River hatchery
programs. Our previous notice of intent to prepare an EIS on the
funding and operation of Columbia River hatcheries under the Mitchell
Act was published on September 3, 2004. We are opening a 30-day comment
period on our decision to expand the scope.
DATES: Written or electronic comments from all interested parties are
encouraged and must be received no later than 5 p.m. Pacific Standard
Time April 13, 2009.
ADDRESSES: All comments concerning the preparation of the EIS and NEPA
process should be addressed to: Patty Dornbusch, NMFS, 1201 N.E. Lloyd
Blvd., Suite 1100, Portland, OR 97232. Comments may also be submitted
via fax (503) 872-2737 Attn: Mitchell Act Hatchery EIS, or by
electronic mail to [email protected] with a subject line
containing the document identifier: ``Mitchell Act Hatchery EIS.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Patty Dornbusch, NMFS
Northwest Region, (503) 230-5430.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On September 3, 2004 (69 FR 53892), NMFS announced its intent to
prepare
[[Page 10725]]
an EIS pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and to conduct public scoping related to the
allocation and distribution of Mitchell Act funds for Columbia River
hatchery operations. A 90-day public comment period to seek input on
the scope of the required NEPA analysis, including the range of
reasonable alternatives and the associated impacts on resources, was
open from September 3, 2004, to December 2, 2004.
During the original scoping process, it became clear that the
interrelationship between hatchery production funded under the Mitchell
Act and other hatchery production in the Columbia River basin would
need to be considered. Not all hatchery programs in the Columbia River
basin are funded under the Mitchell Act; however, decisions about
salmon and steelhead produced with Mitchell Act funds (e.g., the
populations chosen for artificial production, the size of those
production programs, location) are coordinated and interrelated with
decisions about the remainder of natural and artificial production in
the Columbia River basin (i.e., non-Mitchell Act-funded production).
Because of this interrelationship, NMFS determined that the EIS must
assess artificial production throughout the entire basin, regardless of
the hatchery funding source, in order to properly assess all
environmental effects that occur in the basin related to hatchery
production. Consequently, NMFS anticipates using information generated
by this EIS to inform its determinations under Endangered Species Act
(ESA) sections 4(d), 7, 10(a)(1)(A), and 10(a)(1)(B) for both Mitchell
Act and non-Mitchell Act hatchery programs. This EIS will not result in
decisions on ESA compliance. Should hatchery managers propose to
operate non-Mitchell Act-funded facilities in a manner that is within
the scope of the environmental review in this EIS, NMFS' future ESA
determinations on those production programs may be informed by the
analysis within this EIS. While the expanded scope will analyze non-
Mitchell Act-funded programs to inform ESA decisions, the Record of
Decision for this EIS will not address decisions on ESA compliance.
Further, NMFS believes that conducting a broad review of the
environmental effects from all Columbia River basin hatchery programs
will provide a comprehensive approach to analyzing cumulative effects
within the basin as a result of Mitchell Act funding.
Request for Comments
NMFS solicits written comments from the public. We request that the
comments be as specific as possible with regard to our expansion of the
scope of the EIS to include informing NMFS' future ESA determinations
on non-Mitchell Act programs. All comments and materials received,
including names and addresses, will become part of the administrative
record and may be released to the public. The environmental review of
this project will be conducted in accordance with the requirements of
the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, Council on
Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508), other applicable
Federal laws and regulations, and applicable policies and procedures.
This notice is being furnished in accordance with 40 CFR 1501.7 of NEPA
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: March 6, 2009.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-5383 Filed 3-11-09; 8:45 am]
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