[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 76 (Wednesday, April 21, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 20815]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-9188]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XV93
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment and to
Conduct San Joaquin River Chinook Salmon Scoping Meeting
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic
andAtmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Intent; scoping meeting.
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SUMMARY: NMFS announces its intent to prepare an Environmental
Assessment (EA) to analyze the potential impacts of the proposed
reintroduction of spring-run Chinook salmon to the mainstem of the San
Joaquin River.
DATES: NMFS will conduct a public scoping meeting in order to provide
information and solicit comments for the preparation of the EA. The
meeting will be held on April 28, 2010, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Pacific
Time, at the Department of Water Resource, South Central Office, 3374
East Shields Avenue, Fresno, CA 93726. Written comments must be
postmarked by June 21, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Comments related to the preparation of the EA should be sent
to National Marine Fisheries Service, Attn: Elif Fehm-Sullivan, 650
Capitol Mall, Suite 8-300, Sacramento, CA 95814. Comments may also be
submitted electronically to [email protected]. Comments and
materials received will be available for public inspection, by
appointment, during normal business hours at the above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elif Fehm-Sullivan, telephone 916 930
3723.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Proposed Action
The proposed action is to reintroduce spring-run Chinook salmon
into the mainstem of the San Joaquin River which will include
collection of founding stock, propagation, and release under
authorities of section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA),
Natural Resource Defense Council, et al. v. Rodgers et. al.
(Settlement), the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 Public Law
111-11, Title X. (Restoration Act), and section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA.
This proposed reintroduction includes designating an experimental
population for spring-run Chinook salmon within the San Joaquin River
from below the confluence with the Stanislaus River to Friant Dam. The
proposed action will include promulgation of a 4(d) rule.
Geographic Scope
The proposed planning area for the proposed reintroduction will
consist of the aquatic ecosystems and natural communities, and
potentially adjacent riparian and floodplain natural communities,
within and along the San Joaquin River and from the confluence of the
Stanislaus River (approximately 3 miles northeast of Vernalis,
California) upstream to Friant Dam and it's associated tributaries
including; the Stanislaus River below Goodwin Dam, the Tuolumne River
below La Grange Dam, and the Merced River below Crocker-Huffman Dam.
Covered Species
The species that is intended to be the initial focus of the
reintroduction is the spring-run Central Valley Chinook salmon
(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha).
Request for Comments
The primary purpose of the scoping process is to identify important
issues raised by the public related to the issuance of an ESA 10(j)
rule and promulgation of an ESA 4(d) rule associated with the
reintroduction of spring-run Chinook salmon to the San Joaquin River.
Written comments from interested parties are invited to ensure that the
full range of issues related to the proposed development of the 4(d)
rule and the proposed reintroduction. All comments received, including
names and addresses, will become part of the official administrative
record and may be made available to the public. Information regarding
this proposed action is available in alternative formats upon request.
Reasonable Accommodations
Persons needing reasonable accommodation to attend and participate
should contact Elif Fehman-Sullivan (see FOR FURTHER CONTACT
INFORMATION). To allow sufficient time to process requests, please call
no later than five days prior to attending the meeting.
Dated: April 15, 2010.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-9188 Filed 4-20-10; 8:45 am]
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