Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement; Amendment to the 1997 Washington State Department of Natural Resources State Lands Habitat Conservation Plan and Incidental Take Permit; Extension of Public Comment Period, 55394-55395 [2018-24212]

Agencies

• Fish and Wildlife Service
• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 214 (Monday, November 5, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55394-55395]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-24212]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R1-ES-2018-N106; FXES11140100000-189-FF01E00000]


Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement; Amendment to the 
1997 Washington State Department of Natural Resources State Lands 
Habitat Conservation Plan and Incidental Take Permit; Extension of 
Public Comment Period

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; extension of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is extending the 
public comment period for the revised draft environmental impact 
statement (RDEIS) addressing an amendment to the 1997 Washington State 
Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) State Lands Habitat Conservation 
Plan (HCP) to cover the implementation of a Long-Term Conservation 
Strategy (LTCS) for the marbled murrelet. The RDEIS also addresses an 
amendment to the Endangered Species Act incidental take permit for take 
of marbled murrelet resulting from the implementation of the LTCS. The 
Service jointly developed the RDEIS with the WDNR. The RDEIS is 
intended to satisfy the requirements of both the National Environmental 
Policy Act and the Washington State Environmental Policy Act. If 
approved, the proposed LTCS will replace an interim marbled murrelet 
conservation strategy that is currently being implemented under the 
WDNR HCP. Extending the comment period will allow more time for the 
public to review the RDEIS and submit comments.

DATES: The comment period for the RDEIS addressing an amendment to the 
1997 WDNR State Lands HCP to cover the implementation of a LTCS for the 
marbled murrelet, which published on September 7, 2018 (83 FR 45458), 
is extended. Please send your written comments by 11:59 p.m. EST on 
December 6, 2018.

ADDRESSES: To view the pertinent documents for this proposal, request 
further information, or submit comments, please use one of the 
following methods, and note that your information request or comments 
are in reference to FWS-R1-ES-2018-N106.
     Internet: You can view the DEIS on the internet at 
www.fws.gov/WWFWO/ or at www.dnr.wa.gov/non-project-actions.
     Hard Copy: Contact one of the sources listed in FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT to request hard copies.
     Email: Comments may be submitted electronically to WDNR at 
https://www.dnr.wa.gov/long-term-conservation-strategy-marbled-murrelet. WDNR will transmit all comments received to the Service.
     U.S. Mail: Comments may also be submitted in writing to: 
SEPA Center, P.O. Box 47015, Olympia, WA 98504-7015. WDNR will transmit 
all comments received to the Service.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please contact either of the 
following:
     Mark Ostwald, by telephone at 360-753-9564, by email at 
[email protected], or by U.S. mail at Washington Fish and Wildlife 
Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 510 Desmond Dr., Suite 102, 
Lacey, WA 98503; or
     SEPA Center, WDNR, by telephone at 360-902-1750, or by 
email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(Service or FWS), have jointly developed with

[[Page 55395]]

the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) a revised 
draft environmental impact statement (RDEIS) addressing an amendment to 
the 1997 WDNR State Lands Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) to cover the 
implementation of a Long-Term Conservation Strategy (LTCS) for the 
marbled murrelet. The marbled murrelet (Brachyamphus marmoratus), a 
seabird, was listed as threatened in 1992 under the Endangered Species 
Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
    The RDEIS also addresses an amendment to the ESA section 10 
incidental take permit (ITP) for take of marbled murrelet resulting 
from the implementation of the LTCS. The RDEIS is intended to satisfy 
the requirements of both the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 
42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the Washington State Environmental Policy 
Act. If approved, the proposed LTCS will replace an interim 
conservation strategy for the marbled murrelet, which is currently 
being implemented under the WDNR HCP.
    The RDEIS analyzes seven action alternatives and a no action 
alternative. If approved, the amended ITP would authorize incidental 
take of the marbled murrelet that would occur as a result of 
implementation of the LTCS over the remaining 50-year term of the WDNR 
HCP. The scope of the proposed amendment to the WDNR HCP and ITP, and 
thus of the RDEIS, is exclusively limited to consideration of the LTCS 
for the marbled murrelet. A Federal Register notice of availability (83 
FR 45458) for the RDEIS was published for a 60-day comment period on 
September 7, 2018.
    In addition to this notice, the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) is also publishing a notice announcing the extension of 
the public comment period on the RDEIS, as required under section 309 
of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.). The original public 
comment period for this RDEIS is scheduled to close on November 6, 
2018. In order to give the public additional time to review and comment 
on the RDEIS addressing an amendment to the 1997 WDNR State Lands HCP, 
the FWS is extending the public comment period. Comments previously 
submitted on the RDEIS need not be resubmitted, as they will be fully 
considered in preparing the final RDEIS addressing an amendment to the 
1997 WDNR State Lands HCP.
    For background information regarding the original EIS and HCP, the 
interim conservation strategy for the marbled murrelet, and next steps 
in this process, see the September 7, 2018, Federal Register notice (83 
FR 45458).

Public Comments

    You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods 
listed in ADDRESSES. We specifically request information and comments 
on the following:
    1. Biological information on the marbled murrelet in the 
terrestrial and marine environments;
    2. Cumulative effects on the environment that might influence the 
status of the marbled murrelet in the ESA listed range;
    3. Resiliency of the alternatives in providing current and future 
marbled murrelet habitat in relation to climate change and future 
natural disturbance events such as fire and windstorms;
    4. Adequacy of the distribution of marbled murrelet habitat to 
provide conservation over the remaining term of the HCP;
    5. Other aspects of the human environment not already identified in 
the DEIS that may be affected, pursuant to NEPA regulations in the Code 
of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 40 CFR 1506.6.
    6. Other information and documents related to the RDEIS that WDNR 
has posted on their website at https://www.dnr.wa.gov/long-term-conservation-strategy-marbled-murrelet.
    Comments received from the 2016 DEIS public comment period were 
used to inform the RDEIS. Comments received on the DEIS and this RDEIS 
will be responded to in the FEIS. If you submitted comments during the 
comment period for the DEIS, you do not need to resubmit those 
comments.

Public Availability of Comments

    All comments and materials we receive become part of the public 
record associated with this action. Before including your address, 
phone number, email address, or other personally identifiable 
information in your comments, you should be aware that your entire 
comment--including your personally identifiable information--may be 
made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your 
comment to withhold your personally identifiable information from 
public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. All 
submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
or businesses, will be made available for public disclosure in their 
entirety. Comments and materials we receive, as well as supporting 
documentation we use in preparing the FEIS, will be available for 
public inspection by appointment, during normal business hours, at our 
Washington Fish and Wildlife Office (see ADDRESSES).

Authority

    We provide this notice in accordance with the requirements of 
section 10(c) of the ESA and its implementing regulations (50 CFR 17.22 
and 17.32) and NEPA and its implementing regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).

Katherine Hollar,
Acting Deputy Regional Director, Pacific Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-24212 Filed 11-2-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P