Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish, 13337-13338 [2021-04315]
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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 43 / Monday, March 8, 2021 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XA920]
South Atlantic Fishery Management
Council; Public Meeting
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Meeting of the South Atlantic
Fishery Management Council.
AGENCY:
The South Atlantic Fishery
Management Council (Council) will
hold a meeting via webinar.
DATES: The Council meeting will be
held from 1 p.m.–2 p.m. on Monday,
March 29, 2021.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held
via webinar. Webinar registration is
required. Details are included in
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim
Iverson, Public Information Officer,
SAFMC; phone 843/302–8440 or toll
free 866/SAFMC–10; FAX 843/769–
4520; email: kim.iverson@safmc.net.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Meeting
information, including the webinar link,
agenda, and briefing book materials will
be posted on the Council’s website at:
https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/
council-meetings/.
The Council will convene to review
section 216(c) of the Executive Order
(E.O.) on Tackling the Climate Crisis at
Home and Abroad (E.O. 14008) issued
on January 27, 2021. Section 216(c) of
the E.O. 14008 directs NOAA to collect
recommendations on how to make
fisheries, including aquaculture and
protected resources more resilient to
climate change, including changes in
management and conservation measures
and improvements in science,
monitoring and cooperative research.
NOAA issued a Request for
Information (RFI) on March 2, 2021
accepting written comments within 30days and will continue to gather input
through 2021. During the Council
meeting, NOAA Fisheries will provide a
presentation on Section 216 (c) of the
E.O. and the Council will provide input.
Written comments may be directed to
John Carmichael, Executive Director,
South Atlantic Fishery Management
Council (see ADDRESSES) or
electronically via the Council’s website
at https://safmc.net/safmc-meetings/
council-meetings/. Public comment will
also be allowed as part of the meeting
agenda.
Although non-emergency issues not
contained in this agenda may come
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SUMMARY:
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before this group for discussion, those
issues may not be the subject of formal
action during this meeting. Action will
be restricted to those issues specifically
identified in this notice and any issues
arising after publication of this notice
that require emergency action under
section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management
Act, provided the public has been
notified of the Council’s intent to take
final action to address the emergency.
Special Accommodations
These meetings are physically
accessible to people with disabilities.
Requests for auxiliary aids should be
directed to the council office (see
ADDRESSES) 5 days prior to the meeting.
Note: The times and sequence specified in
this agenda are subject to change.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Dated: March 3, 2021.
Tracey L. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Office of Sustainable
Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021–04758 Filed 3–5–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
[RTID 0648–XA908]
Endangered and Threatened Species;
Take of Anadromous Fish
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
AGENCY:
We, NMFS, intend to prepare
an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS), in accordance with the
requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), to
analyze the potential impacts on the
human (biological, physical, social, and
economic) environment caused by the
Western Oregon State Forests Habitat
Conservation Plan (WOSF HCP) and a
range of reasonable alternatives. The
WOSF HCP is being prepared in support
of a request for Endangered Species Act
(ESA) incidental take permits (ITPs)
authorizing incidental take of covered
species by covered activities. We are
also announcing the initiation of a
public scoping period to engage Federal,
Tribal, State, and local governments and
the public in the identification of issues
and concerns, potential impacts, and
reasonable alternatives to the proposed
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
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13337
action that meet the purpose and need
for consideration in the draft EIS. The
applicant for the ITPs is the Oregon
Department of Forestry (ODF).
DATES: The NMFS requests comments
concerning the scope of the analysis,
and identification of relevant
information, studies, and analyses. All
comments must be received by April 7,
2021.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
on this document, identified by NOAA–
NMFS–2021–0019, by:
• Electronic Submission: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
https://www.regulations.gov and enter
NOAA–NMFS–2021–0019 in the Search
box. Click on the ‘‘Comment’’ icon,
complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
Instructions: Comments sent by any
other method, to any other address or
individual, or received after the end of
the comment period, may not be
considered by NMFS. All comments
received are a part of the public record
and will generally be posted for public
viewing on www.regulations.gov
without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.),
confidential business information, or
otherwise sensitive information
submitted voluntarily by the sender will
be publicly accessible. NMFS will
accept anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/
A’’ in the required fields if you wish to
remain anonymous).
The WOSF draft HCP is posted on the
ODF website: https://www.oregon.gov/
ODF/AboutODF/Pages/HCPinitiative.aspx.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michelle McMullin, NMFS, 541–957–
3378, Michelle.McMullin@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need for the Proposed
Action
The purpose of ITP(s) issuance to
ODF is to protect the covered species
and their habitat while allowing the
applicant to manage WOSF lands in
compliance with the ESA. The need for
the Federal action is to respond to the
applicant’s request for ITPs for the
covered species and covered activities
as described in the WOSF HCP. NMFS
and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(USWFS) will review the ITP
applications to determine if they meet
permit issuance criteria.
Preliminary Proposed Action and
Alternatives
Under the proposed action, NMFS
and USFWS would approve the WOSF
HCP and issue ITPs with 70-year permit
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08MRN1
13338
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 43 / Monday, March 8, 2021 / Notices
terms to the ODF for incidental take of
covered species from covered activities
in the plan area. The plan area includes
all state forestlands west of the Cascade
Range that are managed by ODF, a total
of 733,695 acres (about 2969.16 km2).
The permit area is defined as the
portion of the plan area that ODF
currently controls and where all covered
activities would occur and conservation
actions would apply. The covered
activities are the projects and activities
for which ODF is requesting take
authorization. The covered activities
include the ODF’s forest and recreation
management activities in the permit
area as well as the activities needed to
carry out ODF’s proposed conservation
strategy. Broad categories of covered
activities include stand management,
road system management, recreation
infrastructure construction and
maintenance, and HCP conservation
actions. Covered species under the
proposed WOSF HCP include
threatened and endangered species
listed under the ESA, and currently
unlisted species that have the potential
to become listed during the life of the
HCP. Incidental take coverage is being
sought by ODF for covered species.
More information on covered activities
and the species for which ODF is
seeking incidental take coverage is
provided in the draft HCP, available at
https://www.oregon.gov/ODF/
AboutODF/Pages/HCP-initiative.aspx.
We will consider the Proposed Action
and the No Action Alternative as well
as being open to considering what ideas
the public may bring forward during the
scoping process. We are using this
process to seek alternatives, which may
include, but are not limited to variation
in the length of the permit term; adding
or removing some of the covered
species; the level of take allowed; the
level, location, or type of minimization,
mitigation, or monitoring provided
under the HCP; the scope of covered
activities; the location, amount or type
of conservation, or similar aspects of the
permit conditions.
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Summary of Expected Impacts
Incidental take is expected to occur
due to the covered activities under the
proposed action. Expected impacts are
less than what occurs under ODFs
current timber/land management
practices. ODF is proposing a
conservation strategy as part of their
HCP that is intended to fully offset the
impacts of the take.
Anticipated Permits and Authorizations
The following permits, consultations,
or other authorizations are anticipated
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19:05 Mar 05, 2021
Jkt 253001
to be required in order to proceed with
issuance of the ITPs:
• ESA Section 7 consultations, ESA
Section 10 Findings;
• Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
consultation;
• Tribal consultations; and
• National Historic Preservation Act
with possible memorandum of
agreement or other mechanism.
Schedule for the Decision-Making
Process
Information on the proposed NEPA
schedule can be found at: https://
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/noticeintent-prepare-environmental-impactstatement-western-oregon-state-foresthabitat.
Public Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the
scoping process, which guides the
development of the EIS. NMFS is
hosting a public webinar for
informational purposes, including a
question and answer session, within the
scoping period. Information on the
webinar date and time, and instructions
for connecting or calling into the
webinar will be posted at: https://
www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/noticeintent-prepare-environmental-impactstatement-western-oregon-state-foresthabitat. Accommodations for persons
with disabilities are available;
accommodation requests should be
directed to Michelle McMullin at least
10 working days prior to the webinar.
Public comments will not be accepted
during the webinar.
Request for Identification of Potential
Alternatives, Information, and
Analyses Relevant to the Proposed
Action
The primary purpose of the scoping
process is for the public to assist NMFS
in developing the EIS. NMFS requests
that the comments be specific. In
particular, we request information
regarding: Any science that is relevant
and not yet incorporated, any
interpretation of science that is different
than what is presented; significant
issues; identification of impacts that are
not fully off-set; review and input
regarding monitoring; possible
alternatives that meet the purpose and
need; effects or impacts to the human
environment from the proposed action
or alternatives; and potential terms and
conditions that may minimize adverse
effects, including time or area
restrictions or both to reduce
environmental impacts.
PO 00000
Frm 00060
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Lead and Cooperating Agencies
NMFS is the lead agency for the
NEPA process. The USFWS is a
cooperating agency in the NEPA
process.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
If after publication of the Record of
Decision we determine that all
requirements are met for ITP issuance,
the NMFS West Coast Regional
Administrator will issue a decision on
the requested ITP.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.; 40 CFR
parts 1500–1508; and Companion Manual for
NOAA Administrative Order 216–6A, 82 FR
4306.
Dated: February 25, 2021.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office
of Protected Resources, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021–04315 Filed 3–5–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Greater Atlantic Region
Logbook Family of Forms
The Department of Commerce will
submit the following information
collection request to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and clearance in accordance
with the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, on or after the date of publication
of this notice. We invite the general
public and other Federal agencies to
comment on proposed, and continuing
information collections, which helps us
assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize
the public’s reporting burden. Public
comments were previously requested
via the Federal Register on December
22, 2020 (85 FR 83519) during a 60-day
comment period. This notice allows for
an additional 30 days for public
comments.
Agency: National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
Title: Greater Atlantic Region Logbook
Family of Forms.
OMB Control Number: 0648–0212.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Regular (Revision of
an approved information collection).
Number of Respondents: 2,299.
E:\FR\FM\08MRN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 43 (Monday, March 8, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13337-13338]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-04315]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XA908]
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, NMFS, intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS), in accordance with the requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), to analyze the potential impacts on
the human (biological, physical, social, and economic) environment
caused by the Western Oregon State Forests Habitat Conservation Plan
(WOSF HCP) and a range of reasonable alternatives. The WOSF HCP is
being prepared in support of a request for Endangered Species Act (ESA)
incidental take permits (ITPs) authorizing incidental take of covered
species by covered activities. We are also announcing the initiation of
a public scoping period to engage Federal, Tribal, State, and local
governments and the public in the identification of issues and
concerns, potential impacts, and reasonable alternatives to the
proposed action that meet the purpose and need for consideration in the
draft EIS. The applicant for the ITPs is the Oregon Department of
Forestry (ODF).
DATES: The NMFS requests comments concerning the scope of the analysis,
and identification of relevant information, studies, and analyses. All
comments must be received by April 7, 2021.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this document, identified by
NOAA-NMFS-2021-0019, by:
Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA-NMFS-2021-0019 in the Search box.
Click on the ``Comment'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter
or attach your comments.
Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period,
may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain
anonymous).
The WOSF draft HCP is posted on the ODF website: https://www.oregon.gov/ODF/AboutODF/Pages/HCP-initiative.aspx.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle McMullin, NMFS, 541-957-3378,
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action
The purpose of ITP(s) issuance to ODF is to protect the covered
species and their habitat while allowing the applicant to manage WOSF
lands in compliance with the ESA. The need for the Federal action is to
respond to the applicant's request for ITPs for the covered species and
covered activities as described in the WOSF HCP. NMFS and the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (USWFS) will review the ITP applications to
determine if they meet permit issuance criteria.
Preliminary Proposed Action and Alternatives
Under the proposed action, NMFS and USFWS would approve the WOSF
HCP and issue ITPs with 70-year permit
[[Page 13338]]
terms to the ODF for incidental take of covered species from covered
activities in the plan area. The plan area includes all state
forestlands west of the Cascade Range that are managed by ODF, a total
of 733,695 acres (about 2969.16 km\2\). The permit area is defined as
the portion of the plan area that ODF currently controls and where all
covered activities would occur and conservation actions would apply.
The covered activities are the projects and activities for which ODF is
requesting take authorization. The covered activities include the ODF's
forest and recreation management activities in the permit area as well
as the activities needed to carry out ODF's proposed conservation
strategy. Broad categories of covered activities include stand
management, road system management, recreation infrastructure
construction and maintenance, and HCP conservation actions. Covered
species under the proposed WOSF HCP include threatened and endangered
species listed under the ESA, and currently unlisted species that have
the potential to become listed during the life of the HCP. Incidental
take coverage is being sought by ODF for covered species. More
information on covered activities and the species for which ODF is
seeking incidental take coverage is provided in the draft HCP,
available at https://www.oregon.gov/ODF/AboutODF/Pages/HCP-initiative.aspx.
We will consider the Proposed Action and the No Action Alternative
as well as being open to considering what ideas the public may bring
forward during the scoping process. We are using this process to seek
alternatives, which may include, but are not limited to variation in
the length of the permit term; adding or removing some of the covered
species; the level of take allowed; the level, location, or type of
minimization, mitigation, or monitoring provided under the HCP; the
scope of covered activities; the location, amount or type of
conservation, or similar aspects of the permit conditions.
Summary of Expected Impacts
Incidental take is expected to occur due to the covered activities
under the proposed action. Expected impacts are less than what occurs
under ODFs current timber/land management practices. ODF is proposing a
conservation strategy as part of their HCP that is intended to fully
offset the impacts of the take.
Anticipated Permits and Authorizations
The following permits, consultations, or other authorizations are
anticipated to be required in order to proceed with issuance of the
ITPs:
ESA Section 7 consultations, ESA Section 10 Findings;
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act
consultation;
Tribal consultations; and
National Historic Preservation Act with possible
memorandum of agreement or other mechanism.
Schedule for the Decision-Making Process
Information on the proposed NEPA schedule can be found at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/notice-intent-prepare-environmental-impact-statement-western-oregon-state-forest-habitat.
Public Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides
the development of the EIS. NMFS is hosting a public webinar for
informational purposes, including a question and answer session, within
the scoping period. Information on the webinar date and time, and
instructions for connecting or calling into the webinar will be posted
at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/notice-intent-prepare-environmental-impact-statement-western-oregon-state-forest-habitat.
Accommodations for persons with disabilities are available;
accommodation requests should be directed to Michelle McMullin at least
10 working days prior to the webinar.
Public comments will not be accepted during the webinar.
Request for Identification of Potential Alternatives, Information, and
Analyses Relevant to the Proposed Action
The primary purpose of the scoping process is for the public to
assist NMFS in developing the EIS. NMFS requests that the comments be
specific. In particular, we request information regarding: Any science
that is relevant and not yet incorporated, any interpretation of
science that is different than what is presented; significant issues;
identification of impacts that are not fully off-set; review and input
regarding monitoring; possible alternatives that meet the purpose and
need; effects or impacts to the human environment from the proposed
action or alternatives; and potential terms and conditions that may
minimize adverse effects, including time or area restrictions or both
to reduce environmental impacts.
Lead and Cooperating Agencies
NMFS is the lead agency for the NEPA process. The USFWS is a
cooperating agency in the NEPA process.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
If after publication of the Record of Decision we determine that
all requirements are met for ITP issuance, the NMFS West Coast Regional
Administrator will issue a decision on the requested ITP.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.; 40 CFR parts 1500-1508; and
Companion Manual for NOAA Administrative Order 216-6A, 82 FR 4306.
Dated: February 25, 2021.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-04315 Filed 3-5-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
