National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration December 19, 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is extending the public comment period for the proposed Elliott State Research Forest Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). NMFS is reviewing the Incidental Take Permit (ITP) application submitted by the Oregon Department of State Lands (ODSL), who is seeking authorization from NMFS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for the incidental take of three species (two under FWS jurisdiction, and one under NMFS jurisdiction). The FWS is the lead federal agency under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and NMFS is a cooperating agency. FWS is extending the public comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and proposed HCP until January 10, 2023; therefore, NMFS is also extending its public comment period on the proposed HCP until January 10, 2023.

NMFS announces the availability of the ``Draft Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Assessment (SPEA) for Fisheries Research Conducted and Funded by the Northwest Fisheries Science Center.'' Publication of this notice begins the official public comment period for this SPEA. The purpose of this Draft SPEA is to evaluate potential direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of changes in research that were not analyzed in the 2018 Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA), or new research activities along the U.S. West Coast, from California US-Mexico Border to Washington US-Canada Border. Select surveys in partnership with Department of Fisheries and Oceans-Canada extend this research area through British Columbia, Canada to Alaska. Where necessary, updates to certain information on species, stock status or other components of the affected environment that may result in different conclusions from the 2018 PEA are presented in this analysis.