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0J23,,7 Pederal a..hter I Vol. ~1. No. ![)6"{ Tue.dHY, Juna 3. 1986 {.",eo and Regulation. 10926 o.ARTMl!NT Of' TliE INTI!AIOR FIeh encl WlkIlfe lIervIoe DEPAIIl10tENT Of' COMMERCE Netlonel 0cNM: -.d AtmoapI>wlc Admlntltratlon 50 CFR hrt 402 Interag...cr Cooperation- EndengW.d SpecIe8 Act of 1873. ee Amended. FIn8I Rule ADIHClIt: PI.h and WlldllCe Service. Interior, National Marin. PI.herie. Servlc., Nltlonal Oceanic and Atmo.ph.ric Admlnl.tratlon. Commerce. ACTION: Final ruI.. .u.........v: Thl. Onel rulemakill8 e.t.bli.h.. the procedural ~allon. govemina Jnterqency cooperation undcr .ectlon 7 oC the I!ndall8ered Specie. Act oC 1973. e. amended (the "Act"). The Act require. Pedaral asencle.. In con.u1t.tlon with and wllh Ihe alll.t.nce or the SeCl'etarte. or the Interior and Commerce. to inaun that their acllon. are not likely to jeopardize the continued exf,tence of endangered or threatened epeelell or reaul. in the de.trucUon or adverse modificetion of the critical habltet or .uch .pecle.. The End.ngered Speciel Act Amendment. of 1978, 1979. and 1982 (the "Amendment.'" chall8ed the con.ultation requJrement. of .ectJon 7. Thi. fin.1 rulemakill8 amend. the exi.tins rules sovem1ns HetlOR 7 conlultation by implementlll8 the c~enge. required by the Amendment. and by Incorpora tLns oth.r procedural chanse. de-:igned to improve interagency cooperadon. URCTMI OATE July 3. 19l1li. POll PI/IfTMIIIW<MMATIlM COWTACT: Marvin E. Mori.rty. AcUna ChleC. Office 01 Enda"8ered SpecIe.. U.s. FI.h end Wlldlire Service. Depertment or the Interior. WoohLnslon. D.C. 20240 (703- 23S-2771): or Charle. Kemell.. Protected Specie. D1v1.lon. Office or Protected Speele. and Habitat Con.erv.tion. Netlonal M.rine PI.h.ri.. Service. N.lIon.1 Oceanic and Atmo.pheric Admlni.tr.tlon. Department or Comm.rce. Wuhlll8ton. D.C. 2023~ (2ll2-&4-7461). ~AIIY _"'Y1OII: ~ On J.nu.ry 4. 1978, the Departm.nt of the Inlerior; t/uoush the Unlted 8t.te. ff.h and WlIdllI. Service (FWS). and the Dep.rtment of Commerce. thro.,h the :.I.llonal MarIne PI.heri.. Service [NMPS). e.tabllebed procedural Cor the S-C7_ 0002(00ll31-MAV-I6-IU4D3) Acr. con.uJtalion proce.. by Impl.m.ntfn8 the lnter.,.ncy cooperlUon -requirement. of ..ctlon 7 (50 CPR P.rt 402. "11178 rul."). Th. conlultaUon procell I. de'lined to ...I.t P.d.r.1 .s.ncl.. In complylns wtth the requlrem.nt. or ..ctlon 7 .nd provld.. .uch .s.nel.. wtth .dvlca .nd auld.nce from the Secretary on whelher an actton eomplie. with the lub.l.ntlve requIrement. of .ectlon 7. Tha Secret.ri.. oC th. Int.rior .nd Commerce (the "Secret.ry") .h.re r..pon.lbllltle. ror conductlll8 con.ultationa punuant to ..clJon 7 of the Act. Generally. marin. .p.cle. are under the juri.dlctlon oC the Secretary or Commen:a and .U oth.r .pecle. are und.r the juri.dlctlon oC the Secret.ry or the Int.rior. Authority to conduct con.u1tallon. hoo b.an d.lesated by". Secretary oC the Interior to the Director or the FWS end by the Secret.ry or Commerc. to the Aul.tant AdmInl.trator ror PI.beri.l. NMPS, National Oce.nlc and Atmo.pheric Admlni.tratfon. Secllon 7(a)(1) oC the Act authorize. Federal "IIenclel. In conlultallon with .nd with the ...lltance or the Secretary oC the Interior or Commerce. dependlll8 on the .pecte. Involv.d. to utilize their rfIGourcee in furtherance of the purpose. or the Act by carrying out program. ror the con.ervation of endangered .peete. and threetened .pecte. ["II.ted Ipeele.") lI.ted pursuant to lectlon 4 oC tha Act. Secllon 7(.)(2) oC the Act require. Federal "IIencle.. In con.u1lallon wltb and with the ..1I.lance oC the Secretary. to In.ure thateny .cllon authorized. funded, or carried out by .uch agency I. not llkaly to Jeopardize the conllnued exl.t.nce or any lI.ted .peelel or re.u1t In the daatructfon or adv.ree modtftcetlon of h.bltat ohuch .peele. which h.. been de.lgnat.d .. critical ("crftfcal habflat"). Although Pederal agency autjlority and ....pon.lbWty under .ectlon 7 hlV. ...m.ln.d vtrtually Int.ct !rom the 1913 Act. the Am.ndm.nla made .lgnI8cant procedural chaos.. In the .ectfon 7 cODlultallon procedure.. The 1978 Amendment. CormalJzed the proce.. Cor the I..u.nca oC the Secntlaly'l oplnlon ("bloJoslcal opinion."). and required that the oplnlon Includ. .......onabl. and prud.nt IIt.matlv.... In ca.e. wh.re the propoHd P.d.ral ectlon. In the opinion oC the llecrelaly, would Jeopardize the continued exl.tence of a lI.ted .peete. or re.u1t In the d..tructfon or advaro. modlOcallon of lla crillcal habitat Th. 1978 Amendmen.. .100 .dded ..ctlon 7(c). Nqulrln8 the properltlon of bloloslcal a.....m.n.. In .ppropri.t. lnatanca.. oectloa 7( d) oC the Act, 1110 F4701.1'MT...(16,30)...4-1~ '- .ddod by tho 1975 Am.ndman... problbl" . F.der.1 ..ency or any Involv.d permJt or llconoe 'ppllcan~ .rt.r InJII.tlon or coDlullatlon. /rom makfns an lrrev.rolbl. or lrretrllv.bl. commltm.nt oC relOurca' which would roraclo.. the adopllon oC .ny roaaonab!e .nd prudont .ltomatlv... Perbap. the mo.t .IsnlOcant part oC the 1978 A!nendmon" w.. tho ereaUon or the I!ndangered Speete. Commllle.. which I. authorized Ia grant exemption. !rom tho requlremonto oC HCtlon 7(.)(2) In appropriate ca.... RasulallOnl sovernlng lb. .ubmlulOD of exemption .ppUcatlODl and coDlld.ral!:>n oC .uch appUcaUoDl by the I!ndar...red Speet.. Commltte. ani preeently codlIIed at 150 CPR Parto 4liG-453. Although thlo ftnal rule on con.u1tatlon procedure. d.... Dot daal directly with .x.mptlODl, Sood C.lth Idbenlnce to the coDlullaUon requlrem.nla oC Hctlon 71. a .lalulary prenlqul.lt. Cor entry Inla the .xemptlon proce'l. The 1979 Amendm"".. .\lshtly lltered the P.deral agency'. .ub.tantlve obligation under lectlon 7{al(~) from In.urtna th.tlla acllon "doe. not jeopardiu" lI.ted lpeete. or .dveraely modify the crftlcal habItat oC .uch .peele. to Inlwlns th.tlla action "Ia not Ilkely to jaopardiu" .uch .peele. or critical h.bllat. Congre.. expre..ly provided that the coDlultatlon and nI.u1tant biological oplnlon be b.oed upon the "be.toclentl8c and comm.rct.1 data avallabl.." The.. chang.. made the conaultatlon proceaa more flexlbl. and eitabll.bed . re..onable Worma tlon Itandard to be CoUowed by the NMFS and FWS (th. "Service") and other Federal asand... The 19711 Amendmenla added . requirement that aU Fed.ral asand.. coorer with the Secnttary on aU actloDl tha I .... 1Ik.lyto Jaopardlze lb. continued exl.tence oC propoaed aped.. or ....u1tln the d..tructlon or advarae modlf1caUon of propooed crillcal b.bltat. Th. 1982 Am.ndmon" 1110 ..tabll.bed Hvarel n.w proceuel under aectlon 7. Firat. n.w auboaction 7(b](4) aUow. Cor the laauance of an "lndd.ntlllake .talement" aJOll8 with . bloloslcal opinion. ThIa "lncld.ntll taka .talem.nt" operal.. to exempt the Pedlral asancy and any permlt or Ucenoe appUcant Invnlved from lb. HCtlOD g ..taking.. prohlblllona W1c1ar tha Act Illbl .ub.equentlmplamontallon of u.. action I. coDllatent with tba tarma and coDdlUODl of the Inddontal taka .latemant Second. the 1982 Amondmanta provld. an opportunity Cor permlt or U...... appllcantlnvolvamant In aU