WSP00396

• File Number: 8065
• Description: Section D General Statewide Issues - Endangered Species Act - Fisheries
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 6/3/1986
• Author: Unknown
• Title: Fish and Wildlife Service-NOAA - Interagency Cooperation - Endangered Species Act of 1973 - As Amended - Final Rule - Federal Register - Volume 51-Number 106 - Rules and Regulations
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

OJ2378

,

red.r.1 R.ghl.r / Vol. 51, No. 106 / Tue.day, June 3. 1986 / Rula. and Regulation.

required unJ... th. .ctlon I. .1.0 .
m'lor F.dor.1 action.
Two comm.nt.ra ''1lU.d th.1 OCS
1...Ins, .xplor.tlon, .nd d.velopm.nt/
producUon .ctlvlU.. .hould be .xempt
from th. ..ctlon 7(c) requlrement
becau.. .uch.n analy.l. I. pre..nUy
cov.red by NEPA compll.nc. ..
.ddre...d In the Ouler ConUnenl.1
Sbell Land. Act. Othor commenl...
qreed wtth th. Service th.1 biological
......menll would b. requlred for
developmenl/producUon actlvltl.. on
the OCS, and. gener.lly. would nol b.
required for l.a.1ns and axploraUon
.ctivlUe. tho I do nOllnvolve a
.lgnIflcantmodJflceUon of the phy.lcel
environment. Th. Service adopt. II.
polltian 81 propoled, becau.e no
exemption exJ.t. under 'BetJon 7ee) U B
biological ...allment i. required for an
actioD. In lame in.lancea, oes
.xploraUon acUvlU.. may require the
prepar.Uon of a biological a"e..men~
. ..g.. major Feder.1 acUon Involvtns
, "",lor.Uon througb con.truction of
.. utiIIdal gravell.land.. How.v.r, In
. ..mOlt case. major Federal exploration
. activltie. on the OCS wtU Involve the
driIllns of 1..1 wella. .ction. th.1 wtJJ
nol require the prepar.tion of
...e..menu.
.n. cleflnllion of "preUmlnary
biological opinion" I. adopl.d ..
" propo.ed.
, ne'deflnltion of "propolOd altical
h.obllal" I. .dopled .. propo.ed with the
.ddJtion of the pbralO "or revllOd" .ft.r
"de.\sDaled." n. commenler thai
,.ugs..1ed thiJI comtetlon accural.ly
noted th.t propoaal. may be mada to
cietlgoate or revl.. allical habllal under
oectIon 4 of the Act
n. definition of "propooed .peeIe."
, I. .d"pled .. propolOd
"Re..on.bl. and prud.nl
a1temative." Ia d.fIn.d In the final rul..
Section 7(b) of the Act require. the
Service 10 L=lude re...nable and
prudenl alternative.. If any, In.
"Jeopardy" biological opinion. An
alternative I. conoldered re'lOnoble and
prudenl ooly If II can be Implomooted by
tho Fodorwl::.'lODCY and .ny appllcanlln
a D>8DDO'I coD5l.lanl wtth the Intended
purpDW4 of tha .;:tIoo. and If the DIrector
be....... II would .vold tho likelihood of
loopudlzlnt tho contlnoad ax1atance of
IioLad opecIoa or reou1l1na In tho
doootructloo or .dv.... modIfIcalioa of
altical h.obllat of lOCh opecIn. Furthar,
tho 8ervIce .hoald be mindful of tho
Umita of. FodaraJ qency'. jor\JdIctlon
an" .nthorlty when ptnalblna .
....101IIbl. .nd prudenl a1ternativa. An
a1ternatlv., to be realO1llble and
poudeot ohould be formulated In neb .
W'Y thalll can be ImplomeoLad by .
Fed.nJ ~ 00llIiI1aD1 with tho

1-07_ OOU(OO)(JI-MAY-I6-I>>4<36)

.cop. of II. l'I.I.uthority and
Juri.dlction. Howav.r, tha Service nota.
th.t. Fed...1 .g.ncy'. ...ponolblllty
und.. ..cUon 7(.)[2J perm.at.. th. full
rang. of dJ.creUon.ry authority held by
that .g.ncy: i.... tho Servica c.n .paclfy
a re..on.bl. .nd prud.nt .It.matlv.
th.t Involv.. tho m.xlJIIum .x.rcl.. of
Fedor.l .gency .uthority when 10 do.o
I. n.ce..ary, In the op!nJon of the
Service, 10 avoid j.opardy. Th. Service
reco(pllze. th.1 .conomlc and
technological f...lblllty.re f.ctora 10
be u.ed In d.v.loplns reuonabl. and
prudent .lIamatlvu, .. requ..t.d by
one commentsr. The deflnJUon of
"rea.onabl. and prud.nt all.maUv....
h.. bean .m.nd.d to refl.ct thu.
con.ld.retion.. U there ere no
.It.m.tiv.. that m..lth. definlUon of
"realOn.bl. and prud.nl.lt.m.tive.,"
tha Service w\U luu. . "jeopardy"
biological op!nJon wlthoul .1I.matlve..
Two commentera Itated that
reuonabl. and prud.nl .1t.maUv..
.bould Includ. mltig.tion m...ure.
de.\sD.d to reduce .dv.ra. .rrecta, i.8..
CODaarvaUon recommendaUoDl, One of
tho.. comm.nt.... urged the S<lrvice 10
UmJt the .cope of recomm.nded
altamative. 10 tho.. "conol.l.. : wtth
tho .copa. magnitude. and duration of
tho proj.cl .. w.U .. the .xtent of Ita
adverse .ff.c..... Firat beca.... there I.
a dJ.lInction betw..n "re..onable and
prud.nl a1ternativ.... (thaI ..ti.fy
.ection 7(a)(2JJ and "cono.rvation
recommendation." (th.t ere authorized
by .ecUoD 7(.](1)). the Servic. dec\Jo..
to include conlervation mealurel within
the acopa of the d.flnltion. Second. the
Servica qre.. thai reuonobl. and
prudent a1teroativu .bould be
conol.tenl wtth the Inl.nded purpo.e of
the .ctIon and .bould th.refore be
.conomlcally and technologically
f...lbl.. bul the Servica cannot 11mItlta
rang. of choice. 10 tho all.ria .ugse.t.d
by the commentsr. RealODable and
prud.nt a1larnativ.. mUlt cover the full
samut of de'l8D chanae. tha t are
ICOnomloally and leclmoloslcally
f...lbl. for an .ctlon, Independent of
who" IJ'OUOrIna tho .ction.
Two comment.... .aked that
"reuonable and ~'Dt m........" be
defined. and the ca h.o. !noeried.
defln1tionln the ftnal rul.. nu. .dd1tion
clar1flu tho <Il.t1ncIlon between
"reuoDlbl. and prudent a1teroative."
Inc\uded In . "Jeopardy" bloloalcal
opinion and ''nI..olllbl. and prudant
me......... provided In an lncld.nLal
Lalte .lalamanL n.llervi08 .,.... with
_.ra1 oommenla... thet ...uonabl. and
prudent me....... .... nol the I&lDI u
...uonable and prudent a1teroatlvea.
Babetantlal deaIp and_lint
"~-"...' .pproprt.e.. oaI7 for

F4101.FMT.. (18.30)-4-15-<<1

19!137

.It.m.tiv.. to .vold f.opardy-...
In.ppropri.l. In th. cont.xt of
Incld.nt.lt.ko .t.t.ment. becau.. th.
.cUon .lre.dy compll.. with .ecllon
7(.)(2). Th. commantar thai .dvocat.d
.n ".llem.lIve." approach for
rea.anable and prudent mea.urea
m1uppll.d the legl.I.Uve hi. lory of Ihe
11182 Am.ndm.nla. R...onable and
prudent me. lure. were Intended to
minimize the lev.1 of Incldent.1 taking.
but Congre.. .1.0 Int.nded th.lthe
.cllon go forw.rd ....nUally ..
plann.d. Th.refor., the Service bell.ve.
that they .hould be minor chang.. that
do not .It.r the be.lc de.1so. locallon,
dur.tioo. or timing of the acUon. ne
..cUon 7 obUgaUon. of F.deral asencl..
are not .xpanded by tho .ppllcation of
reslonable and prudent mea.urea,
wblch .trictly 10uro the acope of the
i.cUon g .xempUon for Inddenlal
l.kIng..
ne definition of ''ServIce'' .. .dopted
a. propo..d.

Section 402.OS Applicability.

ThI. IOCtiOo. wblch .xplalno the
applicability of ..ction 7. ImplldUy
cov.n F.deral acUvltie. within Ibe
lerrllorial juri.dlction of tho United
Slalu and upon the hIsh .... .. . re.ull
of the definition of "actlon"ln 1402.02.
ne .xplanaUon for the .copa of the
lerm "action" I. provided In the
dJ.CUI.lon undar 1402.01 .bov..

Section 402.01 CowIte1pQI'l
ll8sulation..

Th. Service ba. relalned tha
counlerpart resuJa"ono .ection of the
1978 rul... tha new 1402.01 that
authorlza. the d.raftio8 of joint
counl.rpart resuJationo by Federel
agend.. and the Servica. "'Th.1O
counterpart resuJationa would allow
IndJvldual Fede...1 ag.ndu 10 'fin. tun.'
the g.neral con.ullation framework 10
refl.ct th.1r particular program
re.ponolblUti.. and oblig.tioDl." '31'R
870, 871 Uan. 4. 1978).
Count.rpart resuJ.tiono mUlt be
pub1lohed lint .. propoaed rul.. with a
minimum llO-clay public comment parind.
Such countarpart regul.tion. m...t retain
the ov.raIl d.".. of protection afforded
lI.ted .peeI.. required by th- Act and
thaaa retul.tioaa. c::hansa In the
I18n.raJ coDl1llla tion procua m"'l be
dulgnad to anhanC8 I" .md.ncy
wlthonl .Umlnallna ultlmat. Fadanl
agency reaponaIblUty ror compliance
with MCtIon 7. N lona .. the ......rel
conoultation prooua .. III8d .. .
.lartIna po!.at FadaraI .....d.. can
""tiolpala lltUa dIfIIcuIty In I8CUI'!ns
'pproYaI of tha lIerYIca lor COIIDtnpart
roaalalioaa.

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