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

002380

Federal Real.ter I Vol. 51. No. 1061 Tue.day. June 3. 1986 I Rule. and Regulation.

19939

In th. tlxl of the NKPA document. The
Service doe. f..lthalth. .nUra opinion
ohould b. aUach.d.. an exhibit 10 th.
NEPA docum.nllf complatlon tlm.
parmi I..
S<<llon 402.07 DtJ.fanollon of lAod
A$.ncy.
ThJ. .ectlon. which govern. lha
d..lgnatlon 01 a lead .g.ncy. I. adopted
from 1402.10(d] of th. pro:rolOd role.
One commenter requaate that the
..ctlon be amended .0 thai only th.
I..d agency I. required to notify th.
Director that It wlll b. conducting
con.u1taUon on b.balf 01 IlIell and all
oth.r cooperating ag.ncl... Th. Service
b.. adopted thI. .ugge.tlon.
S<<llon 402.08 De.ignotion of Non-
Fed.tTJJ /lepre..ntall...
A new 1402.08 b.. bee" add.d to the
lInal rol. to clarify the role of th.
d..lgnated non-F.deral repre.entatlve
and W81 derived from 11402.02 and
402.12 (a) and (b)(S) of the ptTJpoaed rol..
Becauoe the dealgnaled non-Federal
reprelentaUve mayor may Dot be the
appUcan~ there I. a difference In the
role th. reprea.ntatlve cao play In the
colllultatlon. If the repre.enlatlve I. nol
th. appUcant. th. Informatlon-satharing
function.. through Informal con.u1latlon
(1402.13) andlor through the preparation
of a biological a..e..menl(l402.12). I.
the full exlenl of III participation.
. ~f4.,. However. U the reprelentatJve I. an
. , , appUcan~ It. role In con.u1tatlon i. two-
"':'1'" fold. AI th. repre.enlatlve, It may
, conduct the Informatlon-sathering
,./.,. functloJUlldantlfled above: 81 tha
, l ~.PpUcan~ It may conllnu. It.
, 'r.artldpatlon Inta formal con.oullatlon.
',' '.~.u an .ppUcant I. Involved <ond doe.
. Dol dealre 10 be the de.lgnaled non-
, 'Fed,eral repre.entatlve. the F.deral
. i . agibcy and tha appUcanl mUJlagree on
th. party 10 be d..fsna ted. Th. Director
oha1I be nollfted. In wrltlng. If a non-
Fedoralentlty ba. bean d.r 'anal.d to
reprel8llt th. Federal ag.ncy for th.
Informal colllultatlon or bIological
.......menl procedure..
Dna commanler .11 tad thai prior
DOtll>> \D th. DIractor of th. de.fsna tlon
of a non-Fed.ral rapnl..ntatlv.1o
\IIlIl8C8P8lY. Th. ServIce diaasre.'
becouae there I. a 1000tlmata n.ad for It
10 be certain of tba Fedoral agency'.
CODCW1'ODCe In tha reprelBDtatlon.
How....r. tho Servlca DOta. tho t there 10
a desre<l of naxlbl11ty here: J....
dealgnatlon In advance for a conllnuOWl
aellon or for a group of relatad aellollllo
acceptable. In rnpotlN to ona comman~
tha Senlca agrea. that tha d.olgnatad
DOD-Fodaral ..~...."tatlva may only
",baIlt a .pecIaa UoI under the biological
.........""1 prooadurH II 401.UJ II the

s-or_ DDIS(llll)(31-WA Y......3:14043)

Ped.ral agency b.., p",vlou.ly to or
.Imullan.ou.ly wtth thl. notlca.
provided It. wrlUen dllllPlatlon 10 the
Director.
Another comm.nler que.tloned th.
Service'. .uthoctty 10 conducllnlorm.1
con.ull.tlon. with non-Fed.r.1
repruenl.lIva. In plac. 01 the Fed.rel
agancle.. The Service acknowl.dg..
that the Federal agency mu.t retain the
re.pon.JblUty to Inttlale formal
coneuUallon alo"8 with It. ultimate
re.pon.ibtllly 10 en.ure thai III action.
ar. not likely to Jeopardlz. lI.ted
.p.cle.. bulthe dulgnatlon of a
repre.entatlve by the Paderal agency 10
conduct Informal con.u1lellon doe. nol
I...an the.e re.ponolblUti.. or ellmlnale
the Federal ag.ncy'. duty to revlaw U.
acllons. lnotead. the d..lgnatlon of a
"'preeenlallve allow. th. Federal
agency to coordlnal. ell of It.
environmental review.. thereby lOving
time and re.ouree. to obtain a .lngle.
compreh.neive analyal. of the action
and III potentlallmpacl.. The agency
mu.1 .till revlaw tha work product and
Independently reach III own conclu.lon.
and decl.lolUI. The repre.entatlve do..
the ground work (data compUatlon and
.ynthe.I.): the Federal egency cannol
d.legate III duty 10 review. analyze. and
lormally con.ult.
Concerned that a conflict of interest
.:auld exl.t If appUcanll w.re' allowed to
ba de.lgnated eo non-Federal
representative.. one commonter clted.fO
CPR 1506.S(c] (Nl!:PA regulation) 81
authority for eUmlnatlng appllcante from
the field of potential repreeentatlvu.
The Service decUne. 10 maka the
'lI88e.ted chaD8a for the following
"'810n. Section 7(c)(2) ltaelf recognize.
that exemption appUcanll (Including
parmll or Ucen.e appUca.".) may
prepare biological a..e..ment. In
cooperatlon wtth th. Service and under
the .upervl.lon of th. Federal agency.
Tbl. expre.. .tatulory opportunity lor
"lntere.led partl.... (eo appllcanll
would alway. be) 10 prepare biological
a.I",ImBntl run. counter to the NEPA
role and .how. the clear Congrelllonal
Intanlln favor of fulIappUcanl
Involve"",nlln th. .octlon 7 proce...
Although appUcanta may fI11 the role of
non-Federal reprBHtllatlve.. the
ultimata reopolUllhWty for compUance
with oact1on 7 rematna with the F.deral
agency. In reoponoe to on. comm.nter.
the rasuJatlolll have baeD chanied to
e1lmlnata tha raqulram.nl that ihe
Federal agency "partlclpota In the
JlMP81'IItlon" of the biological '
.....IIIl.nL Th. Servll>> believe. thai
tba Fadaral qBDC)' DlaY IulIIU III
reoponolhWtlu by prov!d!nIluldanl>>
and oaparvt.loo. and by Independently
revlawInc and lIValuattna tha won:

FDOl.nrJ" _[1l1.3OJ......15-8e

producl of tha appllcanL R..po~lbUtt)'
lor calTfln8 out IUIgotl.lIon. witb Ihe
Service may not b. d.l.g.l.d 10 Ihe
.ppllcant/r.pre.enlallv,. II .u8881t.d
by thl. commenler. In addlllon. Ped.ral
agencle. cannol deloset. tbelr role In
InJtlatl"8 fonnal con.ultallon.
conference. Of early consultation.

Section 402.(}{I Jrrevel'libl. ond
IrretrievabJ. Commitm.nt of /le.OUfCe..

Secllon 7(d) of the Act provide. thai.
after Intllallon of con.u1tallon required
under .ecHon 7(a)(2). the F.d.ral agency
and any appllcanl .ball meke no
irrevu..lbla or lrretriev.ble conunllment
of re.ouree. wtth re.pect 10 Ih. P~d.ral
acUon which b.. th. effecl of
foreclo.1ng the lormulatlon or
implementation of any re..onable and
prudent aUemaUve. that would avoid
violation of .ectlon 7(a)(2). Thl.
prohibition doe. not apply 10 ecUon.
affecting propo.ed .peele. or propooed
critical babltat. Thl. mandatory
re.trtcUon on commitment of ",'Oureell
I. .et out In 1402.(}{I of the lInal role
(formerly 1402.11 of the propo.al). 10
re'polUle 10 commenta. the language of
the propo.ed role wa. corrected to
conform more clo.ely 10 .eellon 7(d}.
Another commenter reque.tad thai the
.anlence dealing with ..ction 7(d) be
amendad by adding "ma8lure." after
tho phr..e "re8l0nable and prudent
a1tematlve[.]" 10 bring the f1!gulation In
Une wtth the .tatute. The Service
decUne. 10 make thI. change because it
would tend to confwoe "re8l0nable end
prudent aUematlve." that are Included
In Jeopardy biological oplntOIll with
"rea.onabla and prudenl me8lure." thai
are Included In an Inddentallake
.talemenl under .ection 7(b)(t) of the
Act. Tho propo.ad language de.crlblng
the uellon 7(d) prohlbltlon accuralely
Implementa the Acl and I. .dopled In
thl. final rol..
The propo.ed role .ddre..ed the
duratlon of the eectlon 7(d) prohibition
a. follow",

WI requ1rem,Ilo\ 1mb unt1l: _ ."no
jeopardy" bloloslcal oplnlon II I....d by the
Service. . . : lb. Fodera! ","noy .dopll
reAlonable &Dd prudent all.maUna: or an
.x.mption I, ....nled UDder MCtIOD 7(h).

Propooad role. 48 FR 2lJ9llO, 30000 Uune
:m. ll18S). propt>>ed ta be codifiiKf 01 50
CFR 401.11. Several commenle.. aolr.od
for a clarIIIcatlon or expanolon of the.e
crlleria thaI tarmInale oact1on 7(d)
re.lrle1lolll. Noting thai the Acllo .tlenl '
.. 10 wb.n th. oact1on 7(d) prohlbltlon
ca..... one commenl.. conlended thai
tha prohibition obould and wben
coneultatlon 10 t.rmlnatad. Another
oo---nlar. ooncarnad thai tha ~
laDIDB8B would depr!VlI Fadera/ -

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