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19942 002383 Fed.r.1 ResI.t., I Vol. 51. No. 106 / Tue.day. June 3. 1988 I Rule. end Regula lion. ooDlerenoe. and that they receive. copy of the conclu.lon. document.d by the Servlco. ^nother comma-nter ..ked that tJme Umltl b. o.tobUlh.d for tho coni.rence procell. The Service decllnu 10 e.labll.h time limit. for tha conference requirement. The timing or the .ectlon 7(0114) procell II. In port, dlctal.d by the progton !lr the propo.ed rulemak.Jng to lilt 8 .peeit:" Of to de.lgnate critical hP.Oital. Rega.dlell of .ny time Ilmll. :hat tho Servie.> could eot.bli.h. tho conference requ[r.,menl expirel and conlulraUon II te'~uJred If the Ii.Uns or crlticel h.bll.t de.lgnallon become. final. The Service ilnd. no reslIen 1('1 impole rigid time frame. for conference.. Paragraph (cj define a the nature and conhml of the coi1.fc[~nce. Ba.ically. a "conference" Involve. informal dJlculliona on the tdenUfication and possIble avoidance or minimJzation of potential adverse effects to proposed speciel or propoled critical habitat from a Federal action. The reference to "inlannsl discussions.' should not be confused with "informal consultation," which i3 a distinct, but optional, component of consultation. The Service declinea to modify paragraph (cJby changing "adviaory" ....' recommendations to "conserv..tion" ~; -,recommendationll, as suggested. Such a chanse may confuae conierence wilb formal co..ult.tion. lbe required ,procedure In which diacrelionary "conservation recommendations" may be given. The Service also declines to adopt all8lle.ted provlaiona th.1 would (1) ",quJre advilory recommendaUons to be made in every conference. (2) force lbe Service 10 nottfy the Federal .gency of Ihe date on which. final decfalon will be made on a Ii.ting propo.al. or (3) require lbe Service to Inltiate emergency , rulemaklng proceedJns. to lIat a .pede. or de.lgnate criUcal h.bll.t If the Feder.1 .cUon I. likely to Jeopardize lbe lpede.. Although roquJred, conierence is an informal proces. that ha. DO lubstantlve force. To force every conference into 8 regimented .tructure would be counterproductive and conlrary to the Intent of th. Act. Wb.n .ppropriate. lb. Service will make advilory recommendations on way. to .void or minimize .dve..... effacto to propo.ed .peele. or propvoed critical babll.t. D."ins lb. conf.renca. th. ' Servica will .pprl.. lb. F.d...1 as.ncy of the progrell of lb. Ii.Uns or crlUcal h.bll.t propo.a1 and will att.mpt to noUfy th. P.d...l asency when the II.Ung or critical habitat propoeol l>ocomeI final. I!mers<<nCY ruIomakJng Ia provid.d for under Mellon 4(b)(1] of the 5-(114999 OOII(OIXlt-MA Y -16-1l,26,'I) Act and will be ulOd If .pproprl.t. under the ctrcumstanc... One commlntef .ua".ted Ibllt the conference JnvoJve all 01 the 'taps of fonn.1 conlultaUon. but on an Informal ball. 10 th.tlf th.lloUns becom.. fin.l. ilie conclullonl and recommendation. darlv.d from the conference could be .dopt.d .. a flr..1 blologlcal opinion. In lame calel, I thorough. well-prepared conf.rence might elucld.t. .ufllcf.nt conclusion. and recoaunendaUons to s.rv. .. lb. blologlcal oplnlon. upon lbe finalll.tlns of . .p.cle.. Wblle ..cUon 7(a)(4) does not requJre F.der.1 as.ncle. to follow th. .ection 7(.)(2) procell fat propol.d apecl.a or propo..d crlUcal habllat. or .peclflcally provide for tho convenlon of conference "conclusion. and recommendaUoDlulnto a final biological opinion lln contra.tto explictt authority und.r .ecUon 7(b)(3)(B) for lbe convereion of prellmloary bIological opInion. Into fIn.l blologlcal oplulon.]. .uch a procedure I. av.iI.ble to the Federal agency and the Servlca In appropriate lnatance.. U the lnformaUon noce.aary to conduct a formal consultallon I. available .t the conierence .tase, and If a form.1 procedure I. d.emed appropriate by both the Federal agency ond tho Service. the confe",oca may be conductad through . procedure equlval.ntto formal coo.ultallon: the reaulta. or oplnlOD, derived from a "formal" confe",nce m.y be .dopted .1 the blologlcal opfnlon wb.o the propos.d U.Uns or de.lgnaUon I. completed It .bould be not.d that lbe coni.",nce conclualons and recommendallon. would only be adopt.d .. th. biological opinion In those instancell where no new data are dev.loped, including th.t devaloped during the rulemeldos proceao 00 the propooed Ii.ting or dellgn.llon of crlUcaI b.bltat, .od no change. to lb. FecIer.1 acUon are made whlch would .h.r tho content of that opinion. By providing procedure. which allow for a more exten.tve conference that may 1.I.r be adopt.d .. lb. blologlcal oplnlon. tho Servlca doe. notlntand to expand upon the roqllirementa of lection 7(.)(4). Ralber. thJ. procedure la an opllon avall.ble to tho F.d.ral ageocy and lb. Servlca to b.lp avoid co~.:ucta and .xpedlt. co...u1lalloD If '!.e propooed lpeelel or crlUCIII habltatla lIoted or d..lgnalad. n.refo",. . n.w p.......ph (d) 10 added to thI. final ruI. to aclmowledp lb. avaJIabWty of a "formal" conf.......ce prooedure. Parqrapb (.) of 140%.10 dIocuaoe. th. documentaUon of lb. ..Iullo of tho conforeooo. U tbo acUoa Involvel onlr propclMd .peeI.. or JIIOIlOMCl crllla&! F4701.n.rr...{1UOj...4-15-6fl b.bllal. . copy of lb. rocommendallons wiU b. forward.d by th. Servlca to the P.d.ral .S.ncy and any nppUcant. U an .cUon .110 lnvolvOl formal consultaUon on U.t.d .p.d.. or critical habitat. tho Service will provlda tho recomm.ndaUono on propolOd .ped.. or propooed crlUcaI b.bltat with the blologlcel oplnlon. ^" roqu..t.d by .ome commenten, the final rule b.. be.n c1.rlfled to .tat. thel lbe conclullons of a conference will be provided with th. biological oplnlon rath.r lb.n m.de an Inlegral pari of ("conaoUdaled In") lb. oplnlOD, The Service do. a notlnt.nd thai the Inform.l n.ture of th. confenmco be changed or lbal any of the roquJrelMnta of formal con.ultaUon under Mellon 7 b. ImpolOd on Federal asonclOl with re.pect to propo..d .peeI.. or propoMd crtUcaI h.bltalo unt..1 the FedoraI .g.ncy .peclflcaUy roque.ta . more formal procedure. Early InlU.tion of th.oe dIocua.lons Inae.... the chancea of "'lOlution of potential conl1lcta. Section 402.11 Early Conaull4Uon. Tha 1982 Ameodmenlo added a provl.lon 10 the consultation proceao [Iection 7(.)(311 de.igned to Id.nUly and to mlnlrnl"A. early in the plannJn.s stage of an action. potenUaI confl1cta between lba action and liat.d .peeI... nOlO .arly conlultallon provlalons authortze lbe Service to conoult with Fed.ral asencl.. at the roque.t of and In cooperallon with prospecllv. .ppllcanlol regardJns lbe Impact of propooed acUons on Ii.ted .peeI.. or critical babltat. Th..a provl.lons are Incorporated Into lbe f\nal regulallons In 1402..11 (1402..14 of th. propoMd rule). The Intent of thI. provlalon I. to Involve th. Servlca and Stata and local plannlns and conoarvallon entille. In tho planning .tage. of .cUo.... The ServIce beUlMI. th.t .arly consultallon will be h.lpful In ..tabllohlns a mechanlam for early relOluUon of polential confllcta. Congreao did not Intend that thJa provlalon be uaod to authorize consultallon for .poculellve or remote .ctions but ralber only on acUooa whfch are likely to occur. n. reauJaUooa ",quJre pro.pecUv. appllcanlo to provld. ouffId.ntlnformalloo dac:riblos lb. project. Ita location, th. ocope of .cUvlti.. .aoodated with It, and the anlldpated Impacta to lIoted apocI.. to ....bl. th. Fed.ral agency and the 8ervice to conduct rn_ft'"aful aarb' conaultatlons. na opportunity for an aarly consultatioo ohould .xpodlta Ihe pormf!tlng and other ...,watery prooo._ uaocIatod wllb acUOIU requlrint Federal authoriaatloaa.