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

002384

Federal RegI.tll' I Vol. 51, No. 106 I Tue.day. June 3. 1986 I Rule. and ResuleUon.

19943 I

Contllry to th. interpretation 01 on.
commenter. early con.wt.tlon 11 not I
reqlllntd proce... but rather I. an
optional el.p th.t a proepectlv.
.ppUcant can take 10 lactor In e.ctlon 7
conald.ratlon. during th. initial
plannJna .tag.. Although ..rly
con.ultatlon cont.ln. mo.1 01 the
I..ture. o/lormal con.ultatlon, tha
Service decline. to adopt th. 'll88uUon
to pl.ce the .arly con.ultaUon
provt.lon. witbln the lormal
CODlultattoD .ection.. a ",pecial cale,"
Early conaull.Uon. unllka 10rm.l. I. not
raqlllntd and occun balore any
appUceUon lor. permit or licena. la
filed, where81 (onnal con.ultaUon I, I
po.t~8ppUcaUon procell when
lIppUcanta are lnvolved. The.e
difference..re algnlficant and m.rttthe
."paradoD of thele dJ.tinct procel!lJel
lnto aeparate .ecUOM. However.
becaua. 01 the .xtelUlv. .lmIIartU.a In
the procedurea lor .arly and lormal
colUult.tlon. the final rule b.. baen
.ubat.nllally modJlled In lormat to
relerence .pproprtat. paragraph. In
1402.14 (Iormal COlUultatlon) to avoid
repetition of the.e commom feature..
Although thl. b.. greatly ahortened the
aarly con.ult.tion .ecllon.ll1a
requlremenll and procedure. bav. not
been alterediub.tanllvely.
One commenler wu confuted over
the paremetere 01 .arly con.ultatlon and
., lnIormal colUullallon (i402.13). lnIormal
.. ",. 1 COnJultatiOD I. 8 po.t.appllcatlon
'. . .Proce'" ..I. lormal COlUullallon; early
colUullatlon I. e pre-applicetlon
pl'OC8l'. There II no overlap. D..lgneled
I ,. uOD-:Pederal repre.entatlveI can carry
, ,out lnIormal colUullallon. and they can
. aJ.o carry out the biological .......ment
I'rDCelllI an ......ment I. reqlllntd
during the early colUultallon. Although
only Pederal agende. conduct early
colUultatlon directly with the Service,
nOD-Federal repreaeolatlve. may
continue to play. rola tn the data-
lI"the~ /unction 01 colUull.llon.
Sev.rel commentare believed thai
propooed 1402.14 took aw.y the
proopectlve applicant'. rtshlto requetl
.arly COIIIultallon and to make the
Inltlal determlnallon 01 poo.lbl. ImpacIJ
to lIatad opecIn or aitlcal habltaL The
propooed rul~oarved the proopectlv.
appUcanh Ito requa.t oarly
cooaauItatlon I provided the Fodera)
apncy with the I'OIJlOI1Olbllll)' lor
cIetarmInlnIlmpacIJ to lIotad opecl.. or
crlt1c.al hablta tin reoponIO to
QOIDlID8GlI. the lIn.aI rulo haa boon
rean&nll8<lto clarify the primary rola 01
the applicaDt In makiDa the Inltlal
dotannlDa tIoa and reqonlto the
Podoro.l qan<lf. "".... or, tbo
appllcall.r. rl8hb mdor HOtioD 7(a)(l) ol

1-07_ OOIt(lll)()I-MA y......U:J6:SJ)

the Acl are'not wiq\l8llfiod, and tha
ultlmat. hurd.n I. cia the .ppllcanllo
m..t cart.1n thruhold orileria.
Par....rb la) 00.402.11 oUIIJn.. tho
purpo.. 0 ..rly coillultallon and I.
adopt.d .ub.t.nllally a. prepo..d In
1402.14(b) and the lirel..litance 01
1402.14(~1. Th"leglolaUv.. hiltary 10
cl.ar that the pro.p.cUve applicant mu.t
h. Invo\v.d 10 tho greal.-t .xtent
practlceble In ..ery ..ped 01 tho early
cOlUult.Uon proc.... H.R. Conf.. R.p.
No. 835. 97th Cons.. 2d Se... 2lI (1ll82).
One commenter exprel.ed con.cern thai
II may nol b.. po..fbJe 10 bave the
applicanllnvolv.d In every meeting and
1.I.phone cell betwe.n tho p.deral
agency and the Servlca. Th.relore.
acknowl.dalna the practical UuiltaUon.
on tnvolvtng tha appUcantln all
con.ullatlon contacla (but .UIl
recognizing the n.ed lor conUn~oua
communlcallon with the applicant), the
.econd .ent.nc. 01 p.ragroph (a) now
reoda thai the pro.pectlv.. appUcant
.hould be Involvad "throughout"
[inllead 01 "In ev.ry ..pect or') the
con.ultatloD procell.
Paragraph (h) cll402.1t .ele oul the
thre.hold condition. thai mull b.
.atl.f1.d belore early coDlultatlon can
b. InlUal.d and I. dertved from
propo.ed 1402.14[c). N a1l8ll8l1.d by
one commenter. the pro.peCUV8
appllcanl'. requ..1 lor .arly .
con.ultallon .hould be made tn writing
to the Pederal "lI.ncy.
The "may advereely aff.ct" thre.bold
lor Inlllatlng .arly con.uIlellon bu b..en
expanded to "mey .ffecl." ThI. acllon
wa. taken becaUl8 lhe more reetrtctlve
.tandard unnece..arlly 1Imlt.d acce.. to
thI. early revl.w procedure. a.p.clally
.lnca el the early planning .tose 01 an
action the ..xact nature of a po..lbl.
effecl could be dlfflcullto define.
Section 402.U{c) 01 the propo.a1
. e.tabUah.d that the p.deral agency
lIlUW'8 thai the lollowlng condJUoruJ be
met prior 10 InIllallon 01 early
coruJulta tlon:
(1) there mual be a d.flnJtlve propoeal
outl1nlna the actloll and Ita effect
(2) It mUll be .hown thel the action II
teohnoloslcally, admlnl.tratlvely. and
I..ally I.ulble;
[3) It muat be .hewn thai the applicant
po....... adequate IICODOmlC reoouroe.
to OODduct tha .ctloD; and
(4) It muat be ohown that tha appllcanl
poaaeNU IODII property tntare.11n tho
propooed .Ite on whIob tho aotlon wt1l
oocur.
Numaroua OOIZIlII8Dte ware receIved
on theN crlterta. Tblee oommantan
urpd tha 80rvtce to .trIka all four
oondltloDa becauae of thaIr
UDreUOIII8b1mna and !be lIenIoe'.i.aok

F4701.PMl'_(18.8O)-4-1N8

..4.J.\.,

01 authority to Impoae them on ','
applloaDta. Othor commentere crltlcI..d
oondJllon. [2) and [3) due 10 thelr
ambl6ully. Contendlna that enlorcem.nt
of tha.. condJtlon. would' preclude early
coDlultatlon In many ca.... the
commente.. noted th.1 tha tnlorm.Uon
need.d to m.el th8la condition. I. not
avallabl. et the tlm. Ih.t early
con.ultatlon I. mo.t u../uJ. The
commentar. allO altacked condlllon (4).
resordJna the need to .how an
own...h1p tnt.re.11n land. becau.e
.arly con.ultatlon would normally occur
prior 10 the ..JecUon of an .xact
location lor the project. Two
comm..nlere .tal.d thai condJtlon. (I)
and (2) are ad.quate lor .creenJna
lerlau. acUon.. One cammentef
'lI8IIe.led thai only two crllerlo be
addre...d In d.termlnJna ell81bllll)' for
early con.ultatlon: .cope 01 the proJ,cl.
and pOllible effecte on tleted .pecie..
The Service w.. given .xpllcli'
authortty tn ..cllon 7(0)(3) 01 the Act to
I..u. suJdelLn.. thai would prevent
.peculatlve or unda/lned acllon. from
trIgs.~ early conaullatlon.

Tbe CommlU.. IXpect.a that the Seaelary
will exclude from IUch early coDJwtaUon
thole IICtlONl which are remole or lpeculaUve
In nature and to Indude oaly tho.. acUoD.l
which the appUcant C&D demoDltrale are
likely to occur . . . . n. CommlUe. further
.xpecII \halth. suldoUn.. will require tho
pro.pectlve appUc&pI tu provide ,ufftclenl
information daecrlbln8 tba project. III
location. and the 1COp8 of acUvttiH
..aoc1at.d with It to enable the Secretary to
carry out. meanlniful COl1lulllltion.

H.R. Rep. No. 567. 97th Cons.. 2d Se...
25 (1982).
The final rule relelna propo..d
condJtlon (1) thet require. the nature
and effect of a pro.pecllv. action to be
defined. Withouladequat. information.
.arly coDlullallon would be
meanJnsle... Propo.ed condJtlon (2) baa
be.n modified In the final rule to require
thai the pre.pectlv. appllcent certify
thai II Intenda 10 Impl.mentU. propo.al,
II author!&ed. ThI. wt1l prev.nt hJahly
.pecu!atlve aclloDl from .nterlna .arly
coDlultallon. Th. Service beUeve. that
thea. two condJlloDl are re..onabl. and
will allow p.d.ral ag.nd.. and the
Service In locua th.1r allentlon on
collarete. leulbl. .ctlone throush
maanJnalul. oarly coDlultatl'>DI.
Propoaed oondltloDl (3) and (4)
deooribed above have boen d.lal.d. Tho
'8ervloe ...... that th... condJtioDl
Willi beyond tha normal p......ppllcallon.
lnIonnatlon-pthorinl praotlOH 01
Fodera) epnatu and thai thoy 'Dishl
have dIaoowqed .arIf oonaultatlone
-aoe---'ilJ.

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