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U:J2390 Fedor.1 ROJiltor / Vol. 51. No. 106 / Tuelday, June 3. 1966 / Rulel and Rasulationl 19949 I \ I Under lhlo fIn.1 ruI., II . p.d.r.1 ....DCy determine. th.t It. acUon "may ./f.cl"II.I.d lpec:l.. or critlc.1 habU.t. th.n 10rm.1 con.ullltlon I. nlqulred unI... .n .xc.ptlon .ppll... One .xceptlon I. th.1 . Ped.rol as.ncy m.y. through lnIormol collJullatlon. utlllEe tho .xpertl.. 01 the Service to ,vlluat. the agency', ...8I1ment or potenUaleffect. or to '''88''.t modification. 10 the action to ovoid pot.ntl.1 .dv...... a/fecll. II. ao . nl.ult ollnlorm.l colUlultatlon. the Pederll os.ncy det.rmlne.. and the Service concuro. th.t the .ctlon (or modlfled Ictlon] I. "not lllt.ly to adve.....ly ./fect" lI.ted .pecle. or . .' critical b.bU.~ th.n 10nn.1 con.ultatlon fa not required. The con.ultatlon proce.. would terminate wtth the wrlll.n conCW'T8nce or the Service. Therefore. throush thJ. lnIonn.1 con.uUatlon procell. tho.e actlvltl.. which anl lound to have beneficial. dI.countable. or in.lsnlficant effect. upon 1I.led .pecle. or their critical habltal. could be deemed to be In compUance with BecUon 7(.)(2) withoullonnal con.ultatlon. U a "not Ulc.ely to adve....ely a/fect" determination cannot be made durIns lnIonnll con.ultatlon. then lonnal collJultatlon II required lor tho.e PederalactlolUl thai "may a/fect" lI.ted ',J~ lpede. or their critical habitat. . ',. :' " .' In .hor\, the final rule retain. tho ~. sell2ral requirement lor lonnal . 'collJ1I'tatlon'il,the Pedaralasency . I . deterIn.1nel that it. actton "may affect" , Il.t.d lpedel or critical habitat. The Pederal osancy may. however, through ; . ;voluntary Informal conlultatlon with the Service. loreso lormal conlultatlon and promptly Implemenlactlon. that the asency and the Service asree are not Ulc.ely to .dvenely ./fect Ult.d lpeclel or critical bablt.~ The Service find. that thll nllormul.tlon 01 the conlultatlon procell II not Ilsnlficantly diff.rent from the currenl pr.ctlce. except that, al . relult 01 Informal COllJult.tlon, biological oplnlon. will no 10118.r be requlnld lor .ctlOllJ thaI "are not Ilkely to .dv.nely ./fect" Ulted lpecl.. or critical hablta~ The ServIce could nol .ccommodata all concenu 8xpre..ed on thJ. t.,ua. Two comm.nt..... conl.nd.d th.t th. "mey .dv.nely aff.ct" .tandard lor lnltl.l1n8 lormal COllJullltlon yI.ld.d too much dI.cretlon 10 .eIlon agencl.l. They .tat.d th.at .uch . threlhold would lhift the ben.flt 01 the doubt from on. in Inor 01 the U.ted .ped," 10 on. In lavor olth. Federel agenCY'1 .eIlon. Nollns th. Service'l experllN on wtldlUe _ the commenter ura.d th. Service to rev..... thIa ohJft. h notad .bove. the Service did not Intend to rev.... tho burden 01 prool with the fOC1U on 5-C7_ om(OIXll-WA Y -I6-ll':17,ICJ) :'f ".dve... .rr.cto." Th'1I0.11. to ...duCt proc.dural b.m... for .0ttOIUl which the Service hellevel .... nolllkely 10 h.v. .n .dv..... .ff.ct. whll. ...1.1n1ns full prol.ctton for lI.tod Ip.cl.. or critical h.blt.t. The chall8el not.d above addre.. lhe.e commenten' eonce"" '{Qwever, olher commentefl who lueo.lled a lhilt In thl burd.n of proof cannot b. .ccommod.t.d. Th. commenl... th.t urs.d. "would adv.rlely aff.ct" Itandard for trtsBerlng fonnal conlultatlon. a Itandard that might b. int.rpnlt.d .. nlqu!rlns . .howIng of .rroc.. that de.troy or adv.roaly modlfy critical habitat or are Uk.ly to I.opardl.. the contlnu.d exletence of 1I.led .pede.. 1r8 nlqu..tIns a lris8er for formal colUlultatlon th.t the Servies b.U.v..11 100 clol. to the "J.opardy" .tand.rd of ..ctlon 7(a)(2). The thr..hnld for formal con.ullatlon mu.t bo lei sufficl.ntly low to aUow F.der.l osend.. to .atl.fy th.1r duty 10 "in.ure" under ..ctlon 7(a)(2). Ther.fore. tha burd.n I. on the F.deral osency to .how the abl.nce oflllt.ly. advene effec18 to listed species or critical habitat ao a nllult of I.. propoled action in ord.r to b. except.d from the formal conlultatlon obllsatlon. Th. Service belleva. that Wormal conlultatlon I. extrem.ly Important and may reeolve potential confllcll (adverse errecl.] and eUmlnala the need for formal conoultatlon. Through Wonnal con.u1tatlnn. the Servies can work with the Federal osoncy and any appUcant and IU88e.t modlflcetlon. to the action to reduce nr .Ilminate advereo e/f.ct.. If a F.deral osency modlflel It. action .0 the t the actlon I. not IlItely to adveroely arrect Ultad Ipeci.. or crittcal hablta~ then formal conlultatlon I. not nlqulnld. S8ction 402.14 Formal CaneuJlDtian. The.. regulatton. nlqulre Fod.ral agencies to review their scUon. to determ.ln. whother th.y "may a/fact" lilted lpeel.. or critical h.bltat. Form.1 con.ultatlon procedurel mUlt be lnltlated If IUch. lltu.tlon .xllt.. unI.... with the wrllten concurrence of th. Service, th. F.d.ral asency delarm.ln.. through Inform.l colUlult.tlon and/or through the biological ......ment procel' that III .eIlon I. notllk.ly to .dvol'I8ly ./feet 1I.lod .pecl.. or critical habItat. h noled .bov. In "Sard to I 4OZ.13. th.a lInaI ruI. .dopto the "may .ffect" ltandard of th. 1978 rule. with e lpec:l.1 provlllon allowIng ."tlon.e "nnt UIc..ly to .dva....ly affect" to ",-p"" the formal COIUIullltlon proce.. .. . nllult of Informal collJullItlon with the Service. Parqraph (e) of I 4OZ.14..to out th. rwqulremonll for formal onn.eullltlnn. ThJe paresr.ph .. . ~'"p""'\a of Ft101.FMI'". [111,30)"A-1&-<<1 par.lI'.phl i.i end (k) 01 propolad ' , ' 1402.15. Par.lI'nph (b). which I.tl oul the .xceptlon. to Ih. Inlll.llon nlqulr.m.nt of (a), wao taken prlmnrlly from propol.d II f02.12(b)(7) and f02.15 (b] and (c). The Servic. declin.. to IUbllllut. "m.y" for "Ihall" In delcrlbins Ih. F.der.1 as.nCY'1 relponllbllitiel In par.lI'.ph (.1. ao requelted by one commenter, Federal asencie. have an obllsatlon und.r I.cllon 7{.)(2) 01 the Act 10 determ.ln. whather their acllonl may a/fect Ii.t.d Ip.cl.1 and whether form.l con.ultatlon II nlqulred under th.l. nlsulatlon.. However. the Service doe I not intand to mandata the IImlns of thI. review. which I. .olely at the dI.cretlon of th. Federalasency. Early nlvlew of I.. .ctiono I. 10 th.odvantase of the Fed.ral os.ncy 10 that compliance wtth ..ctton 7 can be all.ined without undue dalay. to lto acUon. Parall'.ph (a) allo Includa. a provl:lon for the Director to nlque.t a Fed.ral osency 10 enter Into conoultatloR. Two commenlero aoked that the final rulo empower the Director to require a Federal osency to colUlult. Although tho Service will. when appropriate. requell con.u1latlon on particular Federal .cUon.. It lack. the authority 10 require th.lnltlatlon of conoultatlon. The determ.lnatlon of pOlllbl. affectl I. the Foderal asency'. relpolUllbl1Jty. The Fedoral osency h81 the ultimate duty to ellJUNI that I.. actiolUl are not Ilkely to jeopardlze lI.ted Iped.. or advereely modify critical habitat. The Federalas.ncy make. the final declllon on wh.ther con.ullalion II nlqulred. and It IIIt.wt.o bean the rI.k of an IIttOneou. decision. Th. laot lentence of propo..d 140Z.15(.). d.aling wtth Service aoll.lance to Faderal osencle.. ha. been deleted .1 It II mOnl appropriately addre..ed in tho pnlemhle. Tho Federal osency may obl.in information and advice from the Service. but thll II a luppl.m.nt to. and nota lubltltuta fnr. form.l con.ultatlon. Th. Service beU.v.. th.lth.nl Ihould be . contlnuoUl d1alosu. b.tween tho Service and tho Federal asency InvolvIns th. .xchanso of Worma tlon and ...I.lance .. part of tho form.1 con.euliatlon. Uol... . Fed.ral osency choo... 10 .vall IlIeU of tho exceptlolUlin p.......ph (b].1t mUlllnltl.l. fonn.l conluliatlon U lit propoaed .eIlon "may affect"Ulted .pOci.1 or critical h.hltat. Any polllbl. ./f.c~ wh.th.r ben.ficlal. ben1,n. .dv.ro.. or of en und.t.rmInad characto.r. tria.... tho formal con.eullltlOD rwqulramen~ u .uaeotad ~. .)