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

002392

19951

I

Federll RIJI'ler / Vol. 51. No. 106 / Tue.day. June 3. 1988 / Rule. and Regulation.

re.pon.lblUty-not an oblliltlon or lb.
Servtce.
Pvappb (d) or 140Z.lt 11.0 .dopt. a
POrtion or 140Z.15(d)(3) or the propo..d
ruI. lb.t requlMl. lbo Fodoral "iency to
provtdo .ny applicant wilb lb.
opportunity to p.rtlclpato In rormal
con.oullalloll'. Includll1jl .ubmJttll1jl
Inform.tlon ror con.ld.ratlon durtl1jllba
con.wtallon. The remainder of propo.ed
140Z.15(d1l3) w.. del.ted becau.oU
dupllcat.d olb.r part. of lbo final rula.
Parqr.ph (.) of 1402.14 ..labllahe.
lbe time period for conductll1jl formal
con.uhallon. ..,d explain. the proce'l
lor .xlendll1jlI'.. con.ullatlon p.riod.
The paragrap}, 10 adopted .ubalantlally
.. propo.ed :n 140Z.15(e}, wilb certain
technical. clarifying amendmenta.
The AmendmenLa chal1jled lb.lImlng
requirement on the conclulIlon of fonnal
conaultatlon,from lbe 60 day. originally
e.labllohed by lb. 1978 rule 10 a
. maximum oC 90 day. or to IUch lime
period. a. dI.cu..ed below. If an
applicant I. Involved. lbe Service and
lbe Feder.1 "lIency may mutually agree
to extend con.uhatlon for up to eo
additional day. wilbout lb. con.oent of
lbe appllcan~ provtded lbal lb. Servic.
.ubmJLa to lbe appllcanl. berore lbe
clo.. or lbe InitialllO-day period a
wrtlten .Lalem.nt .etllna lorth (I) lbe
rea.olll why a longer period la required.
(2) lbe Information lbat I. required to
complel. lba conaultatlcn. and (3) lbe
..timated date on which lb.
con.oultatlon will be complet.d. A
, con.u1tation Involvtna an applicant
... ~,\ !'lIMOt be extended for more lban 60
: ': day. wilboul lbe con.oent of lbe
;, .', ; , :..pllllcant. The biological opinion mu.t
, '" . . .~ delivered to lb. Fed.ral "lIency and
'. ". 'ur.appllcant promptly aft.r lbe
! ' 'oOlIc!fiIlim of forma' "~n.u1taUon
, . (wi upn 45 day.).
....", '''Onecommenler.~e.tedthata
provt.lon be .dded lba t would require
lb. Service 10 I..u. a notice concludJna
formal col1.lultatlon wilb a 6ndJna lbat II
b.. .ulIIclenllnformaUon to prepare a
biological opinion. Th. Servlca declln..
10 adopt tbl. comm.nt. AI lbe .nd of lb.
9lkI.oy period (unI... .xl.nd.d). lb.
parti.. to lb. con.u1taUon reolJu lbal
lbo Service he. bul45 day. to d.llver ILa
biological opinion to lb. F.darllllll.ncy
and any Ippllcant. A mandalory noUce
of ".ufflcl.nt Ioformation" mJahl be. In
oome ca.... m1.I.adJna by creallng lb.
Imp.....lon tb.ol addltionallnfonnatlon
or .tudlo. may nOI be Idvt..blo. Th.
Servtce mUll d""alop ILa biological
oplnloD be..d upon lbo be.1 acIonllf\c
and commercial data aVlUabl.
regardl... of lb. .....mcl.ncy.. of lbat
data. 'Therefore, tb.o 'U8So.lod chllDllO
doeo oot Iccura taly renoel the loaaJ

iHl7_ DllZ1(Ot)(lI-MA Y-l6-U~1,16)

framowork wilbln which lb. Service
mUI' op.rate.
Tho Service h.. dofln.d lbo .tatulory
dlrectlv. 10 llOua blolOlllcal opinion.
"promptly Ift.r" tho conclu.lon of
formll con.u1laUon .. r.qulrlr1a tho
dollvory of . biological oplnJon 10 lbe
Federal ag.ncy and any appllcont
wilbln 45 day.. Sev.ral commento"
agre.d wllb lbl. .Upulalod d.adHna 01
10l1jl" lbo appllcanl retaIn. .om.
control over exten.lon.. Other
commonl.re r.11 that lbo 46-day period
w.. .xc...lv., and lbey argu.d that lbe
opinion drafllna period .hould ellber be
worked out with mutually-agreeabl.
exlen.lon. or lbo opinion .hould he
IlIued by lba .nd of lb. con.uHatlon
pariod. Th. Servlca ralaln. tha 45-day
draftlng pariod a. con.l.t.nt with lbe
.tatutory requJrement and a. a
noceo.ary time period 10 furthar re6ne
biological opinion. aftor tho conclu.lon
of formal conoultatlon.
One .ant.nce h.. be.n addad 10
parqraph (e) to acknowl.ds. lb. abUlty
of lb. Servlc. and lbo Federal agency.
where no applicant I. Involv.d, to
.xlend con.uJlatlon for a mutually-
agreeabla tim. period. Thb clarificatlon
.aU.fles the reque.t of one commenter.
Paraaraph 10 of 1402.14. which
gov.rn. Servlca roque.l. for additlonol
information. 10 adopted from
, 4OZ.15Ul(1) of lbe propooed rule. Th.
Service decllo.. 10 rename thl.
parqraph "oxl.noion of con.u1tatlon"
becau.e lballoplc I. generally covered
In parqraph (e).
In .ome ca.e.. lba Service may
determlno lbaladdltlonalloformaUon
would .nhance the formulaUon of It.
biological opinion. To cover tbJ.
.Ituatlon. lba 6nal rule adopl. the
procedure. dI.cu.oad by CoDlP'e.. In lbo
lagl.latlve hI.lory of tho 11179
Amandmen... S. Com. Rap. No. 691. 116th
Col1jl.. 111 Se... 12 (19711). Wh.n
.ddJtional dala I. boll.ved 10 be
.dvantaseou.. lbe Servlca will requo'l
an .xl.llIlon of formal con.u1latlon.
Whan lbo Service requ.... ouch an
ext.oolon. It will Id.ntlfy lb. typo. of
addltlonal data .oogbl for a..l.lIng
coooultatlon. The Service will. 10 lb.
.xlenl practlclblo. and within exl.lIng
budsotary and peroooool ro.trlCtlOOl,
provlda a....lance In plaonlni .tudlo.,
fumI'h!na relovanl data. and provtdJna
recommondatioDl lbll may be
n.ce.aary 10 obtain lb. additional da...
The re,pollllbWty for conducting and
fundIna any .tudl... bow.vor. beloDllo to
tho Fod.ralllllanel.. or lb. applicant
and 00110 lb. Sorvtce.
Tho comm.nLa received on tbJ.
par.....ph cov.red a wid. .pectrum of
opinion .. 10 the breadlb of lbo

F'4701.FMI'".[lUO]...4-15-al1

:.l

Service'. lulborlty to requo'l additional I
dala. 8001. comm.nl." qUOlUoned lbe
.talulory aulbority of Iho Service und.r
!hI. pruvt.\on. and th.y arron.ou.ly
Inlorpreted lb. Service'. IbUlty 10
roqu.,' additional dala .. lbo aulhority
to nquire an ex ten. Ion of Connal
con.u1taUon to obtain .uch data. Their
po.llIon w.. thai addlUonal dala wa.
nnt a valid rellon Cor .eeking an
.xl.n.lon of lormal con.u1toUon and
lbaladdltlonal data .hould only be
,ooahl wh.n oblalnll1jl1t would not
delay lbe con.u1taUon and when the
Service I. willing to fund tha .tudle..
Anothor comm.nler wenllurther.
.ngg..tll1jl lbat lb. requOlt lor
addltlonal dala be trealed .. an
.xtraordlnary m...ure lbal .hould be
Invok.d "reluctantly and only on rare
occa.lon.." The commenter laid that the
Service .hould affirmativ.ly .tata that
exl'lIna data 10 pre.umed 10 be
adaqualo and lbat the Servlco beare Ihe
burden of d.mon.lrallna Inadoquacy
before ...Idng eddl"onal dala.
00 lbe olb.r .nd of Ihe opectrwn.
.everal comment.re faulted the Service
ror nol requiring an .XI.OIlol1 '0 lbal
additional data could be oblalned UDder
tbJ. parqrBph. Clling the Federal
"lIency'o .Ialulory duty 10 u.e lbe "be.t ,
.cianllf\c and commercial data ___./
avaUablo" and lbe decl.loo In Roo,evelt ...
Campobella [n"'matianal Park
Comml,.lon v. EPA. 684 F.2d 1041 (111
Cir. 1ll82) ("PI/ulon ca.e"). lbe.e
commeDtera Doted that Federal agencies
are required by .ecllon 7(a)(2) to do "all
lbat [I.) practicable" to develop
Ioformatlon for lbe con.oultatlon. PI/Won
ca.a. ,upra. According 10 lbe
commenten. the proposed rule gave too
much dI.cretlon to Federalllllencie. In
conlroWna lbe lnformaUon uaed In lbe
con.oultation proce...
Tho Service adopl. lbe propo.ed rule
b.cau.. II recogolz.. lbe n.ed for an
opportunl'Y 10 reque'l additional dala
whU. def.rrinB 10 lbe Congre..lonal
Inl.nt lbal con.u1laUon bav. a d.finlte
.nd polol. Additional dala may be
requOlled by lbo Service. bul lbe Service
I. not relieved of II. duty 10 IlIu. a
biological opinion unle.. appropriBla
time axtan.loDl are oblalned UDd.r
parqrapb (0).
Howevor. Fedoral asenclo. and
appllcan.. ... cautloned lbat lb.y bear
lbe burdon undor ..ctlon 7(a)(2) 10 .how
lbal lbey have obl&lood lbe be.1
avaJIabla acIenllf\c and commercial
data. TbI. I. nol lbe Servlca'. burden or
oblJaation. bul lbo Service do.. have lbe
rHpoOllbWty 10 a10rt lbo Pedoral
.....cy and any appllcanl of .....
wh... IddltlODll dlta would provtdo .
ballar Ioformatl... ba.. from which to