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

002393

19952

Federal ReaI.ler I Vol. 51. No. 106 I Tu..day. Jun. 3, 1986 I Rule. .nd negulallon.

f"""u1.Ie. blologlcol opInion. Thl.
.dvice from Ih. Service I. Inl.nded 10
help Ihe Feder.1 "8ency 10 beller ..U.fy
it. duty 10 in.ure thllltJ action I. not
likely 10 leop.rdl.e 1I.led .pecle. or
sdvar.ely modify crlUcal h.bll.1.
A Service reque.1 for addlUon.1 dale
will not be u.ed a. a vehicle for
burdening sppllconll with unnece...ry
a1udiea and Inordinate delay.. ., feared
by one r.ornmenter. AI In lhe Pilt6ton
c..e, the.e reque.l. wlll be JlmJled 10
readily oblalnable date that would
as.isllhe Service In formuletlng II.
biologicol opinion. In per.graph (f). .. in
PiUs/on. a dhttncUon mUll be made
between request. for .peclal research
projectl and requeaUl for routine.
customary data coUecUon acUvftJe..
Moreover. paragrapb (f) doe. noll.ke
the fin.1 decl.lon regarding the
l:fcquisition of addJUOJl8J data away
'.. from the Federal "8eney. The "8ency
.till b.-. the di.creUon to relect the
Service'. roque.t for addiUonal dala
provided it i. not arbitrary or copricJou.
in doing .0. The paragraph b.. been
clarified 10 .Iate thaI the Federal
agency. wben collecting addiUona/ data,
shall do .0 10 the extent practicable and
within the lImeframe of the agreed upon
extension.
The Service. In reque.ling additional
data. will not comment al to the overall
adequacy of the Fed.ral agency'. dala.
It i. the agency'. burden to oblain
credible dala. The SelVice'. reque.1 for
additional dala. IU.1 a. the Federal
agencY'1I inability to complete any
agreed upon collection of dala, .bould
not be interpreted. a. evidence that the
;~ .1~{li Federal agency hat failed to meet the
, 'toC)- ihformatlon .Iandard of .ecUon 7(a)(2);
:~~,. ~ ~ would merely represent the Service',
, . ' "~ell~t.thallhe additional dala would
"" "jidProve the con.ultation data ba.e.o
thai II could I..ue the be.t biological
opinion po..ible. The Service. therefore,
h.. added langu.ge 10 the final rule to
clarify this provi.ion.
A, diaculled above. Ir an exten.lon I.
not agreed to in accordance with
paragraph (e). the Service .balll..ue a
biological opinion ba.ed on the bell
.cienUflc and commerct..l data made
available during the con.ullatlon. The
Conference R.port 10 the 1979
Amendment. 11.1.. that In thJ.
litualion. the Federal "8.ncy b.. a
conUnulng re.ponelblllly to melte .
re..on.ble effort to develop .ddJUonal
dala. H.Jt Con!. Rep. No.lKI7, 96th
Cong" 2d Se... 12 (1979). By lnlU.tlng
Wormal coneull.Uon wlth the Service .t
.n e.rly .tase of the dev.lopment of.
propo...d action. the Federal agency
would. in mo.t caNt, rnl"lrnl.~ the need

S-(J74999

002J(OIXll-MA Y -46-11,nl')

to requul an .xlen.lon or fonnal
con.ull.Uon becou.. 01 .I.ck 01 d.I..
In 10rmuJ.Ungll. blologlcol oplnlon.
Ihe Service mu.t provide the "benefit of
the doubl" 10 the .peel.. concarned.
H.R. Conf. Rep. No. lKI7. .upro, .112. In
addJtion. I biological oplnlon muel be
d.veloped wlthln the con.ull.Uon
Umefr.me ba.ed upon tha be.1 .elenUflc
.nd commerel.l dale avail.ble. Though
requelled by .everal commentera, the
Service I. not .uthorized 10 condJtlon lie
"no jeopardy" opinion. wlth
".aCquard," or to t..ue "may
jaopardlu" oplnlon.1n ret.lIatlon for an
agl':ncy refu.al to extend consultation or
to davelop addJtlonal d.t..
The Service w.. requ..led 10 pubUlh
avatlabillly notice. for biological
oplnlone to facillt.t. public parUelpatlon
In the con.arvatlon of lI.ted .peele.. For
the re..on. noted previously In
response to B general comment. the
Servica decline. to Impo.e .uch .
requirement on ItseU aa an amendment
to paragrapb (I). '
Paragrapb (g) of 1402.14. wblch lell
oul the Service'. re.pon.lbilltl.. during
formal conlulletlon. il adoplad from
propo..d 1402.15(f) wlth only minor
cbange. to clarify the SelVice'.
re.pon.lbilltle.. The public commenll
concerning paragrapb (g) focu..d on the
filth Item; the relpon.lbillly to dJecue.
the av.Uabillly of re..on.ble and
prudenlalternatlv... The Service I.
commllted to working closely with
Fede..1 agenelel and any appllcanll In
the developmenl of re8l0nable and
prudent alternatives. However, the
Service I. unabla 10 agree th.t a draft
re..onable and prudent alternallve
.bould be excluded from the bIological
oplnlon If the Federal agency dJ.agrae.
al to Ita reelon.blene.., .. lItJ.88elted
by one commenler. The Servlca will, In
mOlt ca.el. defer to tha Pederal
agenCY'1 experU.e and judgmant .. 10
the fe..tblllly of an a1lernallve.
Neverthele,". In tho.e lnelanca. wbere
the Service dJ.agreal with a Faderal
agency', ...ellment of the
reasonablene.1 oC ft. ahemadve.. the
Service mu.1 "'.erve the right 10 Includa
thOle a1temallve. In tha biological
opinion If It delermlne. thet they are
"re..on.ble and prudent" eccordtng to
the .lenderd. .el oulln the d.flnltlon In
1402.02; the Servies cannot .bdIcale lie
ulllmale duly to formulate th..e
allernallv.. by glvtng Peder.1 agenela.
control over the conl.nt of . biological
optnlon.
Paragr.pb (g) provtde. lor Fede..1
"8ency and .ppllcant reView of the
bub for any IIndIns oonlelned In drafI
biological oplnlooe. tncIudJ.na the
avo1labllJty of reuonabla and prudent

F'701.FMT...[111.1lOJ...,"1~

" \

alternative.. Pour comment." requelted
th.1 the final rul. clerlfy ..beth.r 111
appllcant..u enUU.d to recelv. . copy
01 the dr.1t biological opinion. The
Servica bellav.. thaI the .ppllcant
Ihould parUelp.le In the ..view and
.bould recalve . copy of the dr.ft
opinion from Ibe Flderal "8ency. The
Iin.l rule Include. thJI proVlllon.
The rele..e of dr.ft oplnlone to
F.deral .genete. .nd any eppllcanle
(through the F.deral "8ency) Iaci1llelel
a more meanJnsful exchanga of
Informallon. Review of draft oplnlona
may, re.u1t In the devalopmenl and
.ubm/I.lon of addJllonal dele. and the
preparation of more thorough biological
oplnlone. Two commenlera oppo...d the
rele... of draft btologlcal oplnlono.
Although they were lupporUve of open
communication and mediallon between
the Service and tha Federal agency
during tha conoultallon lime period. the
commentera oppoled Pederal agency
review of draft oplnlono becauee
agenelel could bring pre..ure on the
Servlca to modify a parUcular
re..onable and prud.nt a1ternallve or to
convert the oplnlon'. concluelon from
"jeopardy" to "no Jeopardy," If there
were any dJlcuulon. needed regarding
the re..on.bl. and prudent a1ternatlvel.
noted the commenlera. thY could be
done In ..further dilculllooo. after the
1.luance of the biological optnlOD. The
Service di.agree. that Pederal agency
review of draft bIological oplnlo,," will
",.u111n "rewritten" biological oplnlone.
unIe.. valid biological reaoono mandete
a change. Federal agency revte.. of drafI
oplnlono belp. enoure the tecbnJcaI
accuracy of the opinion. and may ..va
lime and re.ourcel by relolvtng th....
I..ue. early. The Service bellev.. that
the .vaUabWIy of dreft bIological
oplnlono t. a meanIngI'uJ procell and
h.. Ntalned II In the fInaJ rule. Ae noted
previouely In the "Deftnltlooe" aectJon,
"further dJecu..lon" b.. been d.leted
from thJ. rule. Thus: through the
dJecu..lone between the Service and the
Pad.ral agency and any applicant
during formal cooeullellon and the
provi.lon to review dreft biological
oplnlono. the .xchange of Informallon
for the development of ..aoonabl. and
prud.nt altam.llve.1e .uflJdenL
Th. propoaed ruI. .leled that the ~
dey de.dllne for delivery of the fInaJ
biological optnlon would be IUlponded
wblle the Pederal agency retained the
dreft opinion. Severe) commenl...
complained thet IUch. .nlpene!on
would violale the .letutory dMdIInea for
concluding formal conoulletlon and that
the appllcanl would be power\e.. to
force an end to the oonauJlellon.
Alth..,.h the propooed ruI. provided