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<br />002-3G3
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<br />19928
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<br />FecI...1 Rest,l.r I Vol. 51. No. 106 I Tue,d.y. June 3. IIl86 I Rula. and Re.Bulatlon.
<br />
<br />proce... Includlna: (II Public DOtlca of
<br />uch ,"quilt for conoulllllon; (2) public
<br />noli"" oflh. '.a.ndo for uch
<br />con.u1l1uon; (3) publlc noli"" of
<br />con.ulIlUon hI.u1Io: (4) public comm.nl
<br />p.rtodo: end. (5) pre.crtbed "-"It to
<br />'ppe.1 by the publlc. NolhIns In oecllon
<br />7 authortu. or require, the Bervl",,1o
<br />provld. for public Involv.m.nl (oth.r
<br />than thaI of the applicant) In th.
<br />"lnter.,ency" coD.u1talloD proca...
<br />Moreover, due to the .lIlulory lime
<br />COIUtr.lnlllmpoaed OD tha conoullllloD
<br />proca........ It would Dol be practlcabl.
<br />to Im;;;.ment .uch d.talled public
<br />pertlclp.Uon m......... Public
<br />pertlclpellon mey be provided wllhln
<br />th. PederolIB.ncy'. decl'lonmeJdns
<br />proca... Howev.r, thaI" , functlon of
<br />the os.ncy', resuJallona or .ubetenllve
<br />leaf.lalloD and nol an f.aueto be ..feed
<br />In the conl.xt of conoultatlon.
<br />PinaUy. .everol que.llona we.. raIoed
<br />II 10 wbll ruI.. will Ipply 10 pending
<br />con.u1I1UoDl ODce the ftneI rule
<br />become. .ff.ctlve. The Servl"" dOlI nol
<br />enllclp.te eny dremallc cban&e In
<br />proced.... or Bddltton.1 burd.DI on
<br />Pederal osencle. becauee the .lalulory
<br />chang.. to .ectloD 7 bave beeD In effect
<br />throughoul the development of the lInol
<br />rule. WheD thl. rule becomu effective.
<br />aU peDdIng and future coneWlItloDl
<br />mu.t comply with the requlremeDII of
<br />th... reguJatloDl. The ServIce will
<br />cooperal. with the Pederal egencle. and
<br />any appUcanll to eDlura thaI there are
<br />DO undue delay, In ongoing
<br />coDlull.tloDl.
<br />
<br />Bevenl comm.nten .t.t.d that the
<br />propo..1 BOO' beyond the .cope of the
<br />Act. th.reby pJ.clnS unlu.Ullable
<br />burd.n. on applicant. .nd Ped.ral
<br />'Rende.. Th.y c1.1med that the MIl..
<br />would u.urp P.deral os.ncy .uthortly.
<br />One commenter questioned the wllmate
<br />a ulhorlly of the Servlc. 10 l..u. blndlns
<br />procedunl regulation. under .aclloD 7.
<br />In no VII RV doe. the Service intend to ule
<br />the COl!.Q~1t8t!:m procedure. af.ection 7
<br />10 establl.h sllb.lanllve pollcy for
<br />Federal aBanci... The Service pertonn.
<br />striclly an advlopry funcllon under
<br />.ection 7 by consulting" iib other
<br />Federal lBunde. to Id.nlll)' and h.lp
<br />resolve 1:onflicl.. batween lilted .peele.
<br />. ;. and their crillc.1 babltat and proposed
<br />. action.. A. pert of II. role. the Service
<br />issue. biologic.1 opinion. to IIslst tho
<br />Federal aBe~cies !n confonning th.1r
<br />proposed actions It) the requirement. of
<br />section 'l. However. the Federal agency
<br />make. the ultlmat. d.cI.lon so to
<br />wbether I:. propo.ed ectioll will .all.fy
<br />the requirement. of .ecllon 7(a)(2). The
<br />Service recognlzea that the Fed.ral
<br />agency ha. the primary re.pon.lbility
<br />ror implcmeritins section ra lubltantive
<br />command. and lbe lInal rule doe, not
<br />usurp thatlunction. The Service is
<br />satisfied that the flnal MIle i. within the
<br />acope of the authority provided In the
<br />Act. .
<br />Moreover. the Service il relponlible
<br />ror interpreting .ecUon 7 and for
<br />utabljsbing a conlultation procel. that
<br />. . ",.. both uniform and con. Is tent with
<br />. 'Itatutory requirement.. This lasue was
<br />. addre..ed in the preamble to the 1978
<br />",[e: ,
<br />
<br />nit fWS .nd NMFS ..re authorised under
<br />lhe Ai:1lo IlIue .uch regula lien. .1 they
<br />. deem .ppropri.la for the con.erntion o(
<br />lIeted lpede.. The two Servicel believe that
<br />the.e 'prOcedural reauladonl promote the
<br />conlm.tlon o( lilted lpeelel by
<br />Implementin& It uniform leneral framewon:
<br />'1 the Itartins point (or conlultaUon. Once
<br />the cqanda-tory con.uJtaUon h.1 taken place.
<br />howev!jt-. the ulllm.te reapon.tbtUty (or
<br />delermlriins .senry actJon lnHaht o( aection
<br />7 .lnfre.11 with the partlcular Pederal agency
<br />th.1 wa. engapd in collluJltidon. In thI.
<br />(a.hiciri. . .tandsrdlzed con.u1tatlon proce..
<br />, .'
<br />.... ~,
<br />
<br />I. IIlabU.hed which PNMrv., wltmel.
<br />.,.ncy .dmlnl.trlllve control ovir lu
<br />Ictivltl.. or proar.ml.
<br />
<br />43 f'R 870. 871lJ1on. 4. 1978). The.e
<br />procedural ..suI. lion. do not dlclat.
<br />re.u1I. but p",.crtb. . pro"".. by which
<br />the Sorvlc~ will con.u1tln keeping with
<br />the Acl. .
<br />Several commenten .tated thai
<br />Con8l'IIS did not Inl.nd th.t the Bervl""
<br />lnt.'l'ret or lmpl.ment ..cllon 7. .nd
<br />bellev.d that the Servlco .hould nca.t
<br />the resulallon. II "nonbinding
<br />guld.llne... th.t would Bov.rn only the
<br />Service'. rololn con.ultallon. Tha
<br />Service nol.. that Congre.. nvl.w.d
<br />with .pprovol the ..ctlon 7 reguJalloDl
<br />IlIu.d on January 4. 11178. when
<br />deliberating over tho 11178 Amendmenl.
<br />to lhe Act. ~ H.R. Conf. R.p. No. 1804.
<br />95th Cong.. 2d Seu. 18 (1978). Al,o. the
<br />Service WII urg.d by tho Hou..
<br />Commlttee. through III comm.nts on the
<br />propo.ed rule, to pre.. forward with Iba
<br />(..uance of thl. IInal ruI.. The Servlc. I.
<br />.all.fled thalli ha. ample authority and
<br />lesi.l.tive mandale to Issue thl. rule,
<br />and believes that uniform conoultalloD
<br />standards and procedures are nece.sary
<br />10 meet ita obligation. Wlder section 7.
<br />However. the Service i8 aware that
<br />.ome Federal program. may require a
<br />modified conlultation proceaa. and
<br />therefore the Service hll provided for
<br />the IlIuance of counterpart regulations
<br />under 1402.04.
<br />Several general comment, were
<br />received reBardlng programmatic
<br />adJu.tment. and coordlnellon. One
<br />commenter .US8esled that the Servl""
<br />maintain cumulative summaries or
<br />consultation activities tn the
<br />Wa.hlnglon Office. The Service
<br />maintains copies of aU biolOgical
<br />oplnlono and monitors the I..uan"" of
<br />biological oplnJono In an effort 10 en.we
<br />con.l.lency and accuracy of finding..
<br />The Service ,ubmJt, Ibet current revl.w
<br />mechanieml aie adequate and that.
<br />although the m.intenance of cumulallve
<br />consultation .wnmarte, ml8ht be u.efuL
<br />the Increlled ca.ts are not Justllled.
<br />Another comm.nl.r urged Incre40ed
<br />public pertlclpaUon In the conoullltlon
<br />
<br />8ectioa-by-Sectlaa AnalyoIe
<br />
<br />The following portion of the preamble
<br />.xplalno the llnal ruI., covering the
<br />lub.tandvl f.luel of each aectlon.
<br />not.worthy modiflcatloDl from tha
<br />propooad ruI., 'fgnif.canl cbanpo from
<br />th. 1978 rule. and re.po..... to public
<br />commenll. To .....t lb. ....der, Table 1
<br />pre..nlt a cllItion to each .uboactlon of
<br />th. propooad ruI. wllb approprl.t.
<br />eros.-refareo"", to lbe locetlon of lbat
<br />provision In the fine! ruI. and In the
<br />11178 rule.
<br />
<br />.~,!, I
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<br />P4701.FMT...(le.lIOJ...4-1~
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