Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish
| Published date | 30 September 2019 |
| Citation | 84 FR 51518 |
| Record Number | 2019-21089 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration |
Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 189 (Monday, September 30, 2019)
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 189 (Monday, September 30, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 51518]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-21089]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XR041
Endangered and Threatened Species; Take of Anadromous Fish
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; receipt of one incidental take permit application;
availability of a draft environmental assessment; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that NMFS has received one incidental
take permit application for the Calaveras River Habitat Conservation
Plan (HCP) pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as
amended. NMFS has also prepared a draft environmental assessment (EA)
under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) describing the
potential effects of Stockton East Water District's (District) proposed
Calaveras River HCP. The Calaveras River HCP was prepared and submitted
by the District and describes their ongoing operations and monitoring
activities in the Calaveras River. NMFS is furnishing this notice in
order to allow other agencies and the public an opportunity to review
and comment on the Calaveras River HCP and EA. All comments and other
information received will become part of the public record and will be
available for review.
DATES: Comments or requests for a public hearing on the applications
must be received at the appropriate address or fax number (see
ADDRESSES) no later than 5 p.m. Pacific standard time on November 14,
2019.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the submitted permit application and
associated HCP and/or the draft EA should be addressed to the NMFS
California Central Valley Office, Attn: Calaveras River Habitat
Conservation Plan, 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 5-100, Sacramento, CA 95814.
Comments may also be submitted via fax to 916-930-3629 or by email to
[email protected]. Include in the subject line of the email
comment the following identifier: Comments on Calaveras River Habitat
Conservation Plan. Please specify whether the comments provided are
associated with the HCP or the draft EA. When commenting, please refer
to the specific page number and line number of the subject of your
comment. The documents are available on the internet at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/calaveras-river-habitat-conservation-plan-and-environmental-assessment.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Monica Gutierrez, Sacramento, CA, at
phone number: (916) 930-3657, via fax: (916) 930-3629, or via email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
ESA-Listed Species Covered in This Notice
Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha): Winter-run Chinook
salmon, spring-run Chinook salmon, and fall/late fall-run Chinook
salmon.
California Central Valley (CCV) steelhead (O. mykiss).
Background
The District is seeking coverage under section 10(a)(1)(B) of the
ESA for their ongoing operations and monitoring program in the lower
Calaveras River in California's Central Valley. The Calaveras River, a
tributary to the San Joaquin River, serves as an important source of
water for fish, agriculture, and municipal uses in Calaveras and San
Joaquin counties. The District manages the water resources within the
Calaveras River during non-flood control periods for their respective
constituents. The Calaveras River provides valuable habitat for CCV
steelhead and Chinook salmon. The District's operations may result in
impacts to listed species and their habitat within the Calaveras River.
Therefore, the District is committed to working collaboratively with
NMFS to minimize these impacts through implementation of the HCP upon
issuance of the Section 10(a)(1)(B) Permit.
Authority
Section 9 of the ESA and Federal regulations prohibit the `taking'
of a species listed as endangered or threatened. The ESA defines
``take'' to mean harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap,
capture, or collect, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct. NMFS
may issue permits, under limited circumstances to take listed species
incidental to, and not the purpose of, otherwise lawful activities.
Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA provides for authorizing incidental take
of listed species. NMFS regulations governing permits for threatened
and endangered species are promulgated at 50 CFR 222.307.
NEPA requires Federal agencies to conduct an environmental analysis
of their proposed actions to determine if the actions may affect the
human environment. Therefore, NMFS is seeking public input on the scope
of the required NEPA analysis, including the range of reasonable
alternatives and associated impacts of any alternatives.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-21089 Filed 9-27-19; 8:45 am]
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