Notice2023-28505
Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Assessment on the Effects of Permitting Translocation of Sturgeon for Scientific Research and Enhancement Under the of the Endangered Species Act
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
December 27, 2023
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
NOAA has prepared a draft programmatic environmental assessment (PEA) under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) analyzing the environmental impacts of the NMFS, Office of Protected Resources' proposal to authorize directed take under the sturgeon Endangered Species Act (ESA) permitting program for the translocation of shortnose (Acipenser brevirostrum) and Atlantic (A. oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) sturgeon needed to achieve recovery objectives. We are making the draft PEA available to the public for review and comment.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 247 (Wednesday, December 27, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 89385]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28505]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XD605]
Notice of Availability of Draft Environmental Assessment on the
Effects of Permitting Translocation of Sturgeon for Scientific Research
and Enhancement Under the of the Endangered Species Act
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of availability of a draft environmental assessment;
request for comments.
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SUMMARY: NOAA has prepared a draft programmatic environmental
assessment (PEA) under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA) analyzing the environmental impacts of the NMFS, Office of
Protected Resources' proposal to authorize directed take under the
sturgeon Endangered Species Act (ESA) permitting program for the
translocation of shortnose (Acipenser brevirostrum) and Atlantic (A.
oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) sturgeon needed to achieve recovery objectives.
We are making the draft PEA available to the public for review and
comment.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before January 26,
2024.
ADDRESSES: The draft PEA may be downloaded or viewed at: <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/draft-environmental-assessment-permitting-translocation-sturgeon-scientific-research-and">https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/draft-environmental-assessment-permitting-translocation-sturgeon-scientific-research-and</a>. Please
submit public comments via email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b7f9faf1e499e7c586f4d8dadad2d9c3c4f7d9d8d6d699d0d8c1"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f3bdbeb5a0dda381c2b09c9e9e969d8780b39d9c9292dd949c85">[email protected]</span></a> with the
subject line ``Public Comment on Draft PEA for Permitting Sturgeon
Translocation''. No business proprietary information, copyrighted
information, or personally identifiable information should be submitted
in response to this request. Please be aware that comments submitted
may be posted on a Federal website or otherwise released publicly.
Clearly indicate which section, page number, and line number, if
applicable, submitted comments pertain to. All comments must be
provided in English. Please note that the U.S. Government will not pay
for response preparation, or for the use of any information contained
in the response.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Markin, Ph.D.,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4722352e29692a26352c2e29072928262669202831"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="dabfa8b3b4f4b7bba8b1b3b49ab4b5bbbbf4bdb5ac">[email protected]</span></a>, (301) 427-8416; Malcolm Mohead,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#422f232e212d2e2f6c2f2d2a272326022c2d23236c252d34"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e4898588878b8889ca898b8c818580a48a8b8585ca838b92">[email protected]</span></a>, (301) 427-8427.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This draft PEA serves as a framework to
analyze the potential impacts on the natural and human environments for
the authorization of directed take of sturgeon by translocation, in
scientific research or enhancement permits under section 10(a)(1)(A) of
the ESA, to achieve recovery objectives. For the purposes of the
sturgeon permitting program, translocation is the intentional capture,
holding, handling, transport, and release of individuals within a river
system (e.g., translocation of fish across a dam or fish passage) or
between river systems within the U.S. historical range of Atlantic and
shortnose sturgeon (i.e., Maine to Florida). NMFS proposes to authorize
directed take for the translocation of ESA-listed Atlantic and
shortnose sturgeon as a research or enhancement activity to support
sturgeon conservation management and recovery objectives. NMFS proposes
to authorize translocation concurrent with additional research or
enhancement activities, if the research or enhancement activity's
objectives are (1) stated as a term and condition to implement
reasonable and prudent measures of an active biological opinion, (2) an
identified objective in a NMFS recovery outline or recovery plan for
the species, or (3) determined necessary by NMFS Regional Offices and
the NMFS Office of Protected Resources (OPR) to recover the species.
Programmatic NEPA reviews add value and efficiency to the decision
making process when they inform the scope of decisions and subsequent
tiered NEPA reviews. Therefore, NMFS decided that completing a PEA for
the proposed action was appropriate.
This document has been prepared in compliance with NEPA (42 U.S.C.
4321, et seq.), the 2020 Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
Regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508) as modified by the Phase 1 2022
revisions, and NOAA policy and procedures (NOAA Administrative Order
216-6A (NAO 216-6A and its Companion Manual).
Dated: December 21, 2023.
Amy Sloan,
Acting Chief, Permits and Conservation Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-28505 Filed 12-26-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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