[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 88 (Friday, May 6, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27468-27469]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-10717]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R8-NWRS-2016-0063: FXRS12610800000-167-FF08R00000]
Lower Klamath, Clear Lake, Tule Lake, Upper Klamath, and Bear
Valley National Wildlife Refuges, Klamath County, OR; Siskiyou and
Modoc Counties, CA: Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan/Environmental
Impact Statement
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of a Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Lower Klamath, Clear Lake,
Tule Lake, Upper Klamath, and Bear Valley National Wildlife Refuges
(Refuges) for review and comment. The Refuges are part of the Klamath
Basin Complex. The draft CCP/EIS, prepared under the National Wildlife
Refuge Improvement Act of 1997, and in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, describes how the Service proposes to
manage the refuges for the next 15 years. Draft compatibility
determinations for uses proposed under one or more of the alternatives
are also available for review and public comment.
DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive your written comments
by June 20, 2016. Comments submitted electronically using the Federal
eRulemaking Portal (see ADDRESSES) must be received by 11:59 p.m.
Eastern Time on the closing date.
ADDRESSES: Document Availability: You may obtain copies of the
documents in the following places:
Internet: http://www.regulations.gov (Docket Number FWS-
R8-R-2016-0063).
In Person:
[cir] Klamath Refuge Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex
Headquarters, 4009 Hill Road, Tulelake, CA 96134.
[cir] The following libraries: For the location of libraries with a
copy of this document, see Public Availability of Documents under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
Submitting Comments: You may submit written comments by one of the
following methods:
Electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal:
http://www.regulations.gov. In the Search box, enter FWS-R8-NWRS-2016-
0063, which is the docket number for this notice. Then, on the left
side of the screen, under the Document Type heading, click on the
Notices link to locate this document and submit a comment.
By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to:
Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R8-NWRS-2016-0063; U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: BPHC; 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls
Church, VA 22041-3803
We request that you send comments by only the methods described
above. We will post all information received on http://www.regulations.gov. This generally means that we will post any
personal information you provide us (see the Public Comments under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for more information).
For how to view comments on the draft CCP/EIS from the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), or for information on EPA's role
in the EIS process, see EPA's Role in the EIS Process under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
Additional information about the CCP planning process is available
on the Internet at http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Tule_Lake/what_we_do/conservation.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Klamath Refuge Planner, (916) 414-6464
(phone).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We publish this notice to announce the
availability of a draft CCP/EIS for the Klamath Basin Refuges. The
draft CCP/EIS, which we prepared in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), describes and analyzes a range
of management alternatives for the Klamath Basin Refuges. In addition
to our publication of this notice, EPA is publishing a notice
announcing the draft CCP/EIS, as required under section 309 of the
Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.). The publication date of EPA's
notice of availability is the start of the public comment period for
the draft CCP/EIS. Under the CAA, EPA must also subsequently announce
the final EIS via the Federal Register.
EPA's Role in the EIS Process
The EPA is charged under section 309 of the CAA (42 U.S.C. 7401 et
seq.) to review all Federal agencies' environmental impact statement
(EISs) and to comment on the adequacy and acceptability of the
environmental impacts of proposed actions in the EISs.
EPA also serves as the repository (EIS database) for EISs prepared
by Federal agencies and provides notice of their availability in the
Federal Register. The EIS Database provides information about EISs
prepared by Federal agencies, as well as EPA's comments concerning the
EISs. All EISs are filed with EPA, which publishes a notice of
availability on Fridays in the Federal Register.
The notice of availability is the start of the public comment
period for draft EISs, and the start of the 30-day ``wait period'' for
final EISs, during which agencies are generally required to wait 30
days before making a decision on a proposed action. For more
information, see http://www.epa.gov/compliance/nepa/eisdata.html. You
may search for EPA comments on EISs, along with the EISs themselves, at
https://cdxnodengn.epa.gov/cds-enepa-public/action/eis/search.
[[Page 27469]]
Background
The CCP Process
The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997 (16
U.S.C. 668dd-668ee), which amended the National Wildlife Refuge System
Administration Act of 1966, requires the Service to develop a CCP for
each national wildlife refuge. The purpose in developing a CCP is to
provide refuge managers with a 15-year plan for achieving refuge
purposes and contributing toward the mission of the National Wildlife
Refuge System, consistent with sound principles of fish and wildlife
management, conservation, legal mandates, and our policies. In addition
to outlining broad management direction on conserving wildlife and
their habitats, CCPs also evaluate the potential for providing
wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities to the public, including
opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and
photography, and environmental education and interpretation. We will
review and update the CCP at least every 15 years in accordance with
the Improvement Act.
With this notice, we continue the CCP process for Lower Klamath,
Clear Lake, Tule Lake, Upper Klamath, and Bear Valley National Wildlife
Refuges (Refuges). We started this process through a notice in the
Federal Register on April 29, 2010 (75 FR 22621).
The Klamath Basin Refuges consist of a variety of habitats,
including freshwater marshes, open water, grassy meadows, coniferous
forests, sagebrush and juniper grasslands, agricultural lands, and
rocky cliffs and slopes. These habitats support diverse and abundant
populations of resident and migratory wildlife, with 433 species having
been observed on or near the Refuges. In addition, each year the
Refuges serve as a migratory stopover for about three-quarters of the
Pacific Flyway waterfowl, with peak fall concentrations of over 1
million birds.
Public Availability of Documents
In addition to any methods in ADDRESSES, you can view or obtain
documents at the following locations:
Public Libraries: the table below lists the libraries
where the document can be found during regular library hours.
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Library Address Phone No.
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Klamath County Main.............. 126 South Third (541) 882-8894
Street, Klamath
Falls, OR 97601.
Keno Branch...................... 15555 Hwy 66, #1, (541) 273-0750
Keno, OR 97627.
Malin Branch..................... 2307 Front Street, (541) 723-5210
Malin, OR 97632.
Merrill Branch................... 365 Front Street, (541) 798-5393
Merrill, OR 97633.
S. Suburban Branch............... 3625 Summers Lane, (541) 273-3679
Klamath Falls, OR
97603.
Tulelake Branch.................. 451 Main Street, (530) 667-2291
Tulelake, CA 96134.
Butte Valley Branch.............. 800 West Third (530) 397-4932
Street, Dorris, CA
96023.
Redding.......................... 1100 Parkview Ave., (530) 245-7250
Redding, CA 96001.
Multnomah Co. Central............ 801 SW 10th Ave., (530) 988-5123
Portland, OR 97205.
Sacramento Public Central Branch. 828 I St., (916) 264-2700
Sacramento, CA
95814.
Medford.......................... 205 S. Central (541) 774-8689
Ave., Medford, OR
95701.
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NEPA Compliance
We are conducting environmental review in accordance with the
requirements of NEPA, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), its
implementing regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), other applicable
regulations, and our procedures for compliance with those regulations.
The draft EIS discusses the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of
the alternatives on biological resources, cultural resources, water
quality, and other environmental resources. Measures to minimize
adverse environmental effects are identified and discussed in the draft
CCP/EIS.
Public Comments
We request that you send comments only by one of the methods
described in ADDRESSES. If you submit a comment via http://www.regulations.gov, your entire comment--including your personal
identifying information--will be posted on the Web site. We will post
all hardcopy comments on http://www.regulations.gov as well. If you
submit a hardcopy comment that includes personal identifying
information, you may request at the top of your document that we
withhold this information from public review. However, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so. Comments and materials we
receive, as well as documents associated with the notice, will be
available for public inspection on http://www.regulations.gov at Docket
No. FWS-R8-NWRS-2016-0063.
The locations, dates, and times of public meetings will be listed
in a planning update distributed to the project mailing list and posted
on the refuge planning Web site at http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Tule_Lake/what_we_do/conservation.html.
J. Eric Davis Jr.,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region, Sacramento,
California.
[FR Doc. 2016-10717 Filed 5-5-16; 8:45 am]
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