Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior:Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement and Habitat Conservation Plan for the Natomas Basin, Sacramento County, CA; Extension of comment period and notice of availability.

On August 26, 2002, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) issued a Notice of Availability (NOA) for the draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) and draft Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for the Natomas Basin, Sacramento County, California (67 FR 54819). We are extending the comment period, which was originally scheduled to close on October 22, 2002, to December 2, 2002. Comments already submitted on the draft EIS/EIR and draft HCP need not be resubmitted as they will be fully considered in the final documents. This notice is provided pursuant to section 10(a) of the Endangered Species Act and Service regulations for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (40 CFR 1506.6). In addition, the draft HCP included as an appendix a Natomas Basin HCP Fee Update, prepared by Economic Planning Systems (EPS), to estimate the amount of the mitigation fee under the HCP. The Service also announces the availability of a revised Fee Study Update that EPS has prepared and invites public comment during the extended public comment period.