The Service announced its intent to seek public comments in a notice published in the April 14 Federal Register. Comments will be accepted for 30 days after the publication date.
The primary focus for the Services review is to identify issues related to statewide cumulative and secondary effects of activities conducted by the DNRs Division of Wildlife that are funded under Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act Grant Number W-134-P and Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act Grant Number F-69-P, and administered by the Services Federal Aid Division in its Midwest Region.
A secondary focus is to address the processes the DNR uses to select and complete these activities. Each individual project or group of projects will continue to receive site-specific National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review when submitted for funding. Therefore the scope of this review is broad and directed at effects that may not be detected in individual projects, along with consideration of the overall planning system the state of Ohio uses.
Comments on site-specific projects are not within the scope of this review, although comments regarding the effects of specific types of projects would be appropriate.
The Service believes that its categorical exclusion for financial assistance applies to this action, and is seeking public comments to help determine whether any exceptions to the categorical exclusion may apply, particularly the exceptions for controversial environmental effects and cumulative effects. Federal agencies develop categorical exclusions for routine actions with minor environmental impacts. Such exclusions do not require the development of a NEPA document, as do Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements.
If an exception to the categorical exclusion applies, the Service is required to develop a draft Environmental Assessment, which would be released for public review and comment before being finalized.
The Ohio Division of Wildlife has used Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish Restoration funds since the two programs were established, in 1937 and 1956 respectively. This is the third year that the DNR will use Wildlife Conservation and Restoration funds, which Congress approved for a one-year period during the federal fiscal year beginning October 1, 2000. The Division of Wildlife has administered its Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration grant program using the comprehensive management plan (CMP) option for the past 11 years. The DNR began administering the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration grant program using the CMP option on July 1, 2001.
The Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish Restoration acts also contain options allowing funding of individual projects through separate awards. However, the Division of Wildlife chose the CMP option, which allows use of its comprehensive management system to prevent duplicate administrative procedures to manage grants.
Congress passed the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act in 1937. It directed an existing federal excise tax on firearms and ammunition to fund state wildlife projects, enabling state agencies to move beyond law enforcement and actively restore our natural heritage. More than $3.2 billion have been used for wildlife since the program was established. The Sport Fish Restoration Act, passed in 1956, is funded by revenues collected from the manufacturers of fishing rods, reels, creels, lures, flies and artificial baits, who pay an excise tax on these items to the U.S. Treasury. An amendment in 1984 added new provisions to the act by extending the excise tax to previously untaxed items of sport fishing equipment.
A copy of the Federal Register notice and copies of the grant proposals are available on the Web at http://midwest.fws.gov/NEPA/ohcmp/ . Comments on the proposed continuation of funding and the proper NEPA determination may be addressed to Jon Parker or Michael Vanderford, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Federal Aid, 1 Federal Drive, Ft. Snelling, MN 55111-4056. Comments may also be submitted via e-mail to < ohdnrgrants@fws.gov >.
Copies of the grant proposals for fish management and wildlife management are also available at
