84018 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 23, 2020 / Notices 

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Jessie M. Quintero, 

Chief, Environmental Review Materials 

Branch, Division of Rulemaking, 

Environmental, and Financial Support, Office 

of Nuclear Material Safety, and Safeguards. 

[FR Doc. 2020–28290 Filed 12–22–20; 8:45 am] 

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PACIFIC NORTHWEST ELECTRIC 

POWER AND CONSERVATION 

PLANNING COUNCIL 

Amended Columbia River Basin Fish 

and Wildlife Program 

AGENCY: Pacific Northwest Electric 

Power and Conservation Planning 

Council. 

ACTION: Notice of final action. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 4(h) of 

the Northwest Power Act, the Council 

has amended its 2014 Columbia River 

Basin Fish and Wildlife Program by 

adding a 2020 Addendum to that 2014 

Program. 

ADDRESSES: The 2020 Addendum to the 

2014 Program is available for review on 

the Council’s website at https://

www.nwcouncil.org/reports/2014- 

columbia-river-basin-fish-and-wildlifeprogram. The amendment process web 

page, which includes links to the 

recommendations, comments, and all 

other documents and steps in the 

amendment process may be found at 

https://www.nwcouncil.org/fw/program/ 

2020addendum. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John 

Shurts, General Counsel, (503) 222– 

5161, jshurts@nwcouncil.org. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant 

to Section 4(h) of the Northwest Power 

Act, in May 2018 the Council requested 

in writing that state and federal fish and 

wildlife agencies, the region’s Indian 

tribes, and other interested parties 

submit written recommendations for 

amendments to the Council’s 2014 

Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife 

Program. In the call for 

recommendations, the Council 

recognized the accomplishments of the 

program over the past 36 years; noted 

several regional developments that have 

been influenced by and may, in turn, 

influence the Council’s program; and 

identified the opportunity presented 

during this amendment process to 

concentrate on specific program areas 

that would allow the program to 

progress in implementation and 

reporting on program performance. The 

Council received 51 sets of 

recommendations by the December 13, 

2018 deadline. The Council then sought 

and received public comment on the 

recommendations as required by 

Section 4(h)(4) of the Act. 

Based on the recommendations, 

comments and other information, the 

Council proposed to amend the program 

by adding an addendum to the current 

version of the program rather than by 

wholesale amendments to the program. 

Thus, in July 2019, the Council released 

a draft 2020 Addendum to the 2014 

Program for public review and 

comment. The Council took formal 

public comment on the draft 2020 

Program Addendum through October 

18, 2019. The Council received 114 

written comments, including comments 

from seven state fish and wildlife 

agencies and other state and statesupported agencies; 13 Columbia Basin 

Tribes and tribal organizations; four 

federal fish and wildlife and other 

federal agencies; four Bonneville 

customers, other utilities and utility 

organizations, other river users and user 

groups; nine environmental and fishing 

groups and similar non-governmental 

organizations; and hundreds of 

individuals. During this comment 

period, the Council also held eight 

public hearings, one large-group 

technical consultation relating to the 

topics in Part I of the draft Addendum, 

and engaged in a number of 

consultations, particularly with state 

and federal fish and wildlife agencies 

and tribes, individually and in groups. 

One set of comments particularly 

from state fish and wildlife agencies and 

Indian tribes asked the Council not to 

adopt Part I of the 2020 Addendum, 

concerning Program Performance, on 

the Council’s expected schedule, that is, 

by January 2020, and instead engage in 

further collaborative efforts on the 

topics covered in that part. The Council 

made a formal decision at its regular 

monthly meeting in December 2019 to 

extend the time for acting on the 

recommendations relevant to Program 

Performance and finalizing Part I of the 

2020 Addendum. 

The Council then proceeded on 

schedule to finalize Part II of the 2020 

Addendum on Program Implementation 

at its regular January 2020 Council 

meeting. The Council completed the 

process with regard to Part II of the 2020 

Addendum by adopting in March 2020 

as part of the program a document 

containing findings on relevant program 

amendment recommendations and 

responses to comments. 

With regard to Part I of the 2020 

Addendum, the Council engaged in a 

further public process, including 

hosting eight workshops from January 

through April 2020. The discussions at 

the workshops addressed technical 

comments received on the draft, as well 

as some of the policy issues that had 

been identified during the previous 

public comment period. Following the 

workshops, the Council revised its draft 

of Part I of the 2020 Addendum and 

released the revised draft for public 

review and comment in May 2020. 

Public comment of the revised draft of 

Part I concluded on June 22, 2020. The 

Council received twenty-two sets of 

comments on the revised draft of Part I 

from state and state supported agencies, 

tribes and tribal organizations, one 

federal agency, environmental groups, 

one customer group, and a few 

individuals. The Council also held a 

public hearing via webinar and 

teleconference on June 15, 2020 that 

was advertised in Idaho, Montana, 

Washington and Oregon. 

The Council then adopted the final 

version of Part I of the 2020 Addendum 

at its regularly scheduled August 2020 

meeting, completing the Council’s work 

on the text of the 2020 Addendum. The 

Council completed the program 

amendment process by adopting, at its 

regularly scheduled meeting in October 

2020, as part of the program a document 

containing findings on program 

amendment recommendations and 

responses to comments relevant to Part 

I. Following the adoption of Part I by the 

Council, the Council knit together into 

one final document the pieces of the 

2020 Addendum. 

The Council decided on final program 

amendments after consideration of the 

original program amendment 

recommendations, supporting 

documents and information that came 

with the recommendations, comments 

offered on the recommendations, 

comments submitted on the original 

draft program addendum as well as 

information and comments received by 

the Council during the extended 

workshop and public review of draft 

Part I and then on the revised draft of 

Part I, and other views and information 

obtained through public comment and 

discussions with state and federal fish 

and wildlife agencies, tribes, 

Bonneville, other federal agencies, 

Bonneville customers, and others. 

Authority: (Authority: 16 U.S.C. 839 et 

seq.) 

John Shurts, 

General Counsel. 

[FR Doc. 2020–28428 Filed 12–22–20; 8:45 am] 

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