45458 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 174 / Friday, September 7, 2018 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R1–ES–2018–N106; 

FXES11140100000–189–FF01E00000] 

Revised Draft Environmental Impact 

Statement; Amendment to the 1997 

Washington State Department of 

Natural Resources State Lands Habitat 

Conservation Plan and Incidental Take 

Permit 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (Service), have jointly 

developed with the Washington State 

Department of Natural Resources 

(WDNR) a revised draft environmental 

impact statement (RDEIS) addressing an 

amendment to the 1997 WDNR State 

Lands Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) 

to cover the implementation of a LongTerm Conservation Strategy (LTCS) for 

the marbled murrelet. The RDEIS also 

addresses an amendment to the 

Endangered Species Act incidental take 

permit (ITP) for take of marbled 

murrelet resulting from the 

implementation of the LTCS. The RDEIS 

is intended to satisfy the requirements 

of both the National Environmental 

Policy Act and the Washington State 

Environmental Policy Act. If approved, 

the proposed LTCS will replace an 

interim marbled murrelet conservation 

strategy that is currently being 

implemented under the WDNR HCP. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, please 

send your written comments by 

November 6, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: To view the pertinent 

documents for this proposal, request 

further information, or submit 

comments, please use one of the 

following methods, and note that your 

information request or comments are in 

reference to FWS–R1–ES–2018–N106. 

• Internet: You can view the RDEIS 

on the internet at www.fws.gov/ 

WWFWO/ or at www.dnr.wa.gov/longterm-conservation-strategy-marbledmurrelet. 

• Hard Copy: Contact one of the 

sources listed in FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT to request hard 

copies. 

• Email: Comments may be submitted 

electronically to WDNR at sepacenter@

dnr.wa.gov. WDNR will transmit all 

comments received to the Service. 

• U.S. Mail: Comments may also be 

submitted in writing to: Todd Welker, 

SEPA Center, Washington Department 

of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 47001, 

Olympia, WA 98504–7015. WDNR will 

transmit all comments received to the 

Service. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Please contact either of the following: 

• Mark Ostwald, by telephone at 360– 

753–9564, by email at Mark_Ostwald@

fws.gov, or by U.S. mail at Washington 

Fish and Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, 510 Desmond Dr., 

Suite 102, Lacey, WA 98503; or 

• Todd Welker, SEPA Center, WDNR, 

by telephone at 360–902–2117, or by 

email at sepacenter@dnr.wa.gov. 

You may alternatively contact either 

of the above individuals via the Federal 

Relay Service at 800–877–8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), 

have jointly developed with the 

Washington State Department of Natural 

Resources (WDNR) a revised draft 

environmental impact statement 

(RDEIS) addressing an amendment to 

the 1997 WDNR State Lands Habitat 

Conservation Plan (HCP) to cover the 

implementation of a Long-Term 

Conservation Strategy (LTCS) for the 

marbled murrelet. The RDEIS also 

addresses an amendment to the 

Endangered Species Act section 10 

incidental take permit (ITP) for take of 

marbled murrelet resulting from the 

implementation of the LTCS. The RDEIS 

is intended to satisfy the requirements 

of both the National Environmental 

Policy Act and the Washington State 

Environmental Policy Act. If approved, 

the proposed LTCS will replace an 

interim conservation strategy for the 

marbled murrelet, which is currently 

being implemented under the WDNR 

HCP. 

The Service and WDNR have jointly 

developed a RDEIS for the purpose of 

analyzing alternatives for the LTCS for 

the marbled murrelet. The RDEIS 

analyses seven action alternatives and a 

no action alternative. If approved, the 

amended ITP would authorize 

incidental take of the marbled murrelet 

that would occur as a result of 

implementation of the LTCS over the 

remaining 50-year term of the WDNR 

HCP. The scope of the proposed 

amendment to the WDNR HCP and ITP, 

and thus of the RDEIS, is exclusively 

limited to consideration of the LTCS for 

the marbled murrelet. 

In addition to this notice, the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

is also publishing a notice announcing 

the availability of the RDEIS, as required 

under section 309 of the Clean Air Act 

(42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.). The publication 

of EPA’s notice is the official start of the 

public comment period for the RDEIS 

(see EPA’s Role in the EIS Process). 

Background 

The marbled murrelet (Brachyamphus 

marmoratus), a seabird, was listed as 

threatened in 1992 under the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). 

In 1996, the WDNR released their draft 

HCP for forest management activities 

covering 1.6 million acres of forested 

State trust lands within the range of the 

northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis 

caurina) in Washington. A draft EIS 

dated March 1996 was jointly developed 

by the Service, National Marine 

Fisheries Service, and the WDNR to 

address the issuance of ITPs for the 

HCP, and was announced in the Federal 

Register on April 5, 1996 (61 FR 15297). 

The 1996 draft EIS analyzed reasonable 

alternatives, including the HCP, for 

forest management activities on forested 

State trust lands that would be covered 

by the ITPs. A notice of availability for 

the final EIS (FEIS) was published in the 

Federal Register on November 1, 1996 

(61 FR 56563). On January 30, 1997, the 

Service issued an ITP (Permit No. 

812521) for the WDNR HCP covering 

multiple species. The Service’s ITP 

decision and the availability of related 

decision documents were announced in 

the Federal Register on February 27, 

1997 (62 FR 8980). 

The WDNR HCP (see 

www.dnr.wa.gov/programs-andservices/forest-resources/habitatconservation-state-trust-lands) commits 

the WDNR to developing a LTCS for the 

marbled murrelet (HCP IV. 39). At the 

time the HCP was prepared, it was 

determined that development of a LTCS 

was not possible due to a lack of 

scientific information. For this reason, 

the WDNR developed an interim 

conservation strategy for the marbled 

murrelet, which is currently being 

implemented. The proposed 

amendment to the WDNR HCP is the 

final step in the process for 

development of the LTCS. 

Briefly, the interim conservation 

strategy for the marbled murrelet 

includes the following components: 

(1) Identification of blocks of suitable 

marbled murrelet habitat on which 

timber harvest would be deferred; 

(2) Implementation of a habitat 

relationship study using marbled 

murrelet occupancy surveys to 

determine the relative importance of 

forested habitats; 

(3) Based on the findings of the 

habitat relationship study, identification 

of the lowest quality habitat blocks to be 

made available for timber harvest (these 

areas were expected to contain about 5 

percent of the marbled murreletoccupied sites on HCP-covered lands); 


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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 174 / Friday, September 7, 2018 / Notices 45459 

(4) Implementation of surveys of 

higher quality habitat blocks identified 

by the habitat relationship study to 

determine marbled murrelet occupancy, 

and protection of murrelet-occupied 

habitats, along with some unoccupied 

habitat; and 

(5) Development of a LTCS for the 

marbled murrelet on WDNR lands. 

A Federal Register notice of 

availability (81 FR 89135) for a draft 

environmental impact statement (DEIS) 

for the LTCS was published for a 90-day 

comment period on December 9, 2016. 

The 2016 DEIS did not specify a 

preferred alternative. The public 

comment period for the 2016 DEIS was 

90 days, and over 5,000 comments were 

received. In 2017, the WDNR selected a 

preferred alternative with guidance from 

the Washington Board of Natural 

Resources, necessitating development of 

an RDEIS. This alternative was 

submitted in an application to the 

Service requesting a permit amendment 

in July 2018. 

This RDEIS differs from the 2016 

DEIS in the following ways: (1) The 

WDNR has developed and selected a 

preferred WDNR alternative (alternative 

H), which was not previously identified; 

(2) a new alternative (alternative G) has 

been included in response to specific 

public comments; (3) the WDNR forest 

estate model, or large data overlay 

model, has been rerun with WDNRidentified corrections, resulting in 

different acreage outputs for all the 

alternatives; (4) the WDNR and the 

Service have identified separate purpose 

and needs statements in Chapter 1; and 

(5) the marbled murrelet population 

viability analysis has been rerun with 

modifications. 

Endangered Species Act Compliance 

Section 9 of the ESA prohibits take of 

fish and wildlife species listed as 

endangered or threatened under section 

4 of the ESA. Under the ESA, the term 

‘‘take’’ means to harass, harm, pursue, 

hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, 

or collect, or to attempt to engage in any 

such conduct (16 U.S.C. 1532(19)). The 

term ‘‘harm,’’ as defined in our 

regulations, includes significant habitat 

modification or degradation that results 

in death or injury to listed species by 

significantly impairing essential 

behavioral patterns, including breeding, 

feeding, or sheltering (50 CFR 17.3). The 

term ‘‘harass’’ is defined in our 

regulations as intentional or negligent 

actions that create the likelihood of 

injury to listed species to such an extent 

as to significantly disrupt normal 

behavioral patterns, which include but 

are not limited to breeding, feeding, or 

sheltering (50 CFR 17.3). 

However, under specified 

circumstances, the Service may issue 

permits that authorize take of federally 

listed species, provided the take is 

incidental to, and not the purpose of, an 

otherwise lawful activity. Regulations 

governing permits for endangered and 

threatened species are at 50 CFR 17.22 

and 17.32, respectively. Section 

10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA contains 

provisions for issuing ITPs to nonFederal entities for the take of 

endangered and threatened species, 

provided the following criteria are met: 

(1) The taking will be incidental; 

(2) The applicant will prepare a 

conservation plan that, to the maximum 

extent practicable, identifies the steps 

the applicant will take to minimize and 

mitigate the impact of such taking; 

(3) The applicant will ensure that 

adequate funding for the plan will be 

provided; 

(4) The taking will not appreciably 

reduce the likelihood of the survival 

and recovery of the species in the wild; 

and 

(5) The applicant will carry out any 

other measures that the Service may 

require as being necessary or 

appropriate for the purposes of the plan. 

National Environmental Policy Act 

Compliance 

The proposed amendment of the ITP 

and the 1997 WDNR HCP to cover the 

LTCS for the marble murrelet is a 

Federal action that triggers the need for 

compliance with NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 

et seq.). We and WDNR have jointly 

developed the RDEIS for the purpose of 

analyzing the environmental impacts of 

different alternatives for the LTCS under 

the HCP and ITP. The RDEIS analyzes 

the DNR’s preferred alternative, six 

additional alternatives, and a no-action 

alternative, for a total of eight 

alternatives. 

WDNR manages approximately 1.38 

million acres within 55 miles of marine 

waters, which is the known inland limit 

of the nesting range for the marbled 

murrelet. The RDEIS analyzes 

Alternative H as DNR’s preferred 

alternative. The Service is not presently 

identifying a preferred alternative, but 

will for the final environmental impact 

statement (FEIS). The no-action 

alternative involves continuation of the 

interim conservation strategy for the 

marbled murrelet under the WDNR 

HCP. The alternatives in the RDEIS are 

restricted to implementation within this 

area. 

The alternatives represent a range of 

approaches to long-term marbled 

murrelet habitat conservation on WDNR 

lands. The alternatives differ in the 

amount and location of WDNR-managed 

forest land designated for long-term 

conservation of the murrelet. 

Alternatives also include a variety of 

conservation measures proposed to 

protect marbled murrelet habitat. The 

alternatives also differ in the amount 

and quality of marbled murrelet habitat 

removed through timber harvest. 

EPA’s Role in the EIS Process 

The EPA is charged under section 309 

of the Clean Air Act to review all 

Federal agencies’ EISs and to comment 

on the adequacy and the 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. For 

more information, see https://

www.epa.gov/nepa. You may search for 

EPA comments on EISs, along with EISs 

themselves, at https://cdxnodengn.epa.

gov/cdx-enepa-public/action/eis/search. 

Public Meetings 

We will hold four public meetings 

during the public comment period, at 

the following locations in the State of 

Washington: Ballard, Burlington, 

Cathlamet, and Forks. The dates, times, 

and specific locations of the meetings 

will be posted on the internet at https:// 

www.dnr.wa.gov/mmltcs. The public 

meetings will be physically accessible to 

people with disabilities. Please direct 

requests for reasonable accommodations 

(e.g., auxiliary aids or sign language 

interpretation) to one of the sources 

listed in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT, at least 7 working days prior 

to the date of the meeting you wish to 

attend. 

Public Comments 

You may submit your comments and 

materials by one of the methods listed 

in ADDRESSES. We will also accept 

written comments at four public 

meetings, to be announced. We 

specifically request information on the 

following: 

1. Biological information on the 

marbled murrelet in the terrestrial and 

marine environments; 

2. Cumulative effects on the 

environment that might influence the 

status of the marbled murrelet in the 

ESA listed range; 

3. Resiliency of the alternatives in 

providing current and future marbled 

murrelet habitat in relation to climate 


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45460 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 174 / Friday, September 7, 2018 / Notices 

change and future natural disturbance 

events such as fire and windstorms; 

4. Adequacy of the distribution of 

marbled murrelet habitat within the 

HCP covered area to provide for 

murrelet conservation over the 

remaining term of the HCP; 

5. Other aspects of the human 

environment not already identified in 

the DEIS that may be affected, pursuant 

to NEPA regulations in the Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR) at 40 CFR 

1506.6. 

Comments received from the 2016 

DEIS public comment period were used 

to inform the RDEIS. Comments 

received on the DEIS and this RDEIS 

will be responded to in the FEIS. If you 

submitted comments during the 

comment period for the DEIS, you do 

not need to resubmit those comments. 

Public Availability of Comments 

All comments and materials we 

receive become part of the public record 

associated with this action. Before 

including your address, phone number, 

email address, or other personally 

identifiable information in your 

comments, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personally identifiable information— 

may be made publicly available at any 

time. While you can ask us in your 

comment to withhold your personally 

identifiable information from public 

review, we cannot guarantee that we 

will be able to do so. All submissions 

from organizations or businesses, and 

from individuals identifying themselves 

as representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses, will be 

made available for public disclosure in 

their entirety. Comments and materials 

we receive, as well as supporting 

documentation we use in preparing the 

FEIS, will be available for public 

inspection by appointment, during 

normal business hours, at our 

Washington Fish and Wildlife Office 

(see ADDRESSES). 

Next Steps 

The HCP amendment for the LTCS is 

intended to replace the interim 

conservation strategy for the marbled 

murrelet. We will evaluate that request, 

associated documents, and public 

comments in reaching a final decision 

on whether the application for a permit 

amendment meets the requirements of 

section 10 of the ESA. We will prepare 

responses to public comments and 

publish a notice of availability for the 

FEIS. The FEIS will identify the WDNR 

preferred alternative for the amendment, 

and also the Service’s preferred 

alternative. We will also evaluate 

whether the proposed permit action 

would comply with section 7 of the ESA 

by conducting an intra-Service section 7 

consultation. We will use the results of 

this consultation, in combination with 

the above findings, in our final analysis 

to determine whether or not to approve 

the proposed amendment of the WDNR 

HCP and ITP. If the ESA section 10 

issuance requirements are met, we will 

approve the amendment of the ITP and 

HCP. We will issue a record of decision 

and approve or deny the ITP and HCP 

amendment request by WDNR no sooner 

than 30 days after publication of the 

notice of availability of the FEIS. 

Authority 

We provide this notice in accordance 

with the requirements of section 10(c) of 

the ESA and its implementing 

regulations (50 CFR 17.22 and 17.32) 

and NEPA and its implementing 

regulations (40 CFR 1506.6). 

Theresa E. Rabot, 

Deputy Regional Director, Pacific Region, U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service. 

[FR Doc. 2018–19298 Filed 9–6–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Geological Survey 

[GX18GC009PLSG00; OMB Control Number 

1028–0088] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget for Review 

and Approval; National Cooperative 

Geologic Mapping Program (EDMAP 

and STATEMAP) 

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Information 

Collection; request for comment. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 

the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are 

proposing to renew an information 

collection. 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before October 

9, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on 

this information collection request (ICR) 

to the Office of Management and 

Budget’s Desk Officer for the 

Department of the Interior by email at 

OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov; or via 

facsimile to (202) 395–5806. Please 

provide a copy of your comments to 

USGS, Information Collections 

Clearance Officer, 12201 Sunrise Valley 

Drive, MS 159, Reston, VA 20192; or by 

email to gs-info_collections@usgs.gov. 

Please reference OMB Control Number 

1028–0088 in the subject line of your 

comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To 

request additional information about 

this ICR, contact Darcy McPhee by email 

at dmcphee@usgs.gov, or by telephone 

at 703–648–6973. You may also view 

the ICR at http://www.reginfo.gov/ 

public/do/PRAMain. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the 

USGS, in accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

provide the general public and other 

Federal agencies with an opportunity to 

comment on proposed, revised, and 

continuing collections of information. 

This helps us assess the impact of our 

information collection requirements and 

minimize the public’s reporting burden. 

It also helps the public understand our 

information collection requirements and 

provide the requested data in the 

desired format. 

A Federal Register notice with a 60- 

day public comment period soliciting 

comments on this collection of 

information was published on April 24, 

2018 (FR 2018–08458). No comments 

were received. 

We are again soliciting comments on 

the proposed ICR that is described 

below. We are especially interested in 

public comment addressing the 

following issues: (1) Is the collection 

necessary to the proper functions of the 

USGS; (2) will this information be 

processed and used in a timely manner; 

(3) is the estimate of burden accurate; 

(4) how might the USGS enhance the 

quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (5) how 

might the USGS minimize the burden of 

this collection on the respondents, 

including through the use of 

information technology. 

Comments that you submit in 

response to this notice are a matter of 

public record. Before including your 

address, phone number, email address, 

or other personal identifying 

information in your comment, you 

should be aware that your entire 

comment—including your personal 

identifying information—may be made 

publicly available at any time. While 

you may ask us in your comment to 

withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Abstract: EDMAP is the educational 

component of the NCGMP that is 

intended to train the next generation of 

geologic mappers. The primary objective 

of the STATEMAP component of the 

NCGMP is to establish the geologic 


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