12246 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 50 / Friday, March 14, 1997 / Notices

1. The Secretary is authorized and

directed by Section 206(a) of the Act to

acquire water and water rights to

sustain, on a long-term average, 25,000

acres of primary wetland habitat in

Lahontan Valley. The U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service (FWS) is preparing a

wetlands management plan detailing

actions necessary to best manage water

being acquired to sustain 25,000 acres of

wetland habitat, including the timing of

water applications to wetlands, and the

volumes of acquired water to be

applied.

2. Section 207(a) directs the Secretary

to expeditiously implement plans for

the conservation and recovery of

endangered cui-ui, a fish species found

only in Pyramid Lake and the lower

Truckee River. Section 207(c)(1)

authorizes the Secretary to acquire

water and water rights to assist the

conservation and recovery of the

species. General recovery actions are

authorized under the Endangered

Species Act. The recovery objective

stated in the Cui-ui Recovery Plan,

completed by the Fish and Wildlife

Service in 1992, is to improve the status

of cui-ui so that the species has at least

a 0.95 probability of persisting for 200

years. This objective necessitates

securing spawning habitat in the lower

Truckee River and rearing habitat in

Pyramid Lake as well as an avenue of

passage for spawners and larvae.

3. The Secretary is considering

modifications to the Newlands Irrigation

Project Operating Criteria and

Procedures (OCAP). The OCAP were

most recently modified in 1988 and in

the intervening years, several factors

which affect water management in the

Project have changed. For example, the

number of water-righted, irrigated acres

in the Project has not expanded to meet

predicted levels. Also, formulas used to

calculate allowable diversions of

Truckee River water to the Project need

to be revised to reflect current and

expected conditions within the Project.

Short-term OCAP adjustments within

the framework of the existing criteria

and procedures are currently in

preparation to account for changes in

water demand assumptions and

operational experience gained since

1988. The Department of the Interior

will examine more fundamental

potential revisions to OCAP in order to

optimize the use of Project water to

meet competing uses and legal

responsibilities, including serving

agricultural water rights, meeting trust

responsibilities to the Pyramid Lake

Paiute and Fallon Paiute-Shoshone

Tribes, conserving and recovering

endangered fish species, restoring and

protecting Lahontan Valley wetlands,

and meeting other water demands.

4. In October 1996, the United States

signed the Truckee River Water Quality

Settlement Agreement with the cities of

Reno and Sparks, Washoe County, the

State of Nevada, and the Pyramid Lake

Paiute Tribe. The agreement resolves

litigation over approval and operation of

the Reno-Sparks water treatment facility

brought by the Pyramid Lake Paiute

Tribe against Reno, Sparks, the State of

Nevada, and the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency. Under terms of the

agreement, the Department of the

Interior will allocate $12 million over

five years to acquire Truckee River

water rights and dedicate them to a joint

program to manage an equal quantity of

water rights to be acquired by Reno,

Sparks, and Washoe County for the

purpose of improving water quality and

instream flows in the Truckee River

from Reno to Pyramid Lake. In addition,

the Department of the Interior agreed to

aid Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County

in meeting water quality goals by storing

acquired water in federal Truckee River

reservoirs and timing releases to

improve instream flows during normally

dry periods of the summer and early

fall.

Other Actions To Be Considered

In addition, the EIS will consider an

extensive list of proposed and active

projects that may have cumulative

impacts within the scope of this

document. Two actions authorized

under P.L. 101–618 are being reviewed

in separate EISs. These are: (1)

Modification of reservoir and river

operations on the Truckee River as

described in the Truckee River

Operating Agreement draft EIS currently

being prepared by the Bureau of

Reclamation and the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service (FWS), and expected to

be released in the spring of 1997; and (2)

acquisition of water for development of

wetlands at the terminus of the Carson

River as described in the Lahontan

Valley Wetlands Water Rights

Acquisition Program final EIS released

by the FWS in September 1996.

Additional projects and actions to be

considered include the new Operation

and Maintenance contract for the

Newlands Irrigation Project; possible

agreement between the Department of

the Interior and the Fallon PaiuteShoshone Tribe regarding water and

water-rights management, acquisition,

and protection; efforts of the Fish and

Wildlife Service to acquire water from

the Upper Carson River; implementation

of the agreement with the Department of

the Navy to conserve and transfer water

from the Fallon Naval Air Station to the

Fish and Wildlife Service; and possible

water storage agreements for Lahontan

Reservoir. The EIS proposed in this

Notice will, as part of its analysis,

consolidate and review the effects of

these and other water management

actions identified during the scoping

process.

This notice is being published, and

the environmental review of this project

will be completed, in accordance with

Council on Environmental Quality

Regulations for Implementing the

National Environmental Policy Act (40

CFR 1508.22).

Tentative Schedule

Estimated dates for completion of

activities for an environmental impact

statement evaluating the potential

impacts of water resources management

in the Truckee and Carson Rivers

program are:

Milestone Date

Public Scoping Period April 1997.

Identification of Alternatives.May 1997.

Draft EIS Published .. December 1997.

Public Hearings on

DEIS.

January 1998.

Final EIS filed with

EPA.

June 1998.

Implementation of Decisions.August 1998.

Dated: March 7, 1997.

Patricia J. Beneke,

Assistant Secretary—Water and Science.

[FR Doc. 97–6471 Filed 3–13–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–RK–M

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council;

Restoration of Resources and Services

Injured by Oil Spill; (FY 1998)

Proposals Request

AGENCY: Department of the Interior,

Office of the Secretary.

ACTION: Invitation for proposals.

SUMMARY: The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Trustee Council is asking the public,

private organizations, and government

agencies to submit proposals for the

restoration of the Exxon Valdez oil spill

region. The Invitations to Submit

Restoration Proposals for Federal Fiscal

Year 1998, a booklet explaining the

process, is available from the Trustee

Council office.

DATES: Proposals are due April 15, 1997,

at 5:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Trustee Council, 645 ‘‘G’’ Street, Suite

401, Anchorage, Alaska 99501.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The

Restoration Office, (907) 278–8012 or
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 50 / Friday, March 14, 1997 / Notices 12247

toll free at (800) 478–7745 (in Alaska) or

(800) 283–7745 (outside Alaska).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Following

the Exxon Valdez oil spill in March

1989, a Trustee Council of three state

and three federal trustees, including the

Secretary of the Interior, was formed.

The Trustee Council prepared a

restoration plan for the injured

resources and services within the oil

spill area. The restoration plan calls for

annual work plans identifying projects

to accomplish restoration. Each year

proposals for restoration projects are

solicited from a variety of organizations,

including the public.

Dated: March 7, 1997.

Willie R. Taylor,

Director, Office of Environmental Policy and

Compliance.

[FR Doc. 97–6530 Filed 3–13–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–RG–P

Fish and Wildlife Service

Preparation of an Environmental

Impact Statement on a Permit

Application to Incidentally Take

Threatened and Endangered Species

in Association With the San Joaquin

County Multiple Species Conservation

Plan in San Joaquin County, CA

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

SUMMARY: This notice advises the public

that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

(Service) and the County of San Joaquin,

California, intend to prepare a joint

Federal Environmental Impact

Statement/State Environmental Impact

Report (Statement/Report), pursuant to

the National Environmental Policy Act

and California Environmental Quality

Act. The Service intends to proceed

with preparation of the joint Statement/

Report in response to an anticipated

application by San Joaquin County to

obtain a 30-year permit under the

Federal Endangered Species Act that

would authorize incidental take of up to

approximately 100 species of plants and

animals. The anticipated application

would be accompanied by a Habitat

Conservation Plan. This notice describes

the proposed action and alternatives,

and the history of the scoping process.

DATES: Written comments will be

accepted by the Service at the address

below until April 14, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Information and comments

related to preparation of the joint

Statement/Report should be submitted

to Mr. Wayne White, Field Supervisor,

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 3310 El

Camino Avenue, Suite 120, Sacramento,

California 95821. Written comments

also may be sent by facsimile to (916)

979–2723.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Peter Cross, Division of Endangered

Species, at the above Sacramento

address, telephone (916) 979–2725.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Availability of Documents

Background material will be available

for public inspection, by appointment,

during normal business hours (7:30 a.m.

to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday) at

the above Service address.

History of the Scoping Process

The public scoping process for the

Statement/Report was formally initiated

with the publication by San Joaquin

County of a Notice of Public Hearing

Scoping Meetings and Notice of

Preparation/Notice of Intent for the

Preparation of a Joint Environmental

Impact Report/Environmental Impact

Statement for the San Joaquin County

Multi-species Habitat Conservation and

Open Space Plan in The Record (the

largest distribution newspaper in San

Joaquin County) on January 22, 1997.

This Notice also was sent to 271

organizations, agencies, native

American tribes and other interested

public within San Joaquin County and

adjacent cities and counties. On

February 6, 1997, the Service attended

a public scoping meeting held in the

city of Stockton, California, pursuant to

the January 22 notice. During this

meeting, concern was raised regarding

the potential impact of linear projects

that could create significant dispersal

barriers to certain species that will be

addressed in the Habitat Conservation

Plan (e.g., water delivery canals). The

Service intends to use the information

collected at the February 6 scoping

meeting and a second scoping meeting

held on March 5, 1997, in Lodi,

California, as well as other information

and comments received in development

of the joint Statement/Report.

Proposed Action

San Joaquin County intends to submit

an application to the Service for a 30-

year incidental take permit under

Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Federal

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as

amended (Act). The application would

include a Multi-Species Habitat

Conservation and Open Space Plan

(Plan) that would serve as a Habitat

Conservation Plan as defined by Section

10(a)(1)(B) of the Act.

The Service anticipates that San

Joaquin County would seek a permit

authorizing incidental take, now or in

the future, of up to approximately 100

species, to the extent that take is

prohibited under Section 9 of the Act

for each of these species. The

anticipated permit application would

include 12 listed species: the

endangered San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes

macrotis mutica), Conservancy fairy

shrimp (Branchinecta conservatio),

longhorn fairy shrimp (Branchinecta

longiantenna), vernal pool tadpole

shrimp (Lepidurus packardi), largeflowered fiddleneck (Amsinckia

grandiflora), and palmate-bracted bird’sbeak (Cordylanthus palmatus), and the

threatened California red-legged frog

(Rana aurora draytonii), valley

elderberry longhorn beetle (Desmocerus

californicus dimorphus), vernal pool

fairy shrimp (Branchinecta lynchi),

delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus),

giant garter snake (Thamnophis gigas),

and Aleutian Canada goose (Branta

canadensis leucopareia). In addition,

the anticipated application likely would

seek assurances for future incidental

take, should it become necessary, of 83

currently unlisted species. These

unlisted species include 4 species

proposed for listing: the Sacramento

splittail (Pogonichthys macrolepidotus),

succulent owl’s clover (fleshy owl’s

clover) (Castilleja campestris ssp.

succulenta) and Colusa grass

(Neostapfia colusana), currently

proposed for threatened status, and

Greene’s tuctoria (Tuctoria greenei),

currently proposed for endangered

status. Should an unlisted species

covered by the Plan be listed in the

future, take authorization would become

effective upon listing under the Act.

The anticipated Plan would

encompass all of San Joaquin County:

approximately 1,400 square miles

(900,000 acres), including 43 percent of

the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The

Plan, however, would only be

applicable to the area covered by those

jurisdictions choosing to adopt the Plan.

The anticipated Plan would allow

conversion of up to 104,299 acres of

land to non-open space uses while

providing compensation for

approximately 100 plant and animal

species and 52 vegetative communities,

including the conversion of vernal pools

to such uses pursuant to the Federal

Clean Water Act.

The anticipated Plan would have

multiple purposes, all of which address

the conversion of open space (for

wildlife, agricultural, recreational,

educational, flood control and other

uses) to non-open space uses. The

anticipated Plan would allow new

development to proceed with

predetermined, standardized mitigation