Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 4 / Friday, January 5, 2001 / Notices 1089

the needs and views of the public, users,

the information technology industry,

and Federal, State and local government

organizations. The purpose of this

notice is to solicit such views.

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before April 5, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be

sent to: Chief, Computer Security

Division, Information Technology

Laboratory, Attention: Comments on the

draft FIPS for HMAC, 100 Bureau

Drive—Stop 8930 National Institute of

Standards and Technology,

Gaithersburg, MD 20899–8930.

Electronic comments may also be sent

to: ‘‘HMAC@nist.gov’’.

This draft FIPS is available

electronically at: http://www.nist.gov/

hmac/ or http://csrc.nist.gov/

publications/drafts.html.

Comments received in response to

this notice will be published

electronically at http://www.nist.gov/

hmac/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Elaine Barker, Computer Security

Division, National Institute of Standards

and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD

20899–8930, telephone (301) 975–2911,

email: elaine.barker@nist.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This draft

FIPS for The Keyed-Hash Message

Authentication Code (HMAC) specifies

an algorithm for applications requiring

message authentication. Message

authentication is achieved via the

construction of a message

authentication code (MAC). MACs

based on cryptographic hash functions

are known as HMACs.

The purpose of a MAC is to

authenticate both the source of a

message and its integrity without the

use of any additional mechanisms.

HMACs have two functionally distinct

parameters, message input and a secret

key known only to the message

originator and intended receiver(s).

Additional applications of keyed hash

functions include their use in challegeresponse identification protocols for

computing responses. which are a

function of both a secret key and a

challenge message.

An HMAC function is used by the

originator to produce a value (the MAC)

that is formed by condensing the secret

key and the message input. The MAC is

typically sent to the message receiver

along with the message. The receiver

computes the MAC on the received

message using the same key and HMAC

function as was used by the originator,

and compares the result computed with

the received MAC. If the two values

match, the message has been correctly

received, and the receiver is assured

that the message originator is a member

of the community of users that share the

key.

Authority: Federal Information Processing

Standards Publications (FIPS PUBS) are

issued by the National Institute of Standards

and Technology after approval by the

Secretary of Commerce pursuant to section

5131 of the Information Technology

Management Reform Act of 1996 and the

Computer Security Act of 1987, Public Law

100–2235.

E.O. 12866: This notice has been

determined to be non-significant for the

purposes of E. O. 12866.

Dated: January 2, 2001.

Karen H. Brown,

Deputy Director, NIST.

[FR Doc. 01–381 Filed 1–4–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–CN–M

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[I.D. 122800C]

Availability of a Final Environmental

Impact Statement for the Tacoma

Water Department Habitat

Conservation Plan, King County, WA

AGENCIES: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration,

Commerce; Fish and Wildlife Service

(FWS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the

availability of a Final Environmental

Impact Statement (FEIS) for public

review. The FEIS addresses the

proposed issuance of Incidental Take

Permits (permits) to the City of Tacoma,

WA, Department of Public Utilities,

Water Division (Tacoma Water). The

proposed permits relate to water

withdrawal, forest management, and

timber harvest on City of Tacoma lands

in King County, WA. Tacoma Water

submitted applications on December 23,

1999, to the FWS and the NMFS

(together, the Services) for permits

pursuant to the Endangered Species Act

(the Act). The proposed permits would

authorize take of the following

endangered or threatened species

incidental to otherwise lawful

management activities: gray wolf (Canis

lupis), bald eagle (Haliaeetus

leucocephalus), marbled murrelet

(Brachyramphus marmoratus

marmoratus), northern spotted owl

(Strix occidentalis caurina), grizzly bear

(Ursus arctos), Canada lynx (Lynx

canadensis), Puget Sound chinook

salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha),

and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus).

Tacoma Water is also seeking coverage

for 24 currently unlisted species under

specific provisions of the permits,

should these species be listed in the

future. The duration of the proposed

permits is 50 years. This notice is

provided pursuant to the ESA, and

National Environmental Policy Act

(NEPA) regulations.

DATES: We will issue a Record of

Decision and make a final permit

decision no sooner than 30 days after

publication of this notice.

ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION for addresses of locations

where you may review copies of the

documents.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Tim Romanski, Project Biologist, FWS,

510 Desmond Drive. S.E., Suite 102,

Lacey, Washington, 98503–1273, (360)

753–5823; or Mike Grady, Project

Biologist, NMFS, 7600 Sand Point Way

NE, Bldg. 1, Seattle, Washington,

98115–0070, (206) 526–4645.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Availability of Documents

Copies of the Statement, and all

associated documents are available for

review at the following libraries:

The Olympia Timberland Library,

Reference Desk, 313 8th Avenue SE,

Olympia, WA, (360)352–0595

Tacoma Main Public Library, 1102

Tacoma Avenue South, Tacoma, WA,

(253)591–5666

Enumclaw City Library, 1700 1st

Street, Enumclaw, WA, (360)825–2938;

Auburn Public Library, 808 9th Street

SE, Auburn, WA, (253)931–3918

The Seattle Public Library,

Government Publications Desk, 1000

4th Avenue, Seattle, WA, (206)386–

4636.

The documents are also available

electronically on the World Wide Web

at http://www.r1.fws.gov/. Requests for

documents or CD ROMs should be made

by calling the FWS at (360)534–9330.

Section 9 of the Act and Federal

regulations prohibit the ‘‘taking’’ of a

species listed as endangered or

threatened. The term take is defined

under the Act to mean harass, harm,

pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap,

capture, or collect, or to attempt to

engage in any such conduct. Harm is

defined by the FWS to include

significant habitat modification or

degradation where it actually kills or

injures wildlife by significantly

impairing essential behavioral patterns,

1090 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 4 / Friday, January 5, 2001 / Notices

including breeding, feeding, and

sheltering (50 CFR 17.3). The NMFS

definition of harm includes significant

habitat modification or degradation

where it actually kills or injures fish or

wildlife by significantly impairing

essential behavioral patterns, including

breeding, spawning, rearing, feeding,

and sheltering (64 FR 60727, November

8, 1999).

The Services may issue permits,

under limited circumstances, to take

listed species incidental to, and not for

the purpose of, otherwise lawful

activities. FWS regulations governing

permits for endangered species are

found at 50 CFR 17.22; and, regulations

governing permits for threatened species

are found at 50 CFR 17.32. NMFS

regulations governing permits for

threatened and endangered species are

found at 50 CFR 222.307.

Background

Tacoma Water owns land and

conducts management activities in the

Green River Watershed in King County,

WA. Management activities include the

following: (1) operation of a water

diversion dam and associated facilities

(Headworks) on the Green River; (2)

forest management on approximately

14,888 acres (approximately 6025

hectares)of land upstream of the

Headworks diversion dam on both sides

of the river; and (3) well field operations

(North Fork Well Field) located

approximately 5 miles (8 kilometers)

upstream of the Headworks. Tacoma

Water operates and manages the

Headworks, watershed lands, and the

North Fork Well Field as the principal

source of municipal and industrial

water for the City of Tacoma and

portions of Pierce and King Counties.

Howard Hanson Dam (Dam) and

Howard Hanson Reservoir (Reservoir),

owned and operated by the Army Corps

of Engineers (Corps), are also located on

the Green River, upstream of the

Headworks. City lands in the watershed

are adjacent to the Dam and Reservoir.

Current trends in planned population

growth within the Puget Sound region

create a need for Tacoma Water to

explore possibilities for increasing its

water supply capabilities. To meet

forecasted demands, Tacoma has

developed two separate but related

plans. The first of these, the Second

Supply Project, involves improvements

at the Headworks and the construction

of a 33.5-mile (53.9 Kilometers) long

pipeline from the Headworks to the City

of Tacoma. Upstream fish passage

around Tacoma’s Headworks and the

Dam would be provided by the City of

Tacoma as partial mitigation for the

Second Supply Project. This project is

the subject of a State Environmental

Policy Act review in a document

entitled ‘‘Final Supplemental

Environmental Impact Statement for the

Second Supply Project, October 18,

1994,’’ prepared by Tacoma Water. The

second related plan was developed in

conjunction with the Corps (and in

cooperation with the Services, the

Washington Department of Fish and

Wildlife, Washington Department of

Ecology, and the Muckleshoot Indian

Tribe), to increase the volume of water

stored behind the Dam during non-flood

control periods (late spring, summer,

and early fall). Known as the Additional

Water Storage Project, this plan

incorporates restoration and mitigation

measures (including downstream fish

passage) to alleviate the historical

barrier to migrating salmon created by

the Dam. The size of the Dam will not

change as a result of the Additional

Water Storage Project. This Additional

Water Storage Project is the subject of a

NEPA review in a document entitled

‘‘Additional Water Storage Project, Final

Feasibility Study Report and EIS,

Howard Hanson Dam, Green River,

Washington, August, 1998,’’ prepared

by the Seattle District of the Corps.

Tacoma Water’s activities associated

with the Second Supply Project, the

Additional Water Storage Project, and

other management activities on the

City’s watershed lands have the

potential to impact species subject to

protection under the Act. Section 10 of

the Act contains provisions for the

issuance of Incidental Take Permits to

non-Federal landowners for the take of

endangered and threatened species,

provided the take is incidental to

otherwise lawful activities, and will not

appreciably reduce the likelihood of the

survival and recovery of the species in

the wild. In addition, the applicant must

prepare and submit to the Services for

approval an Habitat Conservation

Plan(HCP) containing a program for

minimizing and mitigating, to the

maximum extent practicable, all take

associated with the proposed activities.

The applicant must also ensure that

adequate funding for the Plan will be

provided.

Tacoma Water has developed an HCP

with technical assistance from the

Services, to obtain permits for their

activities in the Green River Watershed.

Activities proposed for coverage under

the permits include the following.

(1) Water withdrawal at the

Headworks for Municipal and Industrial

Water Supply. This withdrawal would

reduce flows, have concomitant habitat

effects downstream, include the bypass

of fish at the Headworks intake, and

inundate the small impoundment area.

(2) Water withdrawal from the North

Fork Well Field for Municipal and

Industrial Water Supply, which would

potentially reduce flows in the North

Fork Green River above the Reservoir.

(3) Construction of Headworks

improvements (anticipated to occur

during a 2- year period).

Such construction would cause:

(a) bypassing of fish at the Headworks

intake during construction;

(b) raising the existing diversion dam

by approximately 6.5 ft (approximately

2 meters) which would extend the

inundation pool to about 2,570 ft

(approximately 783 meters) upstream of

the Headworks diversion;

(c) realigning and enlarging the

existing intake and adding upgraded

fish screens and bypass facilities for

downstream passage;

(d) reshaping the Green River channel

downstream of the existing diversion to

accommodate the installation of an

efficient trap-and-haul facility for

upstream fish passage;

(e) installing a new trap-and-haul

facility for upstream fish passage; and,

(f) installation, monitoring, and

maintenance of the instream structures

in the impoundment for the Headworks

dam raise fisheries mitigation.

(4) Operating a downstream fish

bypass facility at the Headworks.

(5) Tacoma watershed forest

management activities, consisting of:

(a) watershed patrol and inspection;

(b) forest road construction,

maintenance, and use;

(c) forest road culvert removal,

replacement, and maintenance;

(d) timber harvest and hauling; and,

(e) silvicultural activities (e.g.,

planting, thinning, and inventorying

trees).

(6) Monitoring of downstream fish

passage through a proposed fish passage

facility at the Dam, associated with the

Additional Water Supply Project.

(7) Monitoring and maintenance of

Additional Water Supply Project fish

habitat restoration projects and

Additional Water Supply Project fish

and wildlife habitat mitigation projects.

(8) Potential restoration of

anadromous fish above the Dam by

trapping and hauling adults returning to

the Headworks, and possible planting of

hatchery juveniles if found to be

beneficial to restoration.

The Services formally initiated an

environmental review of the project

through a Federal Register notice on

August 21, 1998 (63 FR 44918). This

notice also announced a 30-day public

scoping period during which other

agencies, tribes, and the public were

invited to provide comments and

suggestions regarding issues and

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 4 / Friday, January 5, 2001 / Notices 1091

alternatives to be considered. A second

Federal Register notice was published

following the scoping period on January

20, 1999 (64 FR 3066), announcing the

decision to prepare an Environmental

Impact Statement. A Draft

Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)

was subsequently produced and made

available for a 60-day public comment

period on January 14, 2000 (65 FR

2390). The comment period was

extended for 17 days to March 14, 2000

(65 FR 13947), in direct response to

requests from the public. This resulted

in a total comment period of 77 days.

Comments received on the DEIS and

responses to those comments are

included in the FEIS.

The analyses in the FEIS are done in

two parts; one covering the alternatives

for water withdrawal activities, and the

other covering alternatives for land

management activities in the upper

watershed. Three water withdrawal

alternatives are analyzed in detail,

including: (1) the no action alternative;

(2) the proposed HCP alternative; and,

(3) an alternative involving the

construction of a new water withdrawal

facility approximately 30 miles

downstream of the existing Tacoma

Headworks. Four additional water

withdrawal options were identified

during scoping, but they are not

analyzed in detail as alternatives to the

proposed action because they would not

accomplish Tacoma’s objective of

meeting current and future water

demands, and/or because highly

speculative information would be

required to adequately analyze impacts.

Three alternatives are analyzed for

Tacoma Water’s watershed

management, including: (1) the no

action alternative; (2) the proposed HCP

alternative; and, (3) a no commercial

timber harvest alternative. A fourth

watershed management option was

identified during public scoping, but it

was not analyzed in detail as an

alternative to the proposed action

because it would not accomplish

Tacoma’s objective of managing its

watershed lands to protect water

quality. Lastly, a fifth alternative was

identified during public review of the

DEIS, involving the state Forests and

Fish Report. However, this was not fully

analyzed because the No Action and

proposed conservation measures

surpassed this report, due to agreements

Tacoma Water has with other

stakeholders.

All water withdrawal and watershed

land management alternatives (except

the no action alternatives) would

provide incidental take coverage for the

same 32 fish and wildlife species. These

include the following listed species:

gray wolf, bald eagle, marbled murrelet,

northern spotted owl, grizzly bear,

Canada lynx, Puget Sound chinook

salmon, and the bull trout. Coverage is

also being requested for 24 currently

unlisted species (including anadromous

and resident fish) under specific

provisions of the permits, should these

species be listed in the future. The

duration of the proposed permits and

Plan is 50 years.

This notice is provided pursuant to

section 10(a) of the Act, and NEPA

regulations. The Services will evaluate

the application, associated documents,

and comments submitted thereon to

determine whether the application

meets the requirements of the Act and

the NEPA. If it is determined that the

requirements are met, permits will be

issued for the incidental take of all

covered species.

Dated: December 28, 2000.

Daniel Diggs,

Acting Regional Director, Fish and Wildlife

Service, Region 1, Portland, Oregon.

Dated: January 2, 2001.

Margaret Lorenz,

Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division,

Office of Protected Resources, National

Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–374 Filed 1–4–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE: 3510–22 –S, 4310–55 –S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

[I.D. 010201C]

North Pacific Fishery Management

Council; Public Meetings

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of emergency meetings

of the North Pacific Fishery

Management Council (Council) and its

Advisory Panel.

SUMMARY: The North Pacific Fishery

Management Council and its Advisory

Panel will meet in Seattle in early

January to consult with NMFS on Steller

sea lion protective measures for 2001

and 2001.

DATES: The meeting of the Advisory

Panel will be held on January 11, 2001.

The Council meeting will be held

January 12–13, 2001.

ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at

the Doubletree Hotel, Seattle Airport,

18740 Pacific Highway South, Seattle,

WA.

Council address: North Pacific

Fishery Management Council, 605 W.

4th Ave., Suite 306, Anchorage, AK

99501–2252.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Council staff, telephone: 907–271–2809.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: All

meetings will be held at the Hotel. The

Advisory Panel will meet on Thursday,

January 11, beginning at 8:00 a.m.,

concluding by 6:00 p.m. The Council

will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Friday,

January 12, and may continue into

Saturday, January 13th, if necessary.

Topics for both meetings include:

1. Consult with NMFS on emergency

rule proposed for January 20–July 20,

2001.

2. NMFS proposed regulations for July

21–December 31, 2001; recommend

changes as appropriate.

3. Establish a schedule for

development of protective measures for

2002.

4. Develop schedule and proposal for

utilizing expertise of the National

Academy of Sciences to conduct an

independent scientific review of the

November 30, 2000 biological opinion

and it’s underlying hypothesis and

reasonable and prudent alternatives.

Although non-emergency issues not

contained in this agenda may come

before this group for discussion, those

issues may not be the subject of formal

action during this meeting. Action will

be restricted to those issues specifically

identified in this notice and any issues

arising after publication of this notice

that require emergency action under

section 305(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens

Fishery Conservation and Management

Act, provided the public has been

notified of the Council’s intent to take

final action to address the emergency.

Special Accommodations

These meetings are physically

accessible to people with disabilities.

Requests for sign language

interpretation or other auxiliary aids

should be directed to Helen Allen at

907–271–2809 at least 7 working days

prior to the meeting date.

Dated: January 2, 2001.

Richard W. Surdi,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–375 Filed 1–4–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE: 3510–22 –S