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