[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 96 (Wednesday, May 19, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27236-27237]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-12611]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[I.D. 051399A]
Availability of a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement on a Proposed Modification of Plum Creek Timber Company's
Incidental Take Permit for Threatened and Endangered Species on
portions of its lands in the Central Cascades, King, and Kittitas
Counties, Washington
AGENCIES: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, Commerce; Fish and Wildlife Service
(FWS), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of a final supplemental environmental
impact statement.
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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Final Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement (Supplement) is available for review.
Plum Creek Timber Company has requested modification of their
incidental take permit (PRT-808398) (Permit) to accommodate the new
land base expected as a result of a legislated land exchange with the
U.S. Forest Service. NMFS and FWS (Services) prepared the Supplement.
The Final Environmental Impact Statement (Statement) associated with
the original Habitat Conservation Plan (Plan) and Permit is not being
re-opened or re-analyzed, and the decisions based on the original
Statement are not being reconsidered. The Services herein announce the
availability of the final Supplement for the proposed modification
pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act regulations (40 CFR
1506.6).
DATES: Publication of the Record of Decision will occur no sooner than
June 18, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Individuals wishing copies of the final Supplement should
contact William Vogel, FWS, or Dennis Carlson, NMFS, Pacific Northwest
Habitat Conservation Plan Program, 510 Desmond Drive SE., Suite 102,
Lacey, Washington 98503-1273; telephone (360) 753-9440 or (360) 753-
5828 respectively. Copies may also be obtained by contacting Michael
Collins, Project Leader, Plum Creek Timber Company, 999 Third Avenue,
Suite 2300, Seattle, Washington 98104; or call (206) 467-3639. See
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for other locations where the final
Supplement and supporting documents may be obtained.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Vogel, FWS, or Dennis Carlson,
NMFS. Both are located at the office of the Pacific Northwest Habitat
Conservation Plan Program, at the addresses and telephone numbers
listed (see ADDRESSES).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Availability of Documents
Copies of the final Supplement and supporting documents are also
available at the following libraries:
Wenatchee Public Library, Attention: Sandy Purcell, 310 Douglas
Street, Wenatchee, Washington 98801
University of Washington Library, Attention: Carolyn Aamot,
Government Publications Department, 170 Suzzallo Library, Seattle,
Washington 98195-2900
Seattle Public Library, Attention: Jeanette Voiland, Government
Publications Department, 1000 Fourth Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98104
Evergreen State College, Attention: Lee Lyttle, Library Campus
Parkway - L23100H, Olympia, Washington 98505
Central Washington University, Attention: Dr. Patrick McLaughlin,
Library Collection Development, Ellensburg, Washington 98926
King County Library System, Attention: Cheryl Standley, Documents
Department, 1111 110th Avenue Northeast, Bellevue, Washington 98004
The Plum Creek Plan for the central Cascades was accepted and the
Permit was originally issued on June 27, 1996. Both apply to a 170,600-
acre Project Area located within a 418,700-acre Planning Area. The
Planning Area is located within east King County and west Kittitas
County, Washington, and is bisected by U.S. Interstate-90. The Planning
Area includes not only Plum Creek lands, but National Forest lands and
lands of other ownerships.
The Permit allows Plum Creek to incidentally take threatened and
endangered fish and wildlife while requiring implementation of a
conservation plan with a habitat-based, prescriptive-management
strategy designed to minimize and mitigate such incidental take. The
Plan approved in 1996 contemplated that Plum Creek lands managed under
the Plan and Permit would likely change as a result of future land
exchanges with the United States. Consequently, the Plan and associated
Implementation Agreement provide procedures and criteria for
modification of the Plan to accommodate the exchange of lands. The Plan
describes two scenarios for land exchanges with the United States
whereby the biological integrity of the Plan would be either maintained
or improved. One scenario exchanges Plum Creek-owned lands in the
Planning Area for Government-owned lands outside of the Planning Area.
Another scenario describes an exchange of Federal and Plum Creek lands
so that within the Planning Area there is: (1) an increase in National
Forest land managed as Late-Successional Reserves or Adaptive
Management Areas under the Northwest Forest Plan; (2) reduced Federal
ownership of lands managed as Matrix under the Forest Plan; and (3)
there is a net decrease in harvestable area.
In October of 1998, House Resolution 4328 authorized and directed
the consummation of the Interstate-90 Land Exchange. The potential land
exchange would result in a transfer to the Forest Service of up to
50,000 acres of the 170,600-acre Project Area previously covered by
Plum Creek's Permit and Plan, and the transfer of up to 10,200 acres of
National Forest lands within the 418,700-acre Planning Area to Plum
Creek. Plum Creek would also acquire additional lands outside the
Planning Area which are not addressed in the final Supplement as these
lands would not be included on the Permit. The authorized land exchange
is a combination of the two scenarios
[[Page 27237]]
determined to be beneficial in the original Plan.
A draft Supplement was released on December 18, 1998 (63 FR 70155),
and the 52-day comment period closed on February 8, 1999. The final
Supplement contains summaries and responses to the comments received.
The final Supplement analyzes Plum Creek's proposal in order to
determine the environmental impact (beneficial or adverse) that would
result from implementation of the Plan modification, as compared to the
original Federal Action (approval and implementation of the original
Plan and issuance of a Permit). It does not address the Federal action
of land exchange.
The final Supplement considers three alternatives, including the
Proposed Action and the No-action Alternatives. Under the No-action
Alternative, Plum Creek would continue to implement the existing Plan
on the current land base. This alternative includes specific mitigation
for wildlife whether or not those species are listed under the
Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Proposed Action would allow the
modification of the Plan to accommodate the new land base and would,
therefore, apply the Plan standards to the newly acquired Plum Creek
lands. The Northwest Forest Plan would apply to newly acquired National
Forest lands. The Partial-Modification Alternative would allow the
transfer of lands from Plum Creek to the Forest Service, but would not
add the newly acquired Plum Creek lands to the Plan. Instead, take
prohibitions under section 9 of the ESA would apply with respect to
listed species, but no conservation would be required for other
wildlife and special habitats.
Author: William O. Vogel, Pacific Northwest Habitat Conservation
Plan Program.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1361-1407, 1531-1544, and 4201-4245.
Dated: May 11, 1999.
Thomas Dwyer,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Dated: May 13, 1999.
Margaret Lorenz,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 99-12611 Filed 5-18-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F, 4310-55-F
