Purpose and Need for Action. In July 2012, the SDS Co. LLC and its registered business name Xxxxxxxxx Land Company (together SDS) and Xxxxxxxxx Lumber Company (BLC), herein referred to as the Applicants, submitted an application to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for an Enhancement of Survival Permit (Permit) under Section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (16 U.S.C. 1553 et seq.). In accordance with applicable agency regulations, the Applicants also submitted a Safe Harbor Agreement (SHA) describing conservation measures that the Applicants propose to implement to provide net conservation benefits to the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) (spotted owl). The proposed issuance of a Permit by the USFWS is a federal action that may affect the human environment and therefore is subject to review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Accordingly, a Draft SHA (ENVIRON 2012) and this Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) (USFWS 2012) are being made available for a 30-day public-review period. The USFWS’ purpose for this action is to conserve the spotted owl and to determine if the Proposed Action is consistent with the net conservation benefit standard required for issuance of the Permit. The need for the Proposed Action is that the USFWS must respond to the Applicants’ application for the Permit. SDS and BLC own private timberlands in Skamania, Klickitat, and Yakima Counties in Washington, and Hood River and Wasco Counties in Oregon. BLC’s approximately 12,400 acres and SDS’ approximately 69,200 acres are within a 35-mile radius of the SDS Lumber Company’s xxxxx located in Bingen, Washington (Figure 1-1). SDS and BLC are interested in long-term regulatory certainty for the management of their forestlands. They believe that the current regulatory environment in Washington and Oregon does not provide certainty with respect to providing spotted owl habitat on their lands. Without the regulatory assurances available through a SHA, SDS and BLC are induced to focus on eliminating spotted owl habitat on their lands, resulting in harvest of forests over the age of 45 years, over the next 15 years. SDS and BLC would like to enter into a SHA with the USFWS with voluntary conservation measures that are expected to provide a net conservation benefit of the spotted owl, provide the Applicants with business certainty for their timber management operations, and supply to local xxxxx. In exchange for committing to the terms of the SHA, the Applic...
Purpose and Need for Action. The purpose and need for this Safe Harbor Agreement is to provide an additional refugium for both species listed above, and to provide an effective means of mosquito control for the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). The first site is in Tempe, Arizona. Past efforts by Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to reintroduce Gila topminnow into approximately 200 sites were met with “varying degrees of success,” possibly due to poor site selection (Xxxxxxx and Young 1996). The report suggests that sites may have been chosen simply because they offered permanent water within the historical range for this species. Recovery of topminnow and pupfish is limited by availability of suitable habitat. Permanent water sources, free of predaceous fishes and within the species’ historic ranges, are necessary for successful establishment of topminnow and pupfish. Task 2 in the current Desert Pupfish Recovery Plan, states that “...efforts should be made to re-establish pupfish into a diversity of habitat types reflective of those occupied historically...” (USFWS 1993). Task 1.1 of the current draft revised recovery plan for Gila topminnow lists maintenance of refugia populations as a criterion for recovery of topminnow (Xxxxxxx 1998). Man-made habitats are specifically mentioned as a means of establishing refugia populations. Failure to use these habitats to recover topminnow and/or pupfish could actually result in the increased stocking and spread of non-native, invasive fishes (i.e., mosquitofish) for mosquito control. Another need, not related to recovery of endangered species, also exists: public health and safety. Every summer, ADOT receives complaints regarding mosquitoes from residents who live adjacent to the Kyrene Retention Basin. Permanent water in the bottom of the basin acts as a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which are known to be vectors for encephalitis. Although mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) currently inhabit the channel running through the basin, they have not been effective at controlling the mosquitoes. Additional treatment methods, such as spraying of pesticides, have therefore been implemented at great expense. DOT uses the larvicide Bti for controlling mosquitos. This larvicide is not toxic to fish. The County Health Department may use other pesticides. These will only be used as a last resort in consultation with ADOT. Implement...
Purpose and Need for Action. 5
2.1 Description of Proposed Action 5 2.2 Decision to be Made 5 2.3 Legal Mandates 5 2.4 Environmental Permits 6
Purpose and Need for Action. The purpose of the Proposed Action is to maintain and expand USGS services provided at the HIF. The existing HIF facilities are owned by NASA and planned for demolition in 2022. Services provided at HIF include office water-resource monitoring and evaluations and provide equipment and training for other federal state, local and academic organizations, including private industry. New facilities are needed to maintain existing services and expand USGS capabilities to meet the hydrologic equipment needs of the Next Generation USGS Water Observing System. The Proposed Action is in direct alignment with US Department of Interior (DOI) priorities eight (Modernize our infrastructure) and nine (Reorganize the department for the next 100 years)3
Purpose and Need for Action. A. Purpose The Tower and Kleber project generates an estimated 7,498,500 kilowatthours (kWh) of electric energy per year which is sold to seven of Wolverine's nearby wholesale cooperative customers.
Purpose and Need for Action. Purpose: To reduce the flood risk for the City of Amenia by removing surface water inundation from the Rush River during the 1-percent-annual-chance flood within the city limits. • Need: Amenia has historic flood risks with overbank flooding from the Rush River, ice jams, and overland flooding. Additionally, preliminary FEMA flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs) indicate that much of the city will be included in the 100-year (1-percent-annual-chance flood) and 500-year (0.2 percent chance flood) floodplain. Therefore, homeowners and businesses with federally backed mortgages would be required to purchase flood insurance on their properties when the preliminary FIRMs are adopted. With the rising costs associated with flood insurance, this is a considerable permanent expense for property owners without certified flood protection. • The preferred alternative is Levee Alternative 1, which proposes to construct approximately 11,820 feet of levee around the city of Amenia to provide flood protection to residents during a 100-year, 24- hour event. A 10-foot-wide channel would be constructed approximately 15 feet from the toe of the levee as an additional measure of protection from flood flows. A stormwater pond would be developed for Levee Alternative 1 to capture floodwaters and runoff of approximately 180 surface acres within the levee system. Levee Alternative #1 would include constructing removable features to act as temporary levees over three road crossings and two railroad crossings. • Construction of a levee and associated stormwater collection, with some vegetative treatment measures incorporated, will promote secondary unquantified benefits to reduce delivery of sediment and other possible pollutants to the river during 100-year (1-percent-chance flood) and greater flood events. The stormwater collection system will include constructed grassed waterways to manage the agricultural field runoff on the perimeter of the levee system and the new internal City stormwater system will improve water quality with its vegetative treatments that will be incorporated. The impacted wetlands by the levee construction will be mitigated off-site, outside the levee system, at a 2:1 ratio. The new grassed waterway agricultural runoff stormwater collection system will consider created wetland features in the final design where practical.
Purpose and Need for Action. The purpose of the proposed action is to reduce the flood risk for the city of Amenia by removing surface water inundation from the Rush River during the 1-percent-annual-chance flood, within the city limits. Amenia has historic flood risks with overbank flooding from the Rush River, ice jams, and overland flooding. Additionally, preliminary FEMA flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs) indicate that much of the city will be included in the 100-year and 500-year floodplain. Therefore, homeowners and businesses with federally backed mortgages would be required to purchase flood insurance on their properties if the preliminary FIRMs are adopted. With the rising costs associated with flood insurance, this is a considerable permanent expense for property owners without certified flood protection. The initial study included the entire Rush River watershed; however, as meetings with the local planning committee progressed, the focus became the city of Amenia, North Dakota. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) designated the city of Amenia to be mapped for the first time. The analysis of flooding issues for the FEMA mapping effort identified a fairly substantial area of the community within the 100-year floodplain. The Rush River City of Amenia Focus Plan was prepared, and an Environmental Assessment was performed to evaluate alternatives to mitigate flood-related impacts in the Rush River watershed.
Purpose and Need for Action. The purpose of the project is for the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) to authorize a license agreement to the City of Hermiston to install, operate and maintain a recycled water pipeline and outfall structure on Reclamation fee title land. The pipeline and outfall structure will be used by the City to transport and deliver high quality recycled water from the City’s municipal Recycled Water Plant (RWP) to the West Extension Irrigation District (XXXX) Main Canal during the summer season for irrigated agricultural purposes. The need for this action will be to help the City meet National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit levels for the next 20 years, address environmental concerns impacting the Umatilla River and threatened salmonid species, and discharge high quality Class A recycled water to the Umatilla River within approved limits.
Purpose and Need for Action. The property was part of a 2009 acquisition for the construction of added travel lanes on SR 135 under designation number 9803440. INDOT has determined that this part of the right-of-way is excess and not needed now or at any time in the future. In keeping with its policy of disposal of excess right-of-way, approval has been granted to proceed with the disposal.
Purpose and Need for Action
