ML103120452

Request for List of Protected Species within the Area Under Evaluation for the Columbia Generating Station License Renewal Application Review

ML103120452
Person / Time
Site:	Columbia
Issue date:	11/05/2010
From:	Dan Doyle License Renewal Projects Branch 1
To:	Kurz G US Dept of Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service
doyle, D, NRR/DLR/RPB1, 415-3748
References
Download: ML103120452 (2)

Text

From:

Doyle, Daniel Sent:

Friday, November 05, 2010 3:11 PM To:

Gregg Kurz (gregg_kurz@fws.gov)

Subject:

NRC - Columbia Generating Station license renewal Attachments:

CGS scoping letter to FWS ML100710046.pdf; BentonCounty092910.pdf

Dear Mr. Kurz,

This e-mail is a follow-up to my telephone call on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. As I explained in the call, I am the project manager for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commissions environmental review of the Columbia Generating Station license renewal application. I am following up on the attached letter dated March 22, 2010, that was sent to Ms. Robyn Thorson, Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Region, requesting a list of Federally protected species for this review. This letter was submitted under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act.

To support preparation of a draft supplemental EIS and to ensure compliance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, the NRC requests concurrence on the below list of Federally threatened, endangered, proposed, and candidate species that may be in the vicinity of the Columbia Generating Station site and its associated transmission line rights-of-way (as described in the attached letter to Ms. Thorson). If there are any species that your office would like us to address in addition to the Federally listed, proposed, and candidate species shown below, please let me know. The NRC also requests any additional information on protected species and critical habitat that may be in the vicinity of the Columbia Generating Station site if such information is available. In addition, please provide any information you consider appropriate under the provisions of the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act.

The NRC reviewed the attached list of species and habitat in Benton County (revised September 29, 2010) from: http://www.fws.gov/wafwo/pdf/BentonCounty092910.pdf.

LISTED Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus)

Pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis)

Ute ladies-tresses (Spiranthes diluvialis)

DESIGNATED Critical habitat for bull trout PROPOSED Revised bull trout critical habitat CANDIDATE Greater sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)

Yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus)

Umtanum desert buckwheat (Eriogonum codium)

• White Bluffs bladderpod (Lesquerella tuplashensis)

• Louies western pocket gopher (Thomomys mazama louiei)

• Tacoma western pocket gopher (Thomomys mazama tacomensis)

• obtained from http://www.fws.gov/endangered

The NRC is also in consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service regarding this project. We are currently planning on doing a single document that contains the biological assessment on the bull trout (for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service review), the biological assessment on the Chinook salmon and steelhead (for National Marine Fisheries Service review) and the Essential Fish Habitat (for National Marine Fisheries Service review).

A copy of the draft supplemental EIS containing the NRC staffs analysis and preliminary conclusions will be sent to your office when it is published for your review.

If you have any questions concerning the NRC staff review of this license renewal application, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely, Daniel Doyle Project Manager Division of License Renewal U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission daniel.doyle@nrc.gov (301) 415-3748 E-mail Properties Mail Envelope Properties ()

Subject:

NRC - Columbia Generating Station license renewal Sent Date: 11/5/2010 2:57:08 PM Received Date: 11/5/2010 3:10:00 PM From: Doyle, Daniel Created By: Daniel.Doyle@nrc.gov Recipients:

gregg_kurz@fws.gov (Gregg Kurz (gregg_kurz@fws.gov))

Tracking Status: None Post Office:

Files Size Date & Time MESSAGE 2872305 11/5/2010 CGS scoping letter to FWS ML100710046.pdf 2837935 BentonCounty092910.pdf 19422 Options Expiration Date:

Priority: olImportanceNormal ReplyRequested: False Return Notification: False Sensitivity: olNormal Recipients received: