ML11362A434
| ML11362A434 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Grand Gulf  |
| Issue date: | 06/14/2011 |
| From: | Bernhart D US Dept of Commerce, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration |
| To: | John Thomas Enercon Services, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| Drucker D, 415-6223 | |
| References | |
| Download: ML11362A434 (2) | |
Text
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE Southeast Regional Office 26313111 Avenue South St. Petersburg, FL 33701-5505 727.824.5312, FAX 824.5309 http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov F/SER31:NB Mr. James A. Thomas JUN 1 4 lOll Manager, Electric Utilities Environmental Services Enercon 5100 East Skelly Drive, Suite 450 Tulsa, Oklahoma 74135
Dear Mr. Thomas:
This is in response to your letter, received by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on March 4,2011, regarding the operating license renewal for the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station near Port Gibson, Mississippi. The current 40-year operating license expires in 2024. Enercon is gathering information on Entergy's behalf relative to this license renewal project.
The Gulf sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi) was listed jointly by NMFS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as threatened on September 30, 1991 (56 FR 49653). Gulf sturgeon are known to inhabit the Mississippi River and have been collected upstream of the project site in the region of Vicksburg, Mississippi 1. The project area is not within designated Gulf sturgeon critical habitat (50 CFR 226.214).
Pursuant to the jurisdictional responsibilities outlined in the final rule designating Gulf sturgeon critical habitat (68 FR 13400), the USFWS would be the lead agency for activities on the Mississippi River. Therefore, consultation regarding potential impacts to Gulf sturgeon from the license renewal of the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station should be coordinated with Karen Harrington, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1601 Balboa Avenue, Panama City, Florida 32405-3721 (tel:8501769-0552).
Thank you for providing the opportunity to provide comments on the project. We look forward to further cooperation with you on other projects to ensure the conservation ofour threatened and endangered marine species and designated critical habitat. If you have any questions, please contact Nicole Bailey, ESA Consultant, at (727) 824-5336, or bye-mail at Nicole.Bailey@noaa.gov.
David Bernhart Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected Resources File: 1514-22.m Ref: T/SERl2011101889 1 Ross, S.T. 2001. The Inland Fishes of Mississippi. University Press of Mississippi, Jackson.
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