ML13253A262
| ML13253A262 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Columbia  |
| Issue date: | 03/04/2011 |
| From: | Krieg R Pacific Northwest National Laboratory |
| To: | Logan D Division of Policy and Rulemaking |
| References | |
| FOIA/PA-2013-0265 | |
| Download: ML13253A262 (5) | |
Text
a Craver, Patti U
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Attachments:
Krieg, Rebekah <rebekah.krieg@pnl.gov>
Friday, March 04, 2011 6:19 PM Logan, Dennis Mcdowell, Bruce K; Bunn, Amoret L Status of the steelhead CGS NMFS response.pdf Dennis - after working on the BA/EFH I realized that we have several potential errors in the Draft SEIS th.t we need to clarify and possibly change (see below). The confusion resulted after I read the letter we'd received from NMFS. The attached letter indicates that the steelhead is threatened.
After reading it, I went changed the status of the steelhead in the SEIS, from "threatened" (as Amoret had written it) to "endangered". But after researching this further for the BA/EFH I am convinced that Amoret was correct and that the Upper Columbia River steelhead is threatened, even though the letter states that the Upper Columbia River steelhead is listed as endangered. I mentioned this to Amoret last week and she thought there might be some confusion at the Portland NMFS office and that we should consider calling Rich Domingue and double checking. I would be happy to malke that call or we could coordinate our schedules if that would work better.
To complete the story, this is the statement I put in the BA/EFH -
The Upper Columbia River steelhead was listed as an endangered species on August 18, 1997 (62 FR 439 upgraded to threatened on January 5, 2006 (71 FR 834), reinstated to endangered in June 2007 based or Unlimited v. Lohn, C06-0483-JCC, 2007), and then upgraded to threatened by U.S. District Court order in Columbia River steelhead is currently listed as threatened (74 FR 42605) by the NMFS.
Please let me know how you would like me to proceed.
Thanks!
Becky Recommended changes to the Draft SEIS Page 2-40 and 2-41 37). The status was a district court ruling (Trout lune 2009. The Upper Table 2.2-5. Listed Aquatic and Terrestrial Species Scientific Name Common Name Federal Status(a)
State Status(b)
Habitat Mammals I
Brachylagus idahoensis pygmy rabbit IFE ISE IColumbia Basin DPS I
Birds Centrocercus urophasianus greater sage grouse lFC ST Columbia Basin DPS Coccyzus americanus yellow-billed cuckoo FC SC Deciduous woodlands Plants I
Sprianthes diluvialis Ute ladies'-tresses FT
- River floodplains' Eriogonum codium Umtanum desert buckwheat FC
- Basalt cliffs Fish Oncorhynchus upper Columbia River spring FE SC Anadromous; spawn in small tributaries-tshawytscha Chinook salmon migrate through major rivers Oncorhynchus upper Columbia River FT SC Anadromous; mainstem Columbia River steelhead Salvelinus cnluenus bull trout FT SC Anadromous; rivers Ponfluentus 1
Ctastomsmountain sucker SCTributaries of the Columbia River 01latyrhynchusmonansce Lampetra ayresi i.
river lamprey Anadromous; spawn in small tributaries;
_Lametraayreiirverampry_
SCmigrate through major rivers Rhinichthys flacatus leopard dace SC Rivers Rhinichthys umatilla Umatilla dace SC Rivers Mollusks Anodonta California floater
-SC Shallow, muddy or sandl califomiensis substrate in rivers Fluminicola great Columbia River spire snail (Columbia
_ SC River substrate columbiana pebblesnail)
Sources: Poston, et al., 2009; Suzumoto, 2010; USFWS, 201 Oa; USFWS, 201 Ob; WDFW, 201 Oa.
(a) Federal status listings: FE = Federally Endangered; FT = Federally Threatened; FC= Federal Candidate.
(b) State of Washington status listings: SE = State Endangered; ST = State Threatened; SC = State Candidate.
(c) DPS-Distinct Population Segment.
Page 2-42 2.2.7.2 Federally and State-Listed Threatened and Endangered Aquatic Species 43 Table 2.2-5 presents aquatic species that are listed as protected by the USFWS, NMFS, and 44 the State of Washington and have the potential to occur in the counties near the CGS site.
45 Federally-listed species include the endangered upper Columbia River spring-run Chinook 46 salmon, the threatened upper Columbia River steelhead, and the threatened bull trout.
Page 2-44 34 Upper Columbia River Stee/head. The listing of the upper Columbia River steelhead has 35 changed a number of times since 1997, and NMFS presently lists the upper Columbia River 36 steelhead as threatened (August 24, 2009; 74 FR 42605). The listing is now defined as the 37 "Distinct Population Segment (DPS) including all naturally spawned anadromous steelhead 38 populations below natural and manmade impassable barriers in streams in the Columbia River 39 Basin, upstream from the Yakima River, WA, to the U.S.-Canada border" (74 FR 42605). The 40 steelhead associated with six artificial propagation programs are also part of the listing, 41 including the Wenatchee River, Wells Hatchery (in the Methow and Okanogan rivers), Winthrop 42 National Fish Hatchery, Omak Creek, and the Ringold steelhead hatchery programs (74 FR Page 4-7 17 4.7.1 Aquatic Species 18 Section 2.2.7 of this SEIS describes the Federally listed, threatened, or endangered species 19 and critical habitats on or near the CGS site. The species include the threatened bull trout, the 20tthreatened upper Columbia River steelhead, and the threatened upper Columbia River 21 spring-run Chinook salmon (Suzumoto, 2010), (USFWS, 2010). In addition, the Columbia River 22 near the CGS site is essential fish habitat (EFH) for upper Columbia River Chinook salmon 23 (spring-, summer-, and fall-runs) and coho salmon. Critical habitat for the threatened bull trout 24 includes the entire Columbia River Basin (75 FR 2269). The USFWS published, in its recent 25 ruling on bull trout, that the mainstem of the Columbia River is more important for providing 26 foraging, migration, and overwintering habitat than was previously understood. Bull trout have 27 been found in the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River (Gray and Dauble, 1977), but the 28 species is rarely found. Observations of the bull trout have usually been in association with the 29 spring freshet (Duncan, et al., 2007), leading some scientists to believe that the species is 30 transient near the CGS site (Dauble, 2009), (Poston, et al., 2009).
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Rebekah Harty Krieg Senior Research Scientist, Energy and Environment Directorate Pacific Northwest National Laboratory 902 Battelle Boulevard P.O. Box 999, MSIN K6-85 Richland, WA 99352 USA Tel: 509-371-7155 Fax: 509-371-7160 rebekah.krieg@pnl.gov www.pnl.gov 3
-o UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 1ý
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric A ministration NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE
,÷*
1201 NE Lloyd Boulevard, Sute 1100
- "7,S of PORTLAND, OREGON 97232-1274 June 23., 2010 Bo Phair U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 11545 Rockville Pike Rockville, Maryland 20852.
Re:
Columbia Generating Station license renewal, request for species list for cor sultation.
Dear Mr. Pham:
This letter responds to your May 3, 2010 request for a list of species to be considere in Endangered Species Act (ESA) and Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) consultations on your proposed license renewal action for the Columbia Generating Station. This letter also clarifies how NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) intends to manage this consultation.
The Columbia Generating Station is located along the Columbia River near Richlanl, Washington. Through the intake of water from the Columbia River for cooling and lhe discharge of waste water from the plant to the river, the project has the potential to affect anadromous fish that may occur in the vicinity of the plant's freshwater intake and wastewater releasq works.
Species listed under the Endangered Species Act likely to occur in these areas are:
" Upper Columbia River (UCR) spring Chinook salmon (0. tshawytscha; listeo as endangered on June 28, 2005 [70 FR 37160]); critical habitat designated on eptember 2, 2005 [70 FR 52630], and
" Upper Columbia River (UCR) steelhead (0. mykiss; listed as endangered oni ugust 24, 2009 [74 FR 42605]); critical habitat designated on September 2, 2005 [70 FI 52630].
This letter constitutes the required notification that Federally-listed threatened or end angered species or critical habitat under NMFS jurisdiction are present within the area affect* d by this project and may be affected by the proposed action.
Please refer to Section 7 of the ESA and its implementing regulations (50 CFR Part 02) for infomiation on interagency consultation. Additional information on listed species' istribution, copies of Federal Register documents designating listed species status, and links to various ESA consultation policies and tools may be found on our website at: www.nw nnoaa.gov, Concerning the MSA, the Columbia River, in the plant vicinity, provides essential fish habitat features for both Upper Columbia River Chinook and coho salmon (currently an unli ted reintroduction effort). Water withdrawal and wastewater disposal operations at the 1troject have the potential to adversely affect essential fish habitat for these species. As the inforpation
2 necessary to make the determinations required under ESA are sufficient to support recommendations under the MSA, we generally conduct these analyses simultaneou information developed during the ESA consultation. However, as Upper Columbia are not listed under ESA, we request that you include them in any request for concu*
consultation and assess the likely adverse effects of the project on their essential hab facilitate our MSA findings.
NMFS has determined that because the potential effects of the proposed action occu entirely within the Columbia River and our Hydro Division is most familiar with Co issues, this project will be manned by our Hydro Division staff out of our Portland o!
send all further correspondence regarding this action to the attention of Rich Dominj 231-6858 or Richard.Domingue@noaa.gov at this office, Sincerely, Bruce Suzumoto Assistant Regional Administrator Hydropower Division ny sly using River coho Tence or itat to r mostly or lumbia River rfice. Please kue, (503)