ML073530493

Response to NRC Letter Dated 08/22/07, Renewal of Operating Licenses for Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Units 1 & 2. Forwards List of Federally-protected Species Under Jurisdiction of National Marine Fisheries Service for the State of Ge

ML073530493
Person / Time
Site:	Vogtle
Issue date:	09/11/2007
From:	Bernhart D US Dept of Commerce, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
To:	Rani Franovich NRC/NRR/ADRO/DLR
References
Download: ML073530493 (3)

Text

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCENational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE Southeast Regional Office 263 13th Ave. South St. Petersburg, FL 33701 (727) 824-5312, FAX (727) 824-5309 http://sero.nr-mfs.noaa.gov SEP 1 1 2007 F/SER3:TM Rani Franovich, Branch Chief Environmental Branch B Division of License Renewal Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Washington, DC 20555-0001

Dear Mr. Franovich:

This correspondence responds to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) letter dated August 22, 2007, regarding the renewal of operating licenses forVogtle Electric Generating Plant, Units 1 and 2 (VEGP) in Burke County, Georgia.As requested, enclosed is a list of federally-protected species under the jurisdiction of the National Marine Fisheries Service for the state of Georgia.We look forward to continued cooperation with the NRC in conserving our endangered and threatened resources.

If you have any questions regarding the ESA consultation process, please contact Mr. Robert Hoffman, fishery biologist, at (727) 824-5312, or by e-mail at Robert.Hoffman@noaa.gov.

S inc rely/i Assistant Regional Administrator Protected Resources Division Enclosure File: 1514-22.M NRC Endangered and Threatened Species and Critical Habitats under the Jurisdiction of the NOAA Fisheries Service Georgia Listed Species Scientific Name Status Date Listed Marine Mammals blue whale Balaenoptera musculus Endangered 12/02/70 finback whale Balaenoptera physalus Endangered 12/02/70 humpback whale Megaptera novaengliae.

Endangered 12/02/70 right whale Eubalaena glacialis Endangered 12/02/70 sei whale Balaenoptera borealis Endangered 12/02/70 sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus Endangered 12/02/70 Turtles green sea turtle Chelonia mydas Threatened 1 07/28/78 hawksbill sea turtle Eretmochelys imbricata Endangered 06/02/70 Kemp's ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys kempii Endangered 12/02/70 leatherback sea turtle Dermochelys coriacea Endangered 06/02/70 loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta Threatened 07/28/78 Fish shortnose sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum Endangered 03/11/67 smalltooth sawfish Pristis pectinata Endangered 04/01/03 Designated Critical Habitat Right whale: Between 311 5'N (approximately the mouth of the Altamaha River, Georgia) and 30'15'N (approximately Jacksonville, Florida) from i, coast out to 15 nautical miles offshore; the coastal waters between 30 0 15'N and 28 0 0,'N (approximately Sebastian Inlet, Florida) from the coast out to 5 nautical miles.Species Proposed for Listing None Proposed Critical Habitat None Green turtles are listed as threatened, except for breeding populations of green turtles in Florida and on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, which are listed as endangered Georgia Species of Concern 3 Scientific Name Fish Atlantic sturgeon dusky shark night shark sand tiger shark speckled hind Warsaw grouper white marlin Acipenser oxyrhynchus oxyrhynchus Carcharhinus obscurus Carcharinus signatus Carcharias taurus Epinephelus drummondhayi Epinephelus nigritus Tetrapturus albidus 2 The candidate Species List has been renamed the Species of Concern List. The term "candidate species" is limited to species that are the subject of a petition to list and for which NOAA Fisheries Service has determined that listing may be warranted (69 FR 19975).3 Species of Concern are not protected under the Endangered Species Act, but concerns about their status indicate that they may warrant listing in the future. Federal agencies and the public are encouraged to consider these species during project planning so that future listings may be avoided.