Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement; Amendment to the 1997 Washington State Department of Natural Resources State Lands Habitat Conservation Plan and Incidental Take Permit; Extension of Public Comment Period

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is extending the public comment period for the revised draft environmental impact statement (RDEIS) addressing an amendment to the 1997 Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) State Lands Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) to cover the implementation of a Long-Term Conservation Strategy (LTCS) for the marbled murrelet. The RDEIS also addresses an amendment to the Endangered Species Act incidental take permit for take of marbled murrelet resulting from the implementation of the LTCS. The Service jointly developed the RDEIS with the WDNR. The RDEIS is intended to satisfy the requirements of both the National Environmental Policy Act and the Washington State Environmental Policy Act. If approved, the proposed LTCS will replace an interim marbled murrelet conservation strategy that is currently being implemented under the WDNR HCP. Extending the comment period will allow more time for the public to review the RDEIS and submit comments.