Availability of an Environmental Action Statement and Receipt of an Application for a Permit To Enhance the Survival of the Oregon Chub in Lane County, OR Under a Safe Harbor Agreement

This notice advises the public that Robert Russell (Applicant) has applied to the Fish and Wildlife Service (we, the Service) for an enhancement of survival permit pursuant to section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act) for the Oregon Chub (Oregonichtys crameri) in Lane County, Oregon. This permit application includes a proposed Safe Harbor Agreement (Agreement) between the Applicant and the Service. The proposed permit and Agreement would become effective upon initialization of the Agreement and remain in effect for 30 years. The Service has made a preliminary determination that the proposed Agreement and permit application are eligible for categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). We explain the basis for this determination in an Environmental Action Statement, which also is available for public review. We announce the opening of a 30-day comment period to receive comments from the public on the Applicant's enhancement of survival permit application, the accompanying proposed Agreement, and Environmental Action Statement. The Agreement fully describes the proposed project, management actions, and the conservation benefits that will be gained for Oregon chub. The management actions and conservation benefits are also described in the Background section below.