in the environmental impact statement, alternatives to the 

 proposed action, the time schedule and procedures for draft- 

 ing the environmental impact statement, U.S. Coast Guard 

 vessel routing procedures, and oil spill risk analysis 

 issues. 



In order to facilitate public input and provide for the 

 development of a thorough and balanced decision-making docu- 

 ment, the Service issued two preliminary draft environmental 

 impact statements to the Interagency Project Review Team and 

 interested parties for review and comment. The first pre- 

 liminary draft was issued early in 1985 and, based on the 

 comments received and other factors, a revision was prepared 

 and issued in February 1986. Once again, comments were 

 obtained from the Review Team and other interested parties. 

 Included with each preliminary draft environmental impact 

 statement was the draft proposed experimental population 

 rulemaking that would implement a final decision to trans- 

 locate. Comments were also obtained on the draft proposed 

 rulemaking. 



The Fish and Wildlife Service's translocation proposal 

 was given Congressional consideration during 1985 hearings on 

 reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act. These 

 hearings took place on 14 March 1985 before the Subcommittee 

 on Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation and the Environment of 

 the House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries and on 

 18 April 1985 before the Senate Committee on Environment and 

 Public Works. Testimony was presented by interested parties 

 on the need for one or more translocations and the resource 

 management conflicts that are likely to be associated with 

 translocation. 



In an effort to achieve consensus on how the trans- 

 location decision-making process should be carried out and 

 what some of the legal consequences would be if the trans- 

 location were successful, the House Committee on Merchant 

 Marine and Fisheries convened several meetings of involved 

 agencies and interested parties. In part as a result of 

 these meetings, the Committee approved H.R. 1027, a bill 

 reauthorizing the Endangered Species Act. On 27 July 1985, 

 the House of Representatives passed the bill, Section 5 of 

 which set forth detailed requirements for establishing a 

 translocated population of sea otters. On 4 December 1985, 

 the Senate Committee on Environmental and Public Works 

 approved a reauthorization bill that did not include the 

 House-passed sea otter amendment. 



At the end of 1985, Congress enacted legislation to 

 provide for the continuing appropriations to the Department 

 of the Interior and other agencies. As part of this measure. 

 Congress included a requirement that the Fish and Wildlife 



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