department or agency of the United States, or by any public or private 

 agency under Federal permit or license, such department or agency shall 

 first consult with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service..." 



With minor exceptions the requirement for consultation is all 

 inclusive [10]. 



The Coordination Act exerts an important influence over onshore 

 and nearshore development and over the exploration and production of 

 oil and gas on offshore tracts. The most common types of development 

 and potential environmental disturbances associated with this 

 act are discussed at length in other volumes of this report. 



The Service has developed a "Navigable Waters Handbook" composed 

 of the formal guidelines governing its actions under the Coordination 

 Act relating to permits in navigable waters, and an extensive field 

 manual filled with practical examples and advice (Figures 4 and 5) [11]. 

 Other FWS "Handbooks" have been prepared for Fossil Fuel Power Plants, 

 Stream Channelization, Habitat Evaluation, and Downstream Flow Needs 

 (under preparation, October 1977). 



The Oil and Gas Exploration and Development Activities Guidelines 

 of December 1, 1975, provide special guidance for OCS-related activities 

 in territorial and inland navigable waters and wetlands. 



Procedures for Corps of Engineers permits are covered by an inter- 

 agency agreement, discussed in Section 3.3.1 (dredge and fill permits) 

 [14]. The agreement outlines ways in which FWS objections are brought 

 to the attention of the Corps, and the ways differences are resolved. 

 Similar situations that may arise with other agencies are handled on 

 a case by case basis with the exception of OCS lands management. 



The Coordination Act process usually begins when the Service 

 receives a notice of permit application or proposed Federal activity: 

 the public's notice serves as notice to FWS. 



When notice of a permit is received in a FWS field office, it is 

 logged in the appropriate logbook (Section 10/404; NPDES, etc.). The 

 file is then assigned to a field coordinator for further investigation. 

 Some permits are evaluated or based on in-office maps and data. Others 

 require field investigation. In some cases, the investigation is 

 informally coordinated with state and other Federal organizations. 



If environments may be endangered, permit or project sponsors are 

 asked to provide detailed environmental studies when required. The 



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