40 



STATEMENT OF 



THOMAS E. BIGFORD 



CHIEF, HABITAT AND PROTECTED RESOURCES DIVISION 



NORTHEAST REGION, NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE 



NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION 



U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 



BEFORE THE 



SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES 



COMMITTEE ON MERCHANT MARINE AND FISHERIES 



U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 



BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 



OCTOBER 18, 1993 



Good morning Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, I am 

 Thomas Bigford, the Habitat and Protected Resources Division 

 Chief of the National Marine Fisheries Service's (NMFS) Northeast 

 Region. I would like to thank you for the opportunity to discuss 

 our Endangered Species Act (ESA) section 7 consultation and 

 Biological Opinion on the effects of the Massachusetts Water 

 Resources Authority (MWRA) outfall on endangered and threatened 

 species. Accompanying me today are John Catena and Colleen 

 Coogan, from the Northeast Regional Office who were involved in 

 drafting the biological opinion and will answer any technical 

 questions that the Subcommittee may have. ». 



As you know, on September 15, 1993, we released our Biological 

 Opinion on the effects of the MWRA outfall on endangered and 

 threatened species to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

 (EPA) Region I Administrator and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

 (Corps) New England Division. I have attached a copy of the 

 opinion to my testimony to be submitted for the hearing record. 



