Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Proposed Designation of Critical Habitat for the Klamath River and Columbia River Distinct Population Segments of Bull Trout

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose designation of critical habitat for the Klamath River and Columbia River distinct population segments of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). For the Klamath River distinct population segment (DPS), the proposed critical habitat designation includes approximately 476 kilometers (km) (296 miles (mi)) of streams and 13,735 hectares (ha) (33,939 acres (ac)) of lakes and marshes in Oregon. For the Columbia River DPS, the proposed critical habitat designation totals approximately 29,251 km (18,175 mi) of streams and 201,850 ha (498,782 ac) of lakes and reservoirs, which includes: approximately 14,416 km (8,958 mi) of streams and 83,219 ha (205,639 ac) of lakes and reservoirs in the State of Idaho; 5,341 km (3,319 mi) of streams and 88,051 ha (217,577 ac) of lakes and reservoirs in the State of Montana; 5,460 km (3,391 mi) of streams and 18,077 ha (44,670 ac) of lakes and reservoirs in the State of Oregon; and 4,034 km (2,507 mi) of streams and 12,503 ha (30,897 ac) of lakes and reservoirs in the State of Washington. If this proposal is made final, Federal agencies will be required to meet the requirements of section 7(a)(2) of the Act with regard to critical habitat. Specifically, Federal agencies shall, in consultation with us, ensure that any action they authorize, fund, or carry out is not likely to result in the destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat. The term "destruction or adverse modification" means direct or indirect alteration that appreciably diminishes the value of the critical habitat for both the survival and recovery of a listed species (50 CFR 402.02). Section 4(b)(2) of the Act requires our designation of critical habitat to be made on the basis of the best scientific data available and after taking into consideration the economic impact, and any other relevant impact, of specifying any particular area as critical habitat. We solicit data and comments from the public on all aspects of this proposal, including data on economic and other impacts of the designation. We may revise this proposal prior to final designation to address new information received during the comment period.