AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT Sample Clauses
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT. The affected environment is the area and its resources (i.e., biological, physical, human) potentially impacted by the Proposed Action and Alternatives. The purpose of describing the affected environment is to define the context in which the impacts would occur. To make an informed decision about which alternative to select, it is necessary to first understand which resources would be affected and to what extent. The affected environment section of this document attempts to provide the basis for this understanding. Relative to Applicant’s proposal for a Section 10 Permit, the affected environment includes those settings where any covered activities would occur. This includes the Enrolled Lands spanning 212,443 acres of land across Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap, King, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ and Wahkiakum counties. The Section 10 Permit would cover all Enrolled Lands and covered activities. In defining potentially affected resources, the USFWS considered the potential impacts associated with the Proposed Action, namely potential issuance of a section 10 Permit to Applicant for incidental take of marbled murrelets and implementation of the proposed SHA. Consistent with NEPA, the USFWS also considered a No Action Alternative, where Applicant would continue to conduct forest management activities under the Forest Practices Rules without incidental take coverage, and two other action alternatives. Elements of the natural and human environment included in this analysis are those with the potential for significant differences between the alternatives, or for which an analysis was required to demonstrate that the difference would not be substantial. Elements of the natural and human environment not specifically addressed are those that would not be affected by the Proposed Action (e.g., recreation) and those for which there would be no significant difference between alternatives (e.g., transportation, energy consumption, air quality, noise, and scenic resources/aesthetics). The Enrolled Lands are commercial timberlands. Applicant’s Enrolled Lands also provide access to a variety of recreational sites and activities. The majority of Rayonier’s property is gated to prevent vandalism, theft, dumping and to reduce the risk of fire. Most of the property has some type of permit system in place for hunting and other recreational uses. Other areas are open for walk-in use without a permit. Rayonier offers several types of permits: Recreational...
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the existing environment, including conditions and trends, that may be affected by the management alternatives. Descriptions focus on the physical features of Cook Inlet, Alaska, living marine resources, and habitat. The following description(s) of the physical environment of Cook Inlet provides a setting for subsequent discussions on the environmental impacts of each alternative. These descriptions are necessary for understanding how the alternatives being considered may affect the marine resources of Cook Inlet. Because this assessment focuses only on the development of a co- management agreement between NMFS and CIMMC, and the biological and cultural environment surrounding that activity, this section focuses only on beluga whales and the use of beluga whale for subsistence purposes. The reader may find a more detailed discussion of the region's natural and human environments in the following reference documents: the University of Alaska’s 1974 Alaska Regional Profiles: Southcentral Alaska (UAF 1974), and the Minerals Management Service's Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Cook Inlet Planning Area Oil and Gas Sale 149 (MMS 1996).
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT. Coal production in Oklahoma began in the first half of the 1870s and has persisted, intermittently, since that time (Oklahoma Historical Society 2018). In 2017 there were seven active coal mines operating in the State of Oklahoma. These mines produced a total of approximately 634,452 tons of coal that year (ODM 2018). All of these mines produce bituminous coal. Bituminous coal has industrial production uses for steel (metallurgy), cement, and lime. Electrical power generation is also a possible use of this coal, though it is generally not preferred. Average annual coal production in Oklahoma between 2010 and 2017 was 928,085 tons while total coal production over this timeframe was 7,424,677 tons (ODM 2018). Table 3-12 reports total annual coal production in the State of Oklahoma for the years 2010-2017 as well as total and average annual coal production over this time period. In 2017, the U.S. exported approximately 55,300,000 tons of metallurgical grade bituminous coal from all U.S. coal mines (EIA 2018). In 2016, an estimated one billion tons of metallurgical grade bituminous coal were produced worldwide (International Energy Agency [IEA] 2017). YEAR ANNUAL TONNAGE 2010 978,842 2011 1,174,572 2012 1,075,070 2013 1,167,208 2014 927,064 2015 796,859 2016 670,610 2017 634,452 Total Oklahoma Coal Production (2010-2017) 7,424,677 Average Oklahoma Coal Production (2010-2017) 928,085 Sources: ODM 2018
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT. The USGS facility will be visible from the surrounding University buildings and Tuscaloosa area including the lake. The project area is currently an undeveloped area with a parking lot in the midst of a developed university area. The Bryce Hospital complex is assessed as part of the Cultural Resources section of this document. A parking lot exists on the site currently along with vegetation and trees. Located nearby are university classroom and dormitory buildings.
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the existing environment, including conditions and trends, that may be affected by the management alternatives. Descriptions focus on the physical features of CI, Alaska, living marine resources, and habitat. The following description(s) of the physical environment of CI provides a setting for subsequent discussions on the environmental impacts of each alternative. These descriptions are necessary for understanding how the alternatives being considered may affect the marine resources of CI. Because this assessment focuses only on the development of a co-management agreement between NMFS and CIMMC, and the biological and cultural environment surrounding that activity, this section focuses only on beluga whales and the use of beluga whale for subsistence purposes. The reader may find a more detailed discussion of the region's natural and human environments in the following reference documents: the University of Alaska’s 1974 Alaska Regional Profiles: Southcentral Alaska (UAF 1974), and the Minerals Management Service's Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Cook Inlet Planning Area Oil and Gas Sale 149 (MMS 1996).
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT. 3.1 General Marine Environment 3.2 Biological Resources . . . . . . . . . . . .
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT. All wildlife refuges considered in this EA are located within agricultural viewsheds in the Central Valley. The refuges provide visual contrast with surrounding agricultural lands, primarily because of their natural vegetation and water. Scenic quality is also enhanced by the large numbers and variety of waterfowl, which increases visual sensitivity.
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT. The UCFRB CREP project area encompasses two sub basins, the Upper ▇▇▇▇▇ Fork Basin and the Flint Rock Basin. The total area of the basin is 2,366,522 acres. The ▇▇▇▇▇ Fork River is the largest river in Montana by volume. It drains an extensive region of the Rocky Mountains in western Montana and northern Idaho and flows northwest eventually emptying into Lake Pend Oreille in northern Idaho. Major tributaries of the ▇▇▇▇▇ Fork include Rock Creek, Flint Creek, Silver Bow Creek, Little Blackfoot River, Mill Creek, and three branches of Willow Creek. The proposed area, however, does not include the mainstem of the ▇▇▇▇▇ Fork River between Warm Springs Ponds and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Junction, the mainstem of Silver Bow Creek, portions of Warm Springs, Mill Creek, or Willow Creek, which are part of separate remediation actions. Beneficial uses of surface water that are assessed by the MDEQ are aquatic life, cold water fisheries, recreation, drinking water, agriculture, and industry. In 2004, the majority of stream segments in the UCFRB CREP area were listed as not supporting or only partially supporting aquatic life use, coldwater fisheries, and drinking water supplies. In addition, 44 stream segments (totaling 515 miles) and one lake (totaling 20 acres) in the Upper ▇▇▇▇▇ Fork Basin were listed as impaired on the 303(d) List (MDEQ 2004). Flow alteration, riparian degradation, siltation, and the presence of excess nutrients and metals were the major causes of impairment. An acre-foot is the quantity of water required to cover an acre of land to the depth of one foot. It is equivalent to 43,560 cubic feet. Agriculture was the largest source of impairment in terms of miles of impacted streams; over 400 miles of stream were reported as impacted by agriculture. Within the basin, approximately 121,000 acres are irrigated, consuming close to 296,450 acre-feet of water per year, most of which is from surface water sources (USGS 2006a). Agriculture-related causes of impairment include stream channel incensement, nutrient enrichment, bank erosion, siltation, sedimentation, riparian and fish habitat degradation, flow alteration, dewatering, and thermal modification. Resource extraction was the second largest source of impairments to surface waters and along with abandoned mining, impacted nearly 600 miles of rivers and streams in the Upper ▇▇▇▇▇ Fork Basin.
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT. Most marine birds that occur in the Beaufort Sea are there during the open-water season. Arrival times usually coincide with the formation of leads during spring migration to coastal breeding areas. Spring migration for most species takes place between late March and late May. Some birds that breed on the North Slope migrate to or through the Noticed Activities Area (Figure 1) twice each year. Some marine and coastal birds may breed outside the Noticed Activities Area, but spend time in the Beaufort Sea after breeding or during their non-breeding seasons. Departure times from the Beaufort Sea for the fall and winter vary between species and often by sex within the same species, but most marine and coastal birds will have moved out of the Beaufort Sea by late October before the formation of sea ice. Full descriptions of the most important marine and coastal bird species in the Beaufort Sea were provided in the Beaufort Sea Multiple-Sale EIS (USDOI, MMS, 2003) and the Lease Sale 193 Final SEIS (USDOI, BOEMRE, 2011b), Environmental Assessments for Lease Sales 195 and 202 (USDOI, MMS, 2004, 2006b), 2006 Seismic PEA (USDOI, MMS, 2006a), and the recent Biological Evaluation for the USFWS (USDOI, BOEMRE, 2011c). These descriptions are summarized and updated below. Existing information is sufficient to fully evaluate the potential effects of the two alternatives. Marine and coastal birds potentially affected by this action can be grouped according to certain aspects of their life-history or status: ESA-listed birds or those abundant in the Noticed Activities Area (Table 3). The timing and specific location of the Noticed Activities influence which birds could be affected. Birds listed as threatened or candidate (three species) or abundant in the Noticed Activities Area (five species) have the greatest potential for adverse effects and are described further. Spectacled Eider Yes No Yes ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇'▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ Yes No Yes Yellow-billed Loon Yes No Yes Long-tailed Duck No Yes Yes Common Eider No Yes Yes King Eider No Yes Yes Northern Fulmar No Yes Yes Short-tailed Shearwater No Yes Yes Sources: USDOI, MMS (2003, 2004, 2006a & b) and ▇▇▇▇▇, BOEMRE (2011a & b). The distribution, abundance, and legal status of birds designated as threatened or listed as candidate species under the ESA are most recently described in the ESA Section 7 Biological Opinion (USDOI, FWS, 2012). These include the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇’▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ (Polysticta stelleri; threatened), the spectacled eider (Somateria fisheri;...
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT. The ▇▇▇▇▇ Fork River Basin contains a variety of riparian wetlands and still-water wetlands. Riparian wetlands are wetlands associated with running water systems found along rivers, streams, and drainageways. These wetlands have a defined channel and floodplain. Features associated with a river or floodplain, such as beaver ponds, seeps, springs, and wet ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ are considered part of the riparian wetland. Still-water wetlands are associated with depressions and Over 19,000 acres in the ▇▇▇▇▇ Fork River Basin are mapped as wetlands (Table 3.3) (Montana Natural Resources Information System 2006b). Wetlands generally occur as complexes of forested (woody) and emergent wetlands that are interspersed with uplands. The proposed UCFRB CREP Agreement would create or restore approximately 1,000 acres of wetlands and 6,695 acres of riparian buffers. Herbaceous Wetlands 5,220 757 Woody Wetlands 10,418 3,268