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Interagency Coordinators Subgroup (ICS). Prepared for: The Interagency Section 7 Streamlined Consultation Training Summit (February 18, 2004). ICS – What We’re About.
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Interagency Coordinators Subgroup (ICS) Prepared for: The Interagency Section 7 Streamlined Consultation Training Summit (February 18, 2004)
ICS – What We’re About • Is a group chartered by the Regional Executives (that area covered by the Northwest Forest Plan, PACFISH/ INFISH [excluding CA], Bull Trout, and related Biological Opinions • Interagency – FS, NOAA Fisheries, BLM, and FWS
Purpose and Role • Our Primary Purpose – to be a focal point for oversight and timely resolution of issues with regard to implementation of streamlined consultation • Primary Role – to function as key policy advisors on the consultation procedures to the Regional Executives and Level 2 teams
Who is the Current ICS? • Bill LeVere, Forest Service (R-4) • Russ Strach, NOAA Fisheries • Jon Foster, BLM (ID) • Wendi Weber, FWS • Alan Christensen, FS (R-6) • Neal Middlebrook, BLM (OR/WA)
Four Main Emphasis Areas • Improving Consultation Efficiency and Effectiveness • Organizing for Success • Providing Policy Leadership • Promoting Performance Accountability
Improving Consultation Efficiency and Effectiveness • Reissue Streamlined Consultation Procedures – updated to include guidance on “common execution problems” • Provide interagency refresher training in application of streamlined consultation procedures
Organizing for Success • NOAA Fisheries to delegate signing authority for letters of concurrence to Level 2 representatives, and continue to pursue delegation of BO’s commensurate with level of delegation within FWS. • Prepare interagency policy direction encouraging utilization of action agency biologists to draft Section 7 documents for review and signature of the responsible consulting agencies.
Organizing for Success (continued) • Identify full suite of opportunities to assign one consulting agency lead responsibility for consultation in those geographic areas where there are both listed resident and anadromous fish • Establish an interagency website – www.or.blm.gov/esa
Providing Policy Leadership • Regional Executive commitment to meet three times per year to address outstanding policy and operational issues • Develop a comprehensive list of policy issues that includes those requiring regional or national resolution
Promoting Performance Accountability • Investigate the development of a framework for identifying and tracking the consultation workload • Develop an agreement on how we are going to elevate and address performance accountability issues • Identify interagency streamlining teams that operate effectively and recommend opportunities to acknowledge their success
Update/Amendment • Provide an assessment of programmatic consultations that could be created or expanded for Federal lands
Questions? Comments?