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 NEWS  News  media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  TTY  202  /  418-  2555  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  W.  Washington,  D.  C.  20554  This  is  an  unofficial  announcement  of  Commission  action.  Release  of  the  full  text  of  a  Commission  order  constitutes  official  action.  See  MCI  v.  FCC.  515  F  2d  385  (D.  C.  Circ  1974).  FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE:  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT: 
 April  29,  2004  Lauren  Patrich  at  (202)  418-  7944  Email:  lauren.  patrich@  fcc.  gov 
 FCC  RETAINS  BIOLOGICAL  CONSULTANT  TO  WORK  ON  ENVIRONMENTAL  ISSUES 
 Washington,  D.  C.  –  Today,  FCC  Chairman  Michael  K.  Powell  announced  that  the  Commission  has  retained  Avatar  Environmental  Services  of  West  Chester,  Pennsylvania,  as  a 
 biological  consultant  to  assist  the  Commission  in  fulfilling  its  role  under  the  National  Environmental  Policy  Act  (NEPA)  and  other  federal  environmental  statutes.  Avatar  will  give  the 
 Commission  access  to  the  services  of  experts  with  training  and  experience  in  evaluating  the  impact  of  construction  projects  on  animal  and  plant  species,  and  who  have  performed  similar 
 services  for  other  agencies. 
 Avatar’s  primary  task  will  be  to  review  the  studies  referenced  in  comments  to  the  Commission’s  Notice  of  Inquiry,  released  August  20,  2003,  on  the  impact  that  communications 
 towers  may  have  on  migratory  birds.  Avatar  will  also  assist  in  the  review  of  license  applications  that  raise  issues  involving  biological  impacts  under  NEPA  and  the  Endangered  Species  Act, 
 including  potential  impacts  on  migratory  birds. 
 The  Commission’s  retention  of  Avatar  as  a  consultant  on  biological  issues  furthers  Chairman  Michael  K.  Powell’s  Environmental  and  Historic  Preservation  Action  Plan,  announced 
 May  1,  2003,  to  improve  the  Commission’s  ability  to  protect  valuable  historic  and  environmental  resources,  while  at  the  same  time  accelerating  the  process  of  deploying  necessary 
 communications  infrastructure.  In  particular,  access  to  Avatar’s  biological  expertise  will  enable  the  Commission  more  effectively  to  assess  the  impact  of  communications  towers  on  migratory 
 birds  and  more  efficiently  to  process  applications  that  implicate  biological  issues. 


 -FCC- 
 News  about  the  Federal  Communications  Commission  can  also  be  found  on  the  Commission’s  web  site  www.  fcc.  gov. 
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