[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 217 (Thursday, November 8, 2012)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 66946]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-27248]
[[Page 66946]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
50 CFR Part 424
[Docket No. FWS-R9-ES-2011-0073: Docket No. NOAA-120606146-2146-01:
4500030114]
RIN 1018-AY62; 0648-BC24
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Revisions to the
Regulations for Impact Analyses of Critical Habitat
AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior; National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Proposed rule, reopening of comment period.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) (collectively referred to as the
``Services'' or ``we''), announce the reopening of the public comment
period on our August 24, 2012, proposed rule to revise our regulations
pertaining to impact analyses conducted for designations of critical
habitat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (the Act).
We are reopening the comment period to allow all interested parties
additional time to review and comment on our proposed rule. Comments
previously submitted need not be resubmitted, as they will be fully
considered in preparation of the final rule.
DATES: We will accept comments from all interested parties until
February 6, 2013. Please note that if you are using the Federal
eRulemaking Portal (see ADDRESSES below), the deadline for submitting
an electronic comment is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on this date.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Search for FWS-R9-ES-2011-0073, which is the docket number for this
rulemaking.
U.S. Mail or Hand Delivery: Public Comments Processing,
Attn: FWS-R9-ES-2011-0073; Division of Policy and Directives
Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, PDM-
2042; Arlington, VA 22203.
We will post all comments on http://www.regulations.gov. This
generally means that we will post any personal information you provide
us (see the Request for Information section below for more
information).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas Krofta, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Division of Conservation and Classification, 4401 N. Fairfax
Drive, Suite 420, Arlington, VA, 22203, telephone 703/358-2171;
facsimile 703/358-1735; or Marta Nammack, National Marine Fisheries
Service, Office of Protected Resources, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver
Spring, MD 20910, telephone 301/713-1401; facsimile 301/713-0376. If
you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the
Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On August 24, 2012, we published a proposed rule to amend our
implementing regulations at 50 CFR 424.19 to clarify the instructions
for making information available to the public, considering the impacts
of critical habitat designations, and considering exclusions from
critical habitat. These changes are being proposed as directed by the
President's February 28, 2012, memorandum, which directed the Secretary
of the Interior to revise the regulations implementing the Endangered
Species Act to provide that a draft economic analysis be completed and
made available for public comment at the time of publication of a
proposed rule to designate critical habitat.
Request for Information
We will accept written comments and information during this
reopened comment period on our proposed rule to revise our regulations
pertaining to impact analyses conducted for designations of critical
habitat that was published in the Federal Register on August 24, 2012
(77 FR 51503). We will consider information and recommendations from
all interested parties. We intend that any final regulation resulting
from this proposal be as accurate as possible and based on the best
available scientific and commercial data.
If you previously submitted comments or information on the proposed
rule, please do not resubmit them. We have incorporated them into the
public record, and we will fully consider them in the preparation of
our final determination. Any final regulation based on this proposal
will consider information and recommendations timely submitted from all
interested parties. We solicit comments, information, and
recommendations from governmental agencies, Native American tribes, the
scientific community, industry groups, environmental interest groups,
and any other interested parties on this proposed regulation. All
comments and materials received by the date listed in DATES above will
be considered prior to the approval of a final document.
You may submit your comments and materials concerning the proposed
rule by one of the methods listed in ADDRESSES. We request that you
send comments only by the methods described in ADDRESSES. If you submit
information via http://www.regulations.gov, your entire submission--
including any personal identifying information--will be posted on the
Web site. If your submission is made via a hardcopy that includes
personal identifying information, you may request at the top of your
document that we withhold this personal identifying information from
public review. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do
so. We will post all hardcopy submissions on http://www.regulations.gov.
Information and supporting documentation that we receive in
response to this proposed rule will be available for you to review at
http://www.regulations.gov, or by appointment, during normal business
hours, at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Conservation
and Classification (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
Dated: November 1, 2012.
Rachel Jacobson,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks,
U.S. Department of the Interior.
Dated: October 24, 2012.
Paul Doremus,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Operations, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-27248 Filed 11-7-12; 8:45 am]
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