[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 208 (Monday, October 28, 2013)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 64192-64193]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-25390]
[[Page 64192]]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
[Docket Nos. FWS-HQ-ES-2013-0073 and FWS-R2-ES-2013-0056;
FXES11130900000C2-134-FF09E32000]
RINs 1018-AY00 and 1018-AY46
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Extending the
Public Comment Periods and Rescheduling Public Hearings Pertaining to
the Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) and the Mexican Wolf (Canis lupus baileyi)
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rules; extension of public comment periods, and
announcement of public hearings.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), recently
published two proposed rules. One rule proposes to list the Mexican
wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) as an endangered subspecies and to delist
the gray wolf elsewhere, and the other proposes to revise the
Nonessential Experimental Population of the Mexican Wolf. On September
5 and October 2, 2013, we announced public hearings on the proposed
rules. The September 5 notices also extended the public comment period
for the proposed rules to October 28, 2013. Following delays caused by
the Federal Government lapse in appropriations, the Service is
announcing rescheduled dates for the remainder of a series of public
hearings on the proposed rules. To allow these hearings to take place
within the public comment period on the proposed rules, we now extend
the public comment period for the proposed rules to December 17, 2013.
Comments previously submitted need not be resubmitted and will be fully
considered in preparation of the final rules. We also announce the
scheduling of a public information meeting and an additional public
hearing in Pinetop, Arizona.
DATES: Written Comments: The public comment period on the proposal to
list the Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) as an endangered subspecies
and to delist the gray wolf elsewhere and the proposal to revise the
nonessential experimental population of the Mexican wolf are extended
to December 17, 2013. Please note comments submitted electronically
using the Federal eRulemaking Portal (see ADDRESSES section, below)
must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. If you
are submitting your comments by hard copy, please mail them by December
17, 2013, to ensure that we receive them in time to give them full
consideration.
Public Information Meeting: We will hold a public information
meeting on December 3, 2013, from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., in Pinetop, AZ.
Public Hearings: We will hold public hearings on the following
dates:
November 19, 2013, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., in Denver,
CO.
November 20, 2013, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., in Albuquerque,
NM.
November 22, 2013, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., in
Sacramento, CA.
December 3, 2013, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., in Pinetop,
AZ.
ADDRESSES: Written Comments: You may submit comments by one of the
following methods:
(1) Electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Search for the corresponding docket number for the
rulemaking. Submissions of electronic comments on our proposal to list
the Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) as an endangered subspecies and
to delist the gray wolf elsewhere, which published in the Federal
Register on June 13, 2013, should be submitted to Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-
2013-0073. Submissions of electronic comments on our Proposed Revision
to the Nonessential Experimental Population of the Mexican Wolf, which
also published in the Federal Register on June 13, 2013, should be
submitted to Docket No. FWS-R2-ES-2013-0056. Please ensure you have
found the correct document before submitting your comments. If your
comments will fit in the provided comment box, please use this feature
of http://www.regulations.gov, as it is most compatible with our
comment review procedures. If you attach your comments as a separate
document, our preferred file format is Microsoft Word. If you attach
multiple comments (such as form letters), our preferred format is a
spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel.
(2) By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to: Public
Comments Processing, Attn: [insert corresponding docket number];
Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS 2042-PDM; Arlington, VA 22203.
(3) At the Pinetop, Arizona public information meeting or the
public hearings: Written comments will be accepted by Service personnel
at the Pinetop, Arizona public information meeting or any of the
scheduled public hearings.
We will post all comments we receive on http://www.regulations.gov.
This generally means that we will post any personal information you
provide us (see the Public Comments section below for more
information).
Public Information Meeting: We will hold the public information
meeting at the Hon-Dah Conference Center, 777 Highway 260, Pinetop, AZ
85935 (3 miles outside of Pinetop at the Junction of Hwy 260 and Hwy
73); (928) 369-7625.
Public Hearings: Public hearings will be held at the following
locations:
Paramount Theatre, 1621 Glenarm Place, Denver, CO 80202;
(303) 405-1245.
Embassy Suites, Sandia Room, 1000 Woodward Place NE.,
Albuquerque, NM 87102; (505) 245-7100.
Marriot Courtyard Sacramento Cal Expo, Golden State
Ballroom, 1782 Tribute Road, Sacramento, CA 95815; (916) 929-7900.
Hon-Dah Conference Center, 777 Highway 260, Pinetop, AZ
85935 (3 miles outside of Pinetop at the Junction of Hwy 260 and Hwy
73); (928) 369-7625.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information concerning the
proposal to list the Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) as an
endangered subspecies and to delist the gray wolf elsewhere, contact
the Headquarters Office, Ecological Services; telephone (703) 358-2171;
facsimile (703) 358-1735. Direct all questions or requests for
additional information to: Gray Wolf Questions, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Headquarters Office, Ecological Services, 4401 North Fairfax
Drive, Room 420, Arlington, VA 22203. Individuals who are hearing-
impaired or speech-impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 1-
800-877-8337 for TTY assistance.
For information concerning the proposal to revise the nonessential
experimental population of the Mexican wolf, contact the Mexican Wolf
Recovery Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New Mexico Ecological
Services Office, 2105 Osuna Road NE., Albuquerque, NM 87133; telephone
505-761-4704; facsimile 505-346-2542. Individuals who are hearing-
impaired or speech-impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 1-
800-877-8337 for TTY assistance.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Comments
To allow rescheduled public hearings to take place within the
public comment period, we are extending the public comment period to
December 17, 2013, on our proposal to list the Mexican wolf (Canis
lupus baileyi) as an endangered
[[Page 64193]]
subspecies and to delist the gray wolf elsewhere, and on our proposed
revision to the nonessential experimental population of the Mexican
wolf. These proposals published in the Federal Register on June 13,
2013 (78 FR 35664 and 78 FR 35719). The proposals are available online
at http://www.regulations.gov under Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2013-0073 and
FWS-R2-ES-2013-0056 respectively and at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-06-13/pdf/2013-13982.pdf#page=2 and http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-06-13/pdf/2013-13977.pdf respectively.
For the types of information for which we are seeking public
comments, please see the Public Comments or Information Requested
section of the June 13, 2013, proposed rules (78 FR 35664 and 78 FR
35719).
Please note that submissions merely stating support for or
opposition to the actions under consideration without providing
supporting information, although noted, will not be considered in
making a determination. You may submit your comments and materials by
one of the methods listed in ADDRESSES. We request that you send
comments only by the methods described in ADDRESSES. Verbal testimony
may also be presented during the public hearings (see DATES and
ADDRESSES sections).
We will post your entire comment--including your personal
identifying information--on http://www.regulations.gov. If you provide
personal identifying information, such as your street address, phone
number, or email address, you may request at the top of your document
that we withhold this information from public review. However, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Comments and materials we receive, as well as some of the
supporting documentation we used in preparing the proposed rules, will
be available for public inspection on http://www.regulations.gov at the
corresponding docket number (see ADDRESSES), or by appointment, during
normal business hours at the corresponding office location (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
We intend that any final actions resulting from the proposed rules
will be based on the best scientific and commercial data available and
be as accurate and as effective as possible. Therefore, we request
comments or information from other concerned governmental agencies,
tribes, the scientific community, industry, or other interested parties
concerning the proposed rules. We request that you make your comments
as specific as possible and explain the basis for them. In addition,
please include sufficient information with your comments to allow us to
authenticate any scientific or commercial data you reference or
provide.
Our final determinations concerning the proposed actions will take
into consideration all written comments we receive during all comment
periods, comments from peer reviewers, and comments received during the
public hearings. The comments will be included in the public record for
the corresponding rulemaking, and we will fully consider them in the
preparation of our final determination.
If you previously submitted comments or information on the proposed
rules, please do not resubmit them. We will incorporate them into the
corresponding public record as part of this comment period, and will
fully consider them in the preparation of our final determination.
Public Hearings
Following delays caused by the Federal Government lapse in
appropriations, the Service is announcing rescheduled dates for the
remainder of a series of public hearings on the proposed rules. We are
also adding a public information meeting and an additional public
hearing in Pinetop, AZ. In total, we are holding one public information
meeting and four public hearings on the dates listed in the DATES
section at the locations listed in the ADDRESSES section.
The November 19, 2013, public hearing in Denver, CO, and the
November 22, 2013, public hearing in Sacramento, CA, will address the
June 13, 2013 (78 FR 35664), proposal to list the Mexican wolf as an
endangered subspecies and to delist the gray wolf elsewhere. The
November 20, 2013, public hearing in Albuquerque, NM and the December
3, 2013, public hearing in Pinetop, AZ, will address both the June 13,
2013 (78 FR 35664), proposal to list the Mexican wolf as an endangered
subspecies and to delist the gray wolf elsewhere, as well as the June
13, 2013 (78 FR 35719), proposed revision to the nonessential
experimental population of the Mexican wolf. The December 3, 2013,
public information meeting and public hearing in Pinetop, AZ, will
focus on the June 13, 2013 (78 FR 35719), proposed revision to the
nonessential experimental population of the Mexican wolf, but we will
accept verbal testimony (formal, oral comments) or written comments
regarding both of the June 13, 2013, proposals (78 FR 35664 and 78 FR
35719).
We are holding the public hearings to provide interested parties an
opportunity to present verbal testimony (formal, oral comments) or
written comments regarding the proposals. A public hearing is a forum
for accepting formal verbal testimony. The public information meeting
in Pinetop, Arizona will provide the opportunity for interaction with
Service staff, who will be available to provide information and address
questions on the proposed rule, however, verbal testimony will only be
accepted at the public hearings. Anyone wishing to testify verbally at
the public hearings for the record is encouraged to also provide a
written copy of their statement to us at the hearings. In the event of
a large attendance, the time allotted for verbal testimony may be
limited. Speakers can sign up at the hearings if they desire to make a
verbal statement. Oral and written statements receive equal
consideration. There are no limits on the length of written comments
submitted to us.
Persons with disabilities needing reasonable accommodations to
participate in the Denver, CO, or Sacramento, CA, public hearings
should contact the Headquarters Office (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT). Persons with disabilities needing reasonable accommodations
to participate in the Albuquerque, NM, or Pinetop, AZ, public hearings
should contact the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT). Reasonable accommodation requests should be
received at least 3 business days prior to the hearing to help ensure
availability; at least 2 weeks prior notice is requested for American-
sign-language or English-as-a-second-language interpreter needs.
Authors
The primary authors of this notice are the Ecological Services
staff of the Headquarters Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Authority
The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of
1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: October 23, 2013.
Daniel M. Ashe,
Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-25390 Filed 10-25-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P