[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 231 (Tuesday, December 2, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 71373-71375]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-28330]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
[Docket No. FWS-R8-ES-2013-0011; 4500030114]
RIN 1018-AZ44
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of
Critical Habitat for the Western Distinct Population Segment of the
Yellow-Billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus)
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of public hearing.
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SUMMARY: On August 15, 2014, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), announced a proposal to designate critical habitat for the
western distinct population segment of the yellow-billed cuckoo
(western yellow-billed cuckoo) under the Endangered Species Act of
1973, as amended (Act). On November 12, 2014, the public comment period
[[Page 71374]]
was reopened for an additional 60 days until January 12, 2015. We now
announce a public hearing in California. The public hearing will
provide an opportunity for the public to provide comments and testimony
on the proposed designation of critical habitat for the western yellow-
billed cuckoo. Comments previously submitted need not be resubmitted,
as they will be fully considered in preparation of the final rule.
DATES: We request that comments on this proposal be submitted by the
close of business on January 12, 2015. Comments submitted
electronically using the Federal eRulemaking Portal (see ADDRESSES,
below) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date.
Public Hearing: We will hold a public hearing on the proposed
critical habitat rule on December 18, 2014; see ADDRESSES for location:
Sacramento, CA: Public Hearing from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Registration to present oral comments on the proposed designation at
the public hearing will begin at 1:30 p.m. prior to the start of the
hearing.
ADDRESSES: Document availability: You may obtain a copy of the proposed
rule, economics screening memo, and incremental effects memo on the
Internet at http://www.regulations.gov at Docket No. FWS-R8-ES-2013-
0011, or contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento Fish
and Wildlife Office (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT), or by mail
from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife
Office (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
Public Hearing: The public hearing will be located in: Sacramento,
California--Double Tree Inn, 2001 Point West Way, Sacramento, CA 95815.
Comment Submission: You may submit comments by one of the following
methods:
(1) Electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. In the Search box, enter FWS-R8-ES-2013-0011,
which is the docket number for this rulemaking. Then, in the Search
panel on the left side of the screen, under the Document Type heading,
click on the Proposed Rule link to locate the document. You may submit
a comment by clicking on ``Comment Now!''
(2) By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to: Public
Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R8-ES-2013-0011; Division of Policy and
Directives Management; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Headquarters, MS: BPHC,
5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
We request that you send comments only by the methods described
above. 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 Information Requested section below for more information).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the proposed
designation, contact Jennifer Norris, Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage
Way, W-2605, Sacramento, California 95825; by telephone 916-414-6600;
or by facsimile 916-414-6712. Information is also available at the
Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office Web site at http://www.fws.gov/sacramento. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 800-877-
8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On August 15, 2014, we published in the Federal Register a proposed
rule to designate critical habitat for the western distinct population
segment (DPS) of the yellow-billed cuckoo (western yellow-billed
cuckoo) (Coccyzus americanus) under the Endangered Species Act (79 FR
48548). In total, approximately 546,335 acres (221,094 hectares) are
being proposed for designation as critical habitat in Arizona,
California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and
Wyoming for the western yellow-billed cuckoo under the Act. During the
public comment period, we received requests to hold a public hearing on
the proposed designation. On November 12, 2014, we published in the
Federal Register a notice reopening the comment period on the proposed
critical habitat designation until January 12, 2015 (79 FR 67154).
Information Requested
We intend that any final action resulting from this proposed rule
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 Federal and State
agencies, the scientific community, or any other interested party
concerning the proposed critical habitat designation. Please see the
Information Requested section of the August 15, 2014, proposed critical
habitat rule for a list of the comments that we particularly seek (79
FR 48548-48549).
For more background on our proposed designation, see the August 15,
2014, Federal Register (79 FR 48548). The proposed rule is available at
the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov or the
Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office at http://www.fws.gov/sacramento
(see ADDRESSES).
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 our final rulemaking.
Our final determination concerning this proposed rulemaking will take
into consideration all written comments and any additional information
we receive.
Please note that submissions merely stating support for or
opposition to the action under consideration without providing
supporting information, although noted, will not be considered in
making a determination, as section 4(b)(1)(A) of the Act directs that
determinations as to whether any species is an endangered or threatened
species must be made ``solely on the basis of the best scientific and
commercial data available.''
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 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. Please include
sufficient information with your comments to allow us to verify any
scientific or commercial information you include.
Comments and materials we receive, as well as supporting
documentation we used in preparing the proposed designation, will be
available for public inspection on http://www.regulations.gov, or by
appointment, during normal business hours, at the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT).
[[Page 71375]]
Authority
The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of
1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: November 20, 2014.
Michael Bean,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
[FR Doc. 2014-28330 Filed 12-1-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P