[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 167 (Wednesday, August 30, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 59837]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18657]
[[Page 59837]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
[Docket No. FWS-R2-ES-2022-0162; FF09E21000 FXES1111090FEDR 234]
RIN 1018-BG22
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Species
Status for the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are
extending the comment period on our July 3, 2023, proposed rule to list
the dunes sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus arenicolus), a species found
only in southeastern New Mexico and west Texas, as an endangered
species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We
are extending the proposed rule's comment period for 30 days to give
all interested parties an additional opportunity to comment on the
proposed rule. Comments previously submitted need not be resubmitted as
they are already incorporated into the public record and will be fully
considered in the final rule.
DATES: The comment period on the proposed rule that published July 3,
2023, at 88 FR 42661, is extended. We will accept comments received or
postmarked on or before October 2, 2023.
ADDRESSES:
Comment submission: You may submit comments by one of the following
methods:
(1) Electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. In the Search box, enter FWS-R2-ES-2022-0162,
which is the docket number for the July 3, 2023, proposed rule. Then
click on the Search button. On the resulting page, in the Search panel
on the left side of the screen, under the Document Type heading, click
on the Proposed Rule box to locate the correct document. You may submit
a comment by clicking on ``Comment.''
(2) By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail to: Public Comments
Processing, Attn: FWS-R2-ES-2022-0162, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
MS: PRB/3W, 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 https://www.regulations.gov. This
generally means that we will post any personal information you provide
us (see Public Comments, below, for more information).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shawn Sartorius, Field Supervisor,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New Mexico Ecological Services Field
Office, 2105 Osuna NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113; telephone 505-346-2525.
Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of
hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or
TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals
outside the United States should use the relay services offered within
their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in
the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On July 3, 2023, we published a proposed rule (88 FR 42661) to list
the dunes sagebrush lizard as an endangered species under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
The proposed rule opened a 60-day comment period, ending September 1,
2023, and announced a public hearing on July 31, 2023. We have received
multiple requests to extend the public comment period. With this
document, we extend the public comment period for an additional 30
days, as specified above in DATES.
Public Comments
We will accept written comments and information during the extended
comment period on our proposed rule to list the dunes sagebrush lizard.
We will consider information from all interested parties. We intend
that any final action resulting from the proposal will be based on the
best scientific and commercial data available and will be as accurate
and as effective as possible. Our final determination will take into
consideration all comments and any additional information we receive
during the open comment period on the proposed rule.
Because we will consider all comments and information we receive
during the open comment period, our final determination may differ from
our July 3, 2023, proposed rule (88 FR 42661). Based on the new
information we receive (and any comments on that new information), we
may conclude that the dunes sagebrush lizard may warrant a different
listing status compared to the original proposed rule.
If you already submitted comments or information on the July 3,
2023, proposed rule, please do not resubmit them. Any such comments are
incorporated as part of the public record of the rulemaking proceeding,
and we will fully consider them in the preparation of our final
determination.
Comments should be as specific as possible. Please include
sufficient information with your submission (such as scientific journal
articles or other publications) to allow us to verify any scientific or
commercial information you assert. 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
species or a threatened species must be made ``solely on the basis of
the best scientific and commercial data available.''
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. If you submit information via https://www.regulations.gov, your entire submission--including your personal
identifying information--will be posted on the website. 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 https://www.regulations.gov. Comments and materials we
receive, as well as supporting documentation we used in preparing the
proposed rule, will be available for public inspection on https://www.regulations.gov at FWS-R2-ES-2022-0162.
Authors
The primary authors of this document are the staff members of the
Fish and Wildlife Service's Species Assessment Team and the New Mexico
Ecological Services Field Office.
Authority
The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.), is the authority for this action.
Stephen Guertin,
Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-18657 Filed 8-29-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P