[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 27 (Monday, February 10, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 7627-7629]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-02817]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
[Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2013-0073; FXES11130900000C2-134-FF09E32000]
RIN 1018-AY00
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removing the Gray
Wolf (Canis lupus) From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
and Maintaining Protections for the Mexican Wolf (Canis lupus baileyi)
by Listing It as Endangered
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of availability and reopening of comment
period.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
reopening of the public comment period on our June 13, 2013, proposal
to remove the gray wolf (Canis lupus) from the List of Endangered and
Threatened Wildlife but to maintain endangered status for the Mexican
wolf by listing it as a subspecies (Canis lupus baileyi). We also
announce the availability of the independent scientific peer review
report on the proposal. We are reopening the comment period for 45 days
to allow all interested parties an opportunity to comment on our
proposed rule in light of the peer review report on this proposal. The
comment period is scheduled to close on March 27, 2014. Comments
previously submitted need not be resubmitted and will be fully
considered in preparation of the final rule.
DATES: The public comment period on the proposal to remove the gray
wolf (Canis lupus) from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
but to maintain endangered status for the Mexican wolf by listing it as
a subspecies (Canis lupus baileyi) that was published on June 13, 2013
(78 FR 35664), is reopened and will close on March 27, 2014. 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 March 27, 2014, to ensure that we
receive them in time to give them full consideration.
ADDRESSES: Document availability: The June 13, 2013, proposal (78 FR
35664) is available online at http://www.regulations.gov under Docket
No. FWS-HQ-ES-2013-0073 and at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-06-13/pdf/2013-13982.pdf. The independent scientific peer review report on
the proposal is available online at http://www.fws.gov/home/wolfrecovery and at http://www.regulations.gov under Docket No. FWS-HQ-
ES-2013-0073.
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 Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2013-0073. 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
[[Page 7628]]
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: FWS-HQ-ES-2013-0073; Division of Policy and
Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax
Drive, MS 2042-PDM; Arlington, VA 22203.
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).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 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.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Service evaluated the classification status of gray wolves
(Canis lupus) currently listed in the contiguous United States and
Mexico under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, as amended (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Based on our evaluation, we published a proposed
rule on June 13, 2013 (78 FR 35664), to remove the gray wolf from the
List of Threatened and Endangered Wildlife but to maintain endangered
status for the Mexican wolf by listing it as a subspecies (C. l.
baileyi). We proposed these actions because we determined that the best
available scientific and commercial information indicates that the
currently listed entity is not a valid species under the ESA and that
the Mexican wolf (C. l. baileyi) warrants listing as an endangered
subspecies.
Upon publication of the proposed rule (June 13, 2013, 78 FR 35664),
the Service opened the public comment period on the proposal. On
September 5 and October 2, 2013, we announced public hearings on the
proposed rule (78 FR 54614 and 78 FR 60813). The September 5 notice
also extended the public comment period for the proposed rule to
October 28, 2013. Following delays caused by the Federal Government
lapse in appropriations, the Service announced rescheduled dates for
three of the public hearings, scheduled a fifth public hearing, and
extended the public comment period for the proposed rule to December
17, 2013 (78 FR 64192, October 28, 2013). The Service is now reopening
the public comment period on the proposal in conjunction with the
submission of the peer review report.
In accordance with the Service's July 1, 1994 peer review policy
(59 FR 34270) and the Office of Management and Budget's December 16,
2004, Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review, the Service
subjected this proposal to independent expert peer review. The purpose
of seeking independent peer review is to ensure use of the best
scientific and commercial information available and to ensure and
maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of the
information upon which the proposal is based, as well as to ensure that
reviews by qualified experts are incorporated into the rulemaking
process. The National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
(NCEAS), a research center located at the University of California,
Santa Barbara, sponsored this peer review. Additional information on
the nature of the peer review can be found in the statement of work at:
http://www.fws.gov/science/pdf/Gray_Wolf_Proposed_Delisting_SOW_Peer_Review_12-13-2013_Final.pdf.
Public Comments
We will accept written comments and information during the reopened
comment period on our proposal to remove the gray wolf (Canis lupus)
from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife but to maintain
endangered status for the Mexican wolf by listing it as a subspecies
(Canis lupus baileyi). This proposal published in the Federal Register
on June 13, 2013 (78 FR 35664).
For the types of information for which we are seeking public
comments, please see the Public Comments section of the June 13, 2013,
proposed rule (78 FR 35664).
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.
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 rule, will
be available for public inspection on http://www.regulations.gov at
Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2013-0073, or by appointment, during normal
business hours at the office location listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT.
We intend that any final action resulting from the 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 governmental agencies,
tribes, the scientific community, industry, or other interested parties
concerning the proposed rule. 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 determination concerning the proposed action 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 rulemaking, and we will fully consider them in the preparation of
our final determination.
If you previously submitted comments or information on the proposed
rule, 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.
[[Page 7629]]
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: January 31, 2014.
Daniel M. Ashe,
Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-02817 Filed 2-7-14; 8:45 am]
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