[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 93 (Tuesday, May 14, 2019)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 21312-21313]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-09857]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
[Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2018-0097; FXES11130900000C2-189-FF09E32000]
RIN 1018-BD60
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removing the Gray
Wolf (Canis lupus) From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of public comment period.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), recently
published a proposal to remove the gray wolf from the List of
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife, and we announced the opening of a
60-day public comment period on the proposed action, ending May 14,
2019. We now extend the public comment period 60 days to allow all
interested parties additional time to comment on the proposed rule.
Comments previously submitted need not be resubmitted and will be fully
considered in preparation of the final rule. In addition, we will
provide public-hearing information through the Federal Register in the
near future.
DATES: The public comment period on the proposed rule that published
March 15, 2019 at 84 FR 9648, is extended to July 15, 2019.
Written Comments: Please note that 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 and comments submitted by U.S. mail must be postmarked by
that date to ensure consideration.
ADDRESSES:
Availability of Documents: You may obtain copies of the March 15,
2019, proposed rule and associated documents on the internet at http://www.regulations.gov under Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2018-0097.
Written Comments: You may submit written comments by one of the
following methods:
(1) Electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Search for FWS-HQ-ES-2018-0097, which is the
docket number for this rulemaking. 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: Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2018-0097; U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service 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 substantive comments we receive on http://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: Don Morgan, Chief, Branch of Delisting
and Foreign Species, Ecological Services; U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Headquarters Office, MS: ES, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church,
VA 22041-3803. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (Act; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), the List of Endangered and
Threatened Wildlife (List) in title 50 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (50 CFR 17.11(h)) currently includes the gray wolf (Canis
lupus). On March 15, 2019, the Service proposed to remove gray wolves
in the lower 48 United States and Mexico from the List and opened a 60-
day public comment period on the proposed action (84 FR 9648). The
Service now extends the comment period as specified above in DATES.
Public Comments
We will accept comments and information during this extended
comment period on our proposal to remove the gray wolf (Canis lupus)
from the List. We will consider information and recommendations from
all interested parties. We intend that any final action resulting from
this 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 comment period. Therefore,
the final decision may differ from the March 15, 2019, proposed rule,
based on our review of all information received during this rulemaking.
If you already submitted comments or information on the March 15,
2019, proposed rule, please do not resubmit them. Any such comments are
incorporated as part of the public record of this rulemaking
proceeding, and we will fully consider them in the preparation of our
final determination.
Our March 15, 2019, proposal replaces our June 13, 2013, proposal
to remove gray wolves in the lower 48 United States and Mexico from the
List (78 FR 35663). Therefore, we ask any persons or entities who
submitted comments on the June 13, 2013, proposal that are relevant to
the status of wolves currently listed in the contiguous United States
and Mexico as analyzed in the March 15, 2019, proposal to resubmit
their comments at this time. Comments must be submitted during the
comment period for the March 15, 2019, proposed rule to be considered.
[[Page 21313]]
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 meet
the standard of best available scientific and commercial data. Section
4(b)(1)(A) of the Act directs that determinations as to whether any
species is threatened or endangered 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. You may also provide your comments
through verbal testimony during the public hearing, details of which
will be announced in an upcoming Federal Register document.
If you submit information via http://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 http://www.regulations.gov.
Comments and materials we receive, as well as supporting
documentation we used in preparing this proposed rule, will be
available for public inspection on http://www.regulations.gov at Docket
No. FWS-HQ-ES-2018-0097, or by appointment, during normal business
hours at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT).
Our final determination concerning the proposed action will take
into consideration all written comments we receive during the open
comment periods, comments received during the public hearing, and
comments from peer reviewers. These comments will be included in the
public record for this rulemaking, and we will fully consider them in
the preparation of our final determination.
Public Hearing
We will hold one or more public hearings during the open comment
period. We will provide information on the location, dates, and times
of any hearings through publication in the Federal Register in the near
future.
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: May 7, 2019.
Margaret E. Everson,
Principal Deputy Director, Exercising the Authority of the Director for
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-09857 Filed 5-13-19; 8:45 am]
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