[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 149 (Friday, August 2, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37913-37914]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-16592]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2017-0079; FF09A30000-190FXIA16710900000]
Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); Eighteenth
Regular Meeting; Tentative U.S. Negotiating Positions for Agenda Items
and Species Proposals Submitted by Foreign Governments and the CITES
Secretariat
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The United States, as a Party to the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES), will attend the eighteenth regular meeting of the Conference
of the Parties to CITES (CoP18) in Geneva, Switzerland, August 17 to
28, 2019. This notice announces the availability of tentative U.S.
negotiating positions on proposed resolutions, decisions, and
amendments to the CITES Appendices (species proposals), as well as
other agenda items that have been submitted by other Parties, the
permanent CITES committees, and the CITES Secretariat for consideration
at CoP18. With this notice we announce that we will publish a summary
of our proposed negotiating positions and the reasons for our proposed
positions on or before August 16, 2019, on our website at https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop18/index.html.
ADDRESSES: Information on tentative U.S. negotiating positions on
amendments to the CITES Appendices (species proposals), draft
resolutions and decisions, and agenda items submitted by other
countries and the CITES Secretariat for consideration at CoP18 will be
available on our website, https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop18/index.html, on or before August 16, 2019, and:
Electronically using the Federal eRulemaking Portal:
http://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2017-0079 (the
docket number for this notice).
By email request to: managementauthority@fws.gov; or
By postal mail or in person, by appointment, between 8
a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays, at:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, Division of Management
Authority, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803; telephone
703-358-2095.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information pertaining to
resolutions, decisions, and other agenda items, contact: Pamela
Scruggs, Chief, Division of Management Authority; telephone 703-358-
2095; facsimile 703-358-2298. For information pertaining to species
proposals, contact: Rosemarie Gnam, Chief, Division of Scientific
Authority; telephone 703-358-1708; facsimile 703-358-2276.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora, hereinafter referred to as CITES or the Convention, is
an international treaty designed to control and regulate international
trade in certain animal and plant species that are now or potentially
may become threatened with extinction. These species are listed in
Appendices to CITES, which are available on the CITES Secretariat's
website at http://www.cites.org/eng/app/index.php.
Currently 182 countries and the European Union have ratified,
accepted, approved, or acceded to CITES; these 183 entities are known
as Parties. The Convention calls for regular biennial meetings of the
Conference of the Parties, unless the Conference of the Parties decides
otherwise. At these meetings, the Parties review the implementation of
CITES, make provisions enabling the CITES Secretariat in Switzerland to
carry out its functions, consider amendments to the lists of species in
Appendices I and II, consider reports presented by the Secretariat and
the permanent CITES committees (Standing, Animals, and Plants
Committees), and make recommendations for the improved effectiveness of
CITES. Any country that is a Party to CITES may propose amendments to
Appendices I and II, resolutions, decisions, and other agenda items for
consideration by all of the Parties at the meetings.
This is our fifth in a series of Federal Register notices on the
development of U.S. submissions and tentative negotiating positions for
CoP18. In this notice, we announce the availability of tentative U.S.
negotiating positions on species proposals, draft resolutions and
decisions, and agenda items submitted by other Parties and the
Secretariat for consideration at CoP18. The ADDRESSES section, above,
explains how to obtain this information.
We published our first CoP18-related Federal Register notice on
January 23, 2018 (83 FR 3179), in which we requested information and
recommendations on species proposals for the United States to consider
submitting for consideration at CoP18. In that notice, we also
described the U.S. approach to preparations for CoP18. We published our
second such Federal Register notice on March 12, 2018 (83 FR 10736), in
which we requested information and recommendations on proposed
resolutions, decisions, and other agenda items for the United States to
consider submitting for consideration at CoP18, and provided
preliminary information on how to request approved observer status for
non-governmental organizations that wish to attend the meeting. In our
third CoP18-related Federal Register notice, published on October 1,
2018 (83 FR 49421), we requested public comments and information on
species proposals that the United States was considering submitting for
consideration at CoP18. We also requested public comments and
information on proposed resolutions, decisions, and other agenda items
that the United States was considering submitting for consideration at
CoP18, and provided more information on how to request approved
observer status for non-governmental organizations that wish to attend
the meeting. In our fourth CoP18-related Federal Register notice,
published on March 6, 2019 (84 FR 8104), we announced the provisional
agenda for CoP18, solicited comments
[[Page 37914]]
on the items on the provisional agenda, and announced a public meeting
on March 13, 2019.
A link to the complete list of those Federal Register notices,
along with information on U.S. preparations for CoP18, can be found at
https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop18/index.html. The notices
and public comments received can be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2017-0079. You may obtain
additional information on those Federal Register notices from the
following sources: For further information on proposed resolutions,
decisions, and other agenda items, contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Division of Management Authority, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS-IA,
Falls Church, VA 22041; and for information on species proposals,
contact the Division of Scientific Authority, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS-
IA, Falls Church, VA 22041. Our regulations governing this public
process are found in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
at 50 CFR 23.87. Pursuant to 50 CFR 23.87(a)(3)(iii), with this notice
we are announcing that we will soon make available to the public a
summary of our tentative negotiating positions on the items included on
the CoP18 agenda and proposed amendments to the Appendices, and the
reasons for our tentative positions. This information and the ways that
we will make it available to the public are described in detail below
under Tentative Negotiating Positions.
Announcement of Provisional Agenda for CoP18
The provisional agenda for CoP18 is currently available on the
CITES Secretariat's website at https://cites.org/eng/cop/18/doc/index.php. The working documents associated with the items on the
provisional agenda, including proposed resolutions, proposed decisions,
and discussion documents, are also available on the Secretariat's
website. To view the working document associated with a particular
agenda item, access the provisional agenda at the above website, locate
the particular agenda item, and click on the document link for that
agenda item in the column entitled ``Document.'' The species proposals
that will be considered at CoP18 are also available on the
Secretariat's website. Proposals for amendment of Appendices I and II
can be accessed at https://cites.org/eng/cop/18/prop/index.php.
Tentative Negotiating Positions
On or before August 16, 2019, we will post on http://www.regulations.gov (see Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2017-0079) and on our
website (https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop18/index.html) a
summary of our tentative negotiating positions on the items included on
the CoP18 agenda and proposed amendments to the Appendices, and the
reasons for our tentative positions. Documents submitted by the United
States either alone or as a co-proponent for consideration by the
Parties at CoP18 can be found on the Secretariat's website at: https://cites.org/eng/cop/18/doc/index.php. Those documents are: CoP18 Docs.
21.3, 40, and 94 and (co-sponsored with Sri Lanka) Docs. 66, 72, and
79. The United States is pleased to co-sponsor the following proposals
to amend the CITES Appendices for CoP18: CoP18 Props. 2, 28, 37, 45,
and (co-sponsored with Sri Lanka) Prop. 46. We will not provide any
additional explanation of the U.S. negotiating positions for documents
and proposals that the United States submitted. The introduction in the
text of each of the documents the United States submitted contains a
discussion of the background of the issue and the rationale for
submitting the document.
New information that may become available prior to or at CoP18
could lead to modifications of tentative U.S. positions. The U.S.
delegation will disclose changes in our negotiating positions and the
explanations for those changes during public briefings at CoP18.
Species proposals are considered pursuant to 50 CFR 23.89. The United
States is concerned about the budgetary implications and workload
burden that will be placed upon the Parties, the Committees, and the
Secretariat, and intends to evaluate all proposed resolutions,
decisions, and other agenda items for CoP18 in view of these concerns.
Available Information on CoP18
Information concerning the results of CoP18 will be available after
the close of the meeting on the Secretariat's website at http://www.cites.org, or upon request from the Division of Management
Authority (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, above), or on our
website (https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop18/index.html).
Author
The primary author of this notice is Monika T. Thiele, Division of
Management Authority; under the authority of the U.S. Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: June 21, 2019.
Margaret E. Everson,
Principal Deputy Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Exercising
the Authority of the Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-16592 Filed 8-1-19; 8:45 am]
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