[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 227 (Monday, November 28, 2022)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 72958-72959]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-25918]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
[Docket Nos. FWS-R4-ES-2022-0104, FWS-R4-ES-2022-0116, FWS-R4-ES-
20220125, FWS-R4-ES-2022-0022; FF09E21000 FXES1111090FEDR 234]
RINs 1018-BG24; 1018-BE51; 1018-BE48; 1018-BE84
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Extending the
Comment Periods for Four Proposed Rules
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rules; extension of the comment periods.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce
that we are extending the comment periods for four proposed rules under
the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended. On September 27,
2022, we published a proposed rule to list the Florida Keys mole skink
(Plestiodon egregius egregius) as a threatened species with a rule
issued under section 4(d) of the Act and to designate its critical
habitat. On October 14, 2022, we published proposed rules to designate
critical habitat for Chamaecrista lineata var. keyensis (Big Pine
partridge pea), Chamaesyce deltoidea ssp. serpyllum (wedge spurge),
Linum arenicola (sand flax), and Argythamnia blodgettii (Blodgett's
silverbush); to designate critical habitat for Sideroxylon reclinatum
ssp. austrofloridense (Everglades bully), Digitaria pauciflora (Florida
pineland crabgrass), Chamaesyce deltoidea ssp. pinetorum (pineland
sandmat), and Dalea carthagenensis var. floridana (Florida prairie-
clover); to list the Key ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus
acricus) and the rim rock crowned snake (Tantilla oolitica) as
endangered species, and to designate critical habitat for the Key ring-
necked snake and the rim rock crowned snake. We are extending the
comment period for each of these proposed rules to allow all interested
parties additional time to comment on the proposed rules following the
impacts of Hurricane Ian. Comments previously submitted need not be
resubmitted, as they will be fully considered in preparing the final
determinations.
DATES: The comment periods for the proposed rules published on
September 27, 2022, at 87 FR 58648, and on October 14, 2022, at 87 FR
62502, 87 FR 62564, and 87 FR 62614 are extended. We will accept
comments received or postmarked on or before January 12, 2023. 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.
ADDRESSES:
Availability of documents: You may obtain copies of the proposed
rules and associated documents on the internet at https://www.regulations.gov under the appropriate docket number (see Table 1,
below).
Written comments: You may submit written comments by one of the
following methods:
(1) Electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. In the Search box, enter the appropriate docket
number (see table 1, below). 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, check the Proposed Rule box to locate
this document. You may submit a comment by clicking on ``Comment.''
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 https://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 to: Public Comments
Processing, Attn: [Insert appropriate docket number; see table 1,
below], 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 SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION, below, for more information).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lourdes Mena, Division Manager,
Classification and Recovery, Florida Ecological Services Field Office,
7915 Baymeadows Way, Suite 200, Jacksonville, FL 32256-7517;
lourdes_mena@fws.gov; telephone 904-731-3134. 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
[[Page 72959]]
should use the relay services offered within their country to make
international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table 1--List of Proposed Rules Extended for Public Comment
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Proposed rule title Federal Register citation Docket No.
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Florida Keys Mole Skink Threatened 87 FR 58648; September 27, 2022............................... FWS-R4-ES-2022-0104
Species Status and Critical Habitat
Designation.
Big Pine Partridge Pea, Wedge Spurge, 87 FR 62502; October 14, 2022................................. FWS-R4-ES-2022-0116
Sand Flax, and Blodgett's Silverbush
Critical Habitat Designation.
Everglades Bully, Florida Pineland 87 FR 62564; October 14, 2022................................. FWS-R4-ES-2022-0125
Crabgrass, Pineland Sandmat, and Florida
Prairie-Clover Critical Habitat
Designation.
Key Ring-Necked Snake and Rim Rock 87 FR 62614; October 14, 2022................................. FWS-R4-ES-2022-0022
Crowned Snake Endangered Species Status
and Critical Habitat Designation.
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On September 27, 2022, we published a proposed rule to list the
Florida Keys mole skink as a threatened species under the Act (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) with a proposed 4(d) rule, and to designate its
critical habitat (87 FR 58648). The proposed rule established a 60-day
public comment period, ending November 28, 2022. We are extending this
comment period until January 12, 2023. Please refer to the proposed
rule for more information on our proposed actions and the specific
information we seek.
On October 14, 2022, we published proposed rules to designate
critical habitat for Big Pine partridge pea, wedge spurge, sand flax,
and Blodgett's silverbush (87 FR 62502); to designate critical habitat
for Everglades bully, Florida pineland crabgrass, pineland sandmat, and
Florida prairie-clover (87 FR 62564); to list the Key ring-necked snake
and rim rock crowned snake as endangered species, and to designate
critical habitat for the Key ring-necked snake and the rim rock crowned
snake (87 FR 62614). The proposed rules established a 60-day public
comment period, ending December 13, 2022. We are extending these
comment periods until January 12, 2023. Please refer to the proposed
rules for more information on our proposed actions and the specific
information we seek.
On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall along the
southwest Florida coast. Due to the impacts from the hurricane and the
ongoing recovery efforts, the Service received multiple requests for
additional time to review and comment on the proposed rules. We are
therefore extending the comment period for these proposed rules (see
table 1) by a minimum of an additional 30 days, until January 12, 2023.
If you already submitted comments or information on the September
27, 2022 (87 FR 58648) and October 14, 2022 (87 FR 62502, 87 FR 62564,
87 FR 62614) proposed rules, 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 us to make determinations as to whether any species is an
endangered species or a threatened species ``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.
Authors
The primary authors of this document are the Ecological Services
staff of the Southeast Regional 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.).
Stephen Guertin,
Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-25918 Filed 11-25-22; 8:45 am]
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