[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 227 (Monday, November 25, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 92881-92883]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-27529]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
[Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2024-0073; FXES1111090FEDR-256-FF09E21000]
RIN 1018-BH47
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Critical Habitat
Designations for Florida Manatee and Antillean Manatee
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are
extending the comment period on our September 24, 2024, proposed rule
to revise critical habitat for Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus
latirostris) and to designate critical habitat for Antillean manatee
(T. m. manatus) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as
amended.
[[Page 92882]]
We are extending the proposed rule's comment period for 60 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 on
September 24, 2024, at 89 FR 78134 is extended. We will accept comments
received or postmarked on or before January 24, 2025.
ADDRESSES: 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-R4-ES-2024-0073,
which is the docket number for the September 24, 2024, proposed rule.
Then, click on the Search button. On the resulting page, in the panel
on the left side of the screen, under the Document Type heading, check
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-R4-ES-2024-0073, 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: Nikki Colangelo, Classification and
Recovery Division Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida
Ecological Services Field Office, 777 37th Street, Suite D-101, Vero
Beach, FL 32960; telephone 772-226-8138. 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.
Please see Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2024-0073 on https://www.regulations.gov for a document that summarizes the September 24,
2024, proposed rule.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On September 24, 2024, we published in the Federal Register (89 FR
78134) a proposed rule to revise critical habitat for the Florida
manatee and to designate critical habitat for the Antillean manatee
under the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The proposed rule opened a 60-
day comment period, ending November 25, 2024. We have received multiple
requests to extend the public comment period due to impacts from recent
hurricanes. With this document, we extend the public comment period for
an additional 60 days, as specified above in DATES.
Public Comments
We will accept written comments and information during the extended
comment period on our September 24, 2024, proposed critical habitat
rule for the West Indian manatee (89 FR 78134). 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
data available and will be as accurate and as effective as possible.
Our final critical habitat designation 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, as well as any information that may
become available after the publication of our proposal, our final
designations may differ from our September 24, 2024, proposed rule (89
FR 78134). Based on new information we may receive (and, if relevant,
any comments on that new information), we may modify the proposed
critical habitat designations. Our final designations may not include
all areas proposed, may include some additional areas that meet the
definition of critical habitat, or may exclude some areas if we find
the benefits of exclusion outweigh the benefits of inclusion and
exclusion will not result in the extinction of the species. In our
final rule, we will clearly explain our rationale and the basis for our
final decision, including why we made changes, if any, that differ from
the September 24, 2024, proposed rule.
If you already submitted comments or information on the September
24, 2024, 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
information you assert. Please note that submissions merely stating
support for, or opposition to, the action under consideration without
providing supporting information, although noted, do not provide
substantial information necessary to support a determination. Section
4(b)(2) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1533(b)(2)) directs that the Secretary
shall designate critical habitat on the basis of the best scientific
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 Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2024-0073.
Authors
The primary authors of this document are members of the Fish and
Wildlife Service's Species Assessment Team and the Florida and
Caribbean Ecological Services Field Offices.
Authority
The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.), is the authority for this action.
[[Page 92883]]
Signing Authority
Martha Williams, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
approved this action on November 14, 2024, for publication. On November
20, 2024, Martha Williams authorized the undersigned to sign the
document electronically and submit it to the Office of the Federal
Register for publication as an official document of the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.
Madonna Baucum,
Regulations and Policy Chief, Division of Policy, Economics, Risk
Management, and Analytics of the Joint Administrative Operations, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-27529 Filed 11-22-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P