[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 237 (Monday, December 12, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-30459]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: December 12, 1994]


      

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1018-AC63

 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Reopening of 
Comment Period and Announcement of Public Meetings and Public Hearings 
on Proposed Endangered Status for Five Freshwater Mussels and Proposed 
Threatened Status for Two Freshwater Mussels From Eastern Gulf Slope 
Drainages of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of public meetings and public hearings, 
and reopening of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) provides notice that 
five public meetings and five public hearings will be held on the 
proposed determination of endangered status for the fat three-ridge 
(Amblema neislerii), shiny-rayed pocketbook (Lampsilis subangulata), 
Gulf moccasinshell (Medionidus penicillatus), Ochlockonee moccasinshell 
(Medionidus simpsonianus), and oval pigtoe (Pleurobema pyriforme), and 
proposed determination of threatened status for the Chipola slabshell 
(Elliptio chipolaensis) and purple bankclimber (Elliptoideus 
sloatianus). These mussels are generally limited to short reaches of 
various streams in southeast Alabama, north Florida and southwest 
Georgia. All interested parties are invited to submit comments on this 
proposal.

DATES: Public meetings will be held from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on the 
following dates:
    1. January 5, 1995, Fayetteville, Georgia.
    2. January 9, 1995, Marianna, Florida.
    3. January 10, 1995, Dothan, Alabama.
    4. January 11, 1995, Albany, Georgia.
    5. January 12, 1995, Columbus, Georgia.
    Public hearings will be held from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on the 
following dates:
    1. January 19, 1995, Fayetteville, Georgia.
    2. January 23, 1995, Dothan, Alabama.
    3. January 24, 1995, Marianna, Florida.
    4. January 25, 1995, Albany, Georgia.
    5. January 26, 1995, Columbus, Georgia.
    The comment period, which originally closed on November 1, 1994, 
now closes on February 10, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Meetings and hearings will be held at the same facility in 
each city, as follows:
    1. Fayette County High School, F.A. Sams Auditorium, Lafayette 
Avenue, Fayetteville, Georgia.
    2. Dothan Opera House, 115 North St. Andrews, Dothan, Alabama.
    3. Chipola Junior College, Art Center, 3094 Indian Circle, 
Marianna, Florida.
    4. Albany Civic Center, 100 West Oglethorpe Boulevard, Albany, 
Georgia.
    5. Columbus, Georgia Convention and Trade Center, 801 Front Avenue, 
Columbus, Georgia.
    Written comments and materials concerning the proposal should be 
sent directly to Acting Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, 6620 Southpoint Drive South, Suite 310, Jacksonville, Florida 
32216 (facsimile 904/232-2404). Comments and materials received will be 
available for public inspection, by appointment, during normal business 
hours at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert S. Butler at the above address 
(telephone: 904/232-2580, facsimile 904/232-2404).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    In the Federal Register of August 3, 1994, (59 FR 39524) the 
Service published a proposal to add seven freshwater mussels (fat 
three-ridge, shiny-rayed pocketbook, Gulf moccasinshell, Ochlockonee 
moccasinshell, oval pigtoe, Chipola slabshell, and purple bankclimber) 
to the list of endangered and threatened wildlife. These seven species 
are endemic to the Apalachicolan Region of the eastern Gulf Slope, 
defined as the rivers from the Escambia River in the west to the 
Suwannee River in the east. These drainages comprise southeast Alabama, 
southwest Georgia, and north Florida. Primary threats to these mussels 
are habitat degradation attributed to impoundments, poor land-use 
planning, sedimentation, and poor water quality.
    Section 4(b)(5)(E) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 
amended, requires that a public hearing be held if it is requested 
within 45 days of publication of a proposed rule. The hearing provides 
a public forum to interested parties desiring formal oral comment on 
the proposed listing. By September 19, 1994, the Service had received 
12 public hearing requests from within the proposed mussels' range. Due 
to this level of interest, the Service has arranged to conduct five 
public hearings on the following dates and locations: January 19, 1995, 
Fayetteville, Georgia; January 23, 1995, Dothan, Alabama; January 24, 
1995, Marianna, Florida; January 25, 1995, Albany, Georgia; and January 
26, 1995, Columbus, Georgia. Parking is available at all five sites. 
Each public hearing is scheduled from 7:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Those 
parties wishing to make statements for the administrative record are 
encouraged to bring a copy of their statements to present to the 
Service at the start of the hearing. Oral statements may be limited in 
length if the number of parties present at the hearing necessitates 
such a limitation. There are, however, no limits to the length of 
written comments or materials presented at the hearing or mailed to the 
Service. Oral and written statements receive equal consideration.
    The list of sites and addresses for the public hearings is as 
follows:
    Fayette County High School Auditorium, Lafayette Avenue, 
Fayetteville, Georgia (one block north of the county courthouse 
square).
    Dothan Opera House, 115 North St. Andrews, Dothan, Alabama (across 
the street from the Dothan Police Department and Dothan Civic Center).
    Chipola Junior College, 123 South Main Street, Marianna, Florida 
(approximately two miles north of the courthouse in downtown Marianna).
    Albany Civic Center, 100 West Oglethorpe Boulevard, Albany , 
Georgia (between Washington and Front Streets near the Oglethorpe/Flint 
River Bridge).
    Columbus, Georgia Convention and Trade Center, 801 Front Avenue, 
Columbus, Georgia (Front Avenue runs north-south along the 
Chattahoochee River).
    In acknowledgement of public response to date, the Service has also 
scheduled five public meetings. The purpose of the public meetings is 
to provide an advance opportunity for the public to ask questions and 
gain additional information in preparation for the hearings to be held 
at a later date. The Service will not be taking oral statements for the 
administrative record at these meetings. Meeting hours, locations, and 
sites are the same as for the public hearings; dates are as follows: 
January 5, 1995, Fayetteville, Georgia; January 9, 1995, Marianna, 
Florida; January 10, 1995, Dothan, Alabama; January 11, 1995, Albany, 
Georgia; and January 12, 1995, Columbus, Georgia.
    The original public comment period for the proposal closed on 
November 1, 1994. Written comments may now be submitted until February 
10, 1995, to the Service office in the ADDRESSES section.

Author

    The primary author of this notice is Robert S. Butler (see 
ADDRESSES section).

    Authority: The authority for this action is the Endangered 
Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

    Dated: December 5, 1994.
Jerome M. Butler,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 94-30459 Filed 12-9-94; 8:45 am]
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