[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 56 (Wednesday, March 24, 1999)] [Proposed Rules] [Pages 14209-14210] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 99-7153] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Reopening of Comment Period on Our Re-evaluation of Whether Designation of Critical Habitat Is Prudent for 245 Hawaiian Plants AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of reopening of comment period. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, provide notice of reopening the public comment period on our re-evaluation of whether designation of critical habitat is prudent for 245 Hawaiian plants. Our original notice was published in the Federal Register on November 30, 1998 (63 FR 65805) and the original public comment period was opened from November 30, 1998, to March 1, 1999. This notice reopens the comment period to May 24, 1999. ADDRESSES: Comments and materials concerning the notice should be sent to Robert P. Smith, Pacific Islands Manager, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 3-122, Box 50088, Honolulu, HI 96850 (telephone: 808/541-2749; facsimile: 808/541-2756). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Rosa, Assistant Field Supervisor, Ecological Services (see ADDRESSES section) (telephone: 808/541-3441; facsimile: 808/541-3470). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background On January 29, 1997, the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund (now Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund) filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Conservation Council for Hawaii, the Sierra Club, and the Hawaiian Botanical Society in U.S. District Court in Honolulu, Hawaii, for the Service's failure to designate critical habitat for 278 endangered or threatened Hawaiian plant taxa. Because the statute of limitations had elapsed for many of the plants, this list of plants was later reduced to 245 taxa. The 245 plant species that are the subject of our November 30, 1998, notice were listed by the Service over a period of several years, between 1990 and 1996, at which time the Service determined that designation of critical habitat was not prudent for one or more of the following three reasons: designation of critical habitat would increase the likelihood of illegal taking or vandalism; designation of critical habitat would not be beneficial for plant species located on private property; and, designation of critical habitat for plant species located on Federal lands provides little or no additional benefit beyond the existing precautions the Federal government must take under section 7 of the Act. The 245 plant taxa are: Abutilon eremitopetalum, Abutilon sandwicense, Acaena exigua, Achyranthes mutica, Adenophorus periens, Alectryon macrococcus, Alsinidendron lychnoides, Alsinidendron obovatum, Alsinidendron trinerve, Alsinidendron viscosum, Amaranthus brownii, Argyroxiphium kauense, Argyroxiphium sandwicense ssp. macrocephalum, Adenophorus periens, Asplenium fragile var. insulare, Bidens micrantha ssp. kalealaha, Bidens wiebkei, Bonamia menziesii, Brighamia insignis, Brighamia rockii, Canavalia molokaiensis, Cenchrus agrimonioides, Centaurium sebaeoides, Chamaesyce celastroides var. kaenana, Chamasyce deppeana, Chamaesyce halemanui, Chamaesyce herbstii, Chamaesyce kuwaleana, Chamaesyce rockii, Clermontia drepanomorpha, Clermontia lindseyana, Clermontia oblongifolia ssp. brevipes, Clermontia oblongifolia ssp. mauiensis, Clermontia peleana, [[Page 14210]] Clermontia pyrularia, Colubrina oppositifolia, Ctenitis squamigera, Cyanea asarifolia, Cyanea acuminata, Cyanea copelandii ssp. copelandii, Cyanea dunbarii, Cyanea grimesiana ssp. grimesiana, Cyanea grimesiana ssp. obatae, Cyanea hamatiflora ssp. carlsonii, Cyanea humboldtiana, Cyanea koolauensis, Cyanea lobata, Cyanea longiflora, Cyanea macrostegia ssp. gibsonii, Cyanea mannii, Cyanea mceldowneyi, Cyanea pinnatifida, Cyanea platyphylla, Cyanea procera, Cyanea recta, Cyanea remyi, Cyanea st.-johnii, Cyanea shipmanii, Cyanea stictophylla, Cyanea superba, Cyanea truncata, Cyanea undulata, Cyperus trachysanthos, Cyrtandra crenata, Cyrtandra cyaneoides, Cyrtandra dentata, Cyrtandra giffardii, Cyrtandra limahuliensis, Cyrtandra munroi, Cyrtandra polyantha, Cyrtandra subumbellata, Cyrtandra tintinnabula, Cyrtandra viridiflora, Delissea rhytidosperma, Delissea rivularis, Delissea subcordata, Delissea undulata, Diellia erecta, Diellia falcata, Diellia pallida, Diellia unisora, Diplazium molokaiense, Dubautia herbstobatae, Dubautia latifolia, Dubautia pauciflorula, Eragrostis fosbergii, Eugenia koolauensis, Euphorbia haeleeleana, Exocarpos luteolus, Flueggea neowawraea, Gahnia lanaiensis, Gardenia mannii, Geranium arboreum, Geranium multiflorum, Gouania meyenii, Gouania vitifolia, Hedyotis cookiana, Hedyotis coriacea, Hedyotis degeneri, Hedyotis mannii, Hedyotis parvula, Hedyotis st.-johnii, Hesperomannia arborescens, Hesperomannia arbuscula, Hesperomannia lydgatei, Hibiscadelphus giffardianus, Hibiscadelphus hualalaiensis, Hibiscadelphus woodii, Hibiscus arnottianus ssp. immaculatus, Hibiscus brackenridgei, Hibiscus clayi, Hibiscus waimeae ssp. hannerae, Huperzia mannii, Ischaemum byrone, Isodendrion hosakae, Isodendrion laurifolium, Isodendrion longifolium, Isodendrion pyrifolium, Kokia kauaiensis, Labordia cyrtandrae, Labordia lydgatei, Labordia tinifolia var. wahiawaensis, Lepidium arbuscula, Lipochaeta fauriei, Lipochaeta kamolensis, Lipochaeta lobata var. leptophylla, Lipochaeta micrantha, Lipochaeta tenuifolia, Lipochaeta waimeaensis, Lobelia gaudichaudii ssp. koolauensis, Lobelia monostachya, Lobelia niihauensis, Lobelia oahuensis, Lycopodium nutans, Lysimachia filifolia, Lysimachia lydgatei, Lysimachia maxima, Mariscus fauriei, Mariscus pennatiformis, Marsilea villosa, Melicope adscendens, Melicope balloui, Melicope haupuensis, Melicope knudsenii, Melicope lydgatei, Melicope mucronulata, Melicope ovalis, Melicope pallida, Melicope quadrangularis, Melicope reflexa, Melicope saint-johnii, Melicope zahlbruckneri, Munroidendron racemosum, Myrsine juddii, Myrsine linearifolia, Neraudia angulata, Neraudia ovata, Neraudia sericea, Nothocestrum breviflorum, Nothocestrum peltatum, Nototrichium humile, Ocrosia kilauaensis, Panicum niihauense, Peucedanum sandwicense, Phyllostegia glabra var. lanaiensis, Phyllostegia hirsuta, Phyllostegia kaalaensis, Phyllostegia knudsenii, Phyllostegia mannii, Phyllostegia mollis, Phyllostegia parviflora, Phyllostegia racemosa, Phyllostegia velutina, Phyllostegia warshaueri, Phyllostegia waimeae, Phyllostegia wawrana, Plantago hawaiensis, Plantago princeps, Platanthera holochila, Pleomele hawaiiensis, Poa mannii, Poa sandvicensis, Poa siphonoglossa, Portulaca sclerocarpa, Pritchardia affinis, Pritchardia aylmer- robinsonii, Pritchardia kaalae, Pritchardia munroi, Pritchardia napaliensis, Pritchardia remota, Pritchardia schattaueri, Pritchardia viscosa, Pteralyxia kauaiensis, Pteris lidgatei, Remya kauaiensis, Remya mauiensis, Remya montgomeryi, Rollandia crispa, Sanicula mariversa, Sanicula purpurea, Schiedea apokremnos, Schiedea haleakalensis, Schiedea helleri, Schiedea hookeri, Schiedea kaalae, Stenogyne campanulata, Schiedea kauaiensis, Stenogyne kanehoana, Schiedea kealiae, Schiedea lydgatei,Schiedea membranacea, Schiedea nuttallii, Schiedea sarmentosa, Schiedea spergulina var. leiopoda,Schiedea spergulina var. spergulina, Schiedea stellarioides, Schiedea verticillata, Sesbania tomentosa, Sicyos alba, Silene alexandri, Silene hawaiiensis, Silene lanceolata, Silene perlmanii, Solanum incompletum, Solanum sandwicense, Spermolepis hawaiiensis, Stenogyne bifida, Tetramolopium arenarium, Tetramolopium capillare, Tetramolopium filiforme, Tetramolopium lepidotum ssp. lepidotum, Tetramolopium remyi, Tetramolopium rockii, Tetraplasandra gymnocarpa, Trematolobelia singularis, Urera kaalae, Viola chamissoniana ssp. chamissoniana, Viola helenae, Viola kauaensis var. wahiawaensis, Viola lanaiensis, Viola oahuensis, Wilkesia hobdyi, Xylosma crenatum, Zanthoxylum dipetalum var. tomentosum, Zanthoxylum hawaiiense. In accordance with the U.S. District Court's August 10, 1998, order (Civil No. 97-00098ACK Conservation Council for Hawaii, et al. vs. Bruce Babbitt, et al.), the Service is reconsidering the not prudent determinations that were made for these 245 plant species. We published a notice seeking any new information that may affect whether we proceed with a proposal to designate critical habitat for these species (63 FR 65805) on November 30, 1998. The original public comment period closed on March 1, 1999. Four respondents requested that the public comment period be extended to allow all interested parties ample opportunity to respond to our request for comments. Therefore, we are reopening the public comment period and continue to request comments, suggestions, or information on our re-evaluation of whether designation of critical habitat is prudent for these 245 plant species. We are soliciting information concerning: (1) Biological, commercial trade, vandalism, or other relevant data concerning any threat to these species; (2) The location of any additional populations of these species and the reasons why any habitat should or should not be determined to be critical habitat as provided by section 4 of the Act; (3) Additional information concerning the range, distribution, and population size of these species; (4) Current or planned activities in the subject area and their possible impacts on these species; (5) Additional information on the principal biological or physical constituent elements that are essential to the conservation of these species. These primary constituent elements may include, but are not limited to, the following: seasonal wetland or dryland, water quality or quantity, plant pollinator, geological formation, vegetation type, and specific soil types; (6) Information on existing management for any of these species and benefits to these species. This information should be submitted by May 24, 1999, to the Fish and Wildlife office in the ADDRESSES section. Author: The primary author of this document is Christa Russell (see ADDRESSES section). Authority: The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Dated: March 17, 1999. Thomas J. Dwyer, Acting Regional Director. [FR Doc. 99-7153 Filed 3-23-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-55-P