[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 182 (Tuesday, September 19, 2000)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 56530-56531]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-23995]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Reopening of 
Comment Period and Notice of Availability of Draft Economic Analysis on 
Proposed Critical Habitat Designation for the Great Lakes Breeding 
Population of the Piping Plover

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; reopening of comment period and notice of 
availability of draft economic analysis.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the 
availability of the draft economic analysis of the proposed designation 
of critical habitat for the Great Lakes breeding population of the 
piping plover. We also provide notice of the reopening of the comment 
period for the proposal to allow all interested parties to submit 
written comments on the proposal and on the draft economic analysis. 
The new comment period will allow all interested parties to submit 
comments on the draft Economic Analysis and proposed designation. 
Comments received on the proposal after the close of the original 
comment period but before this reopening will be incorporated into the 
public record as a part of this reopening and do not need to be 
resubmitted.

DATES: The original comment period for the critical habitat proposal 
closed on September 5, 2000. The comment period is reopened and we will 
accept comments received on or before October 19, 2000. Any comments 
that are received after the closing date may not be considered in the 
final decision on this proposal.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft economic analysis for the Great Lakes 
breeding population of piping plovers are available by writing to 
Piping Plover Information, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bishop Henry 
Whipple Federal Building, 1 Federal Drive, Fort Snelling, Minnesota 
55111, on the Internet at http://www.fws.gov/pipingplover, or by 
calling (612) 713-5350. Written comments on the proposal for the Great 
Lakes breeding population should be sent to ``Piping Plover Comments'' 
at the above address, by e-mail to [email protected], or by 
facsimile to (612) 713-5292. Comments and materials received will be 
available for public inspection, by appointment, during normal business 
hours at the above Service address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Ragan at the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, 1 Federal 
Drive, Fort Snelling, Minnesota 55111-4056. Telephone: (612/713-5157); 
Fax: (612/713-5292)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  

Background

    On July 6, 2000, the Service published a proposed rule to designate 
critical habitat for the Great Lakes breeding population of the piping 
plover in the

[[Page 56531]]

Federal Register (65 FR 41812). The piping plover is a small, pale-
colored North American shorebird. Its breeding range extends throughout 
the northern Great Plains, the Great Lakes, and the north Atlantic 
coast in the United States and Canada. Based on its distribution, three 
breeding populations of piping plover have been described: the Northern 
Great Plains population, the Great Lakes population, and the Atlantic 
Coast population. Although their breeding ranges are separate, their 
wintering ranges overlap and extend along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts 
from southern North Carolina to Mexico and into the West Indies and the 
Bahamas. The Great Lakes breeding population is listed as endangered 
under the Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973, as amended. We proposed 
a total of approximately 305 kilometers (km) (189 miles (m)) of Great 
Lakes mainland and island shoreline as critical habitat for this 
population of the piping plover. The proposed critical habitat is 
located in 27 counties in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, 
Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York.
    Section 4(b)(2) of the Act requires that the Secretary shall 
designate or revise critical habitat based upon the best scientific 
data available and after taking into consideration the economic impact 
of specifying any particular area as critical habitat. Based upon the 
previously published proposal to designate critical habitat for the 
Great Lakes breeding population of piping plovers, we have conducted a 
draft economic analysis of the proposed critical habitat designation. 
The draft economic analysis is available at the above Internet and 
mailing address. In order to accept the best and most current 
scientific data regarding the critical habitat proposal and the draft 
economic analysis of the proposal, we reopen the comment period at this 
time.
    The Fish and Wildlife Service has previously conducted and recorded 
seven public hearings on this critical habitat proposal as required 
under Section 4(b)(5)(E) of the Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
seq.). Due to the expeditious treatment of this proposed critical 
habitat determination under Federal District Court order as described 
in the proposed rule, we will not conduct additional hearings and will 
accept only written comments during the reopened comment period. 
Previously submitted oral or written comments on this critical habitat 
proposal need not be resubmitted.
    The current comment period on this proposal closes on October 19, 
2000. Written comments may be submitted to the Service office in the 
ADDRESSES section.

Author

    The primary author of this notice is Laura Ragan (see ADDRESSES.)

    Authority: The authority for this action is the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531-1544).

    Dated: September 11, 2000.
T.J. Miller,
Chief of Ecological Services, Region 3.
[FR Doc. 00-23995 Filed 9-18-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P