[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 36 (Thursday, February 22, 2001)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 11134-11135]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-4430]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1018-AG13


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Reopening of 
Public Comment Period on Proposed Critical Habitat for Wintering Piping 
Plovers

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; reopening of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, provide notice that 
the public comment period on the proposed rule to designate critical 
habitat for wintering piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) is hereby 
reopened. Comments submitted during the prior comment periods need not 
be resubmitted as they will be incorporated into the public record and 
will be fully considered in the final determination on the proposal.

DATES: The original comment period, scheduled to close on September 5, 
2000, was extended until November 24, 2000. The comment period is now 
reopened and will close on March 1, 2001. Comments from all interested 
parties must be received by the closing date. Any comments that are 
received after the closing date may not be considered in the final 
decision on this proposal.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted to the Field Supervisor, 
Ecological Services Field Office, c/o TAMUCC, Box 338, 6300 Ocean 
Drive, Corpus Christi, Texas 78412; by facsimile at (361) 994-8262; or 
by email at [email protected]. Comments and materials 
received will be available for public inspection, by appointment, 
during normal business hours at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Allan Strand, Acting Field Supervisor, 
at the above address (telephone 361/994-9005).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The piping plover (Charadrius melodus) is a small North American 
shorebird that breeds in the Great Plains, Great Lakes, and upper 
Atlantic Coast states, and its winter areas include the lower Atlantic 
and Gulf coasts of the United States. The piping plover on its 
wintering areas is listed as a threatened species under the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended.
    The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed critical habitat for 
wintering piping plovers on July 6, 2000 (65 FR 41782), and published 
extensions of the comment period on August 30, 2000 (65 FR 52691), and 
October 27, 2000 (65 FR 64414). The proposal includes 146 areas along 
the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, 
Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. This includes approximately 
2,734 kilometers (1,699 miles) of shoreline along the Gulf and Atlantic 
coasts and along margins of interior bays, inlets, and lagoons.
    Section 4(b)(2) of the Endangered Species Act requires that we 
designate or revise critical habitat based upon the best scientific and 
commercial data available and after taking into consideration the 
economic impact, and any other relevant impact, of specifying any 
particular area as critical habitat. We may exclude an area from 
critical habitat if we determine that the benefits of excluding the 
area outweigh the benefits of including the area as critical habitat, 
provided such exclusion will not result in the extinction of the 
species. Consequently, we have prepared and made available a draft 
economic analysis concerning the proposed critical habitat designation, 
which is available for review and comment at the above Internet and 
mailing addresses.

[[Page 11135]]

Public Comments Solicited

    Pursuant to regulations at 50 CFR 424.16(c)(2), we may extend or 
reopen a public comment period on a proposal to designate critical 
habitat upon finding that there is good cause to do so. Since the close 
of the original comment period on proposed designation of critical 
habitat for wintering piping plovers, we have received a number of 
comments which provide information relevant to the proposed 
designation. In the interest of considering the best scientific and 
commercial information available in making our final determination on 
the proposal, we find that good cause exists to reopen the public 
comment period on this proposed action.
    We solicit comments on all aspects of the critical habitat 
proposal, including the draft economic analysis. Our final 
determination on the proposed critical habitat will take into 
consideration comments and any additional information received by the 
date specified above. All previous comments and information submitted 
during the comment period need not be resubmitted. Written comments may 
be submitted to the Field Supervisor at the above address.

Author

    The primary author of this notice is Steve Spangle, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 1306, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87103.

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

    Dated: February 15, 2001.
Frank S. Shoemaker, Jr.,
Acting Regional Director, Region 2, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 01-4430 Filed 2-21-01; 8:45 am]
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