[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 136 (Tuesday, July 16, 2002)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 46626-46627]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-18016]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1018-AH10


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designating 
Critical Habitat for Plant Species From the Island of Lanai, HI

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

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

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the 
availability of the draft economic analysis for the proposed 
designations of critical habitat for plant species from the island of 
Lanai, Hawaii. We are also providing notice of the reopening of the 
comment period for the proposal to determine prudency and to designate 
critical habitat for these plants to allow peer reviewers and all 
interested parties to comment simultaneously on the proposed rule and 
the associated draft economic analysis. Comments previously submitted 
need not be resubmitted as they will be incorporated into the public 
record as part of this reopened comment period and will be fully 
considered in preparation of the final rule.

DATES: We will accept public comments until August 15, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and information should be submitted to 
Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands 
Office, 300 Ala Moana Blvd., P.O. Box 50088, Honolulu, HI 96850-0001. 
For further instructions on commenting, refer to Public Comments 
Solicited section of this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Henson, Field Supervisor, Pacific 
Islands Office, at the above address (telephone: 808/541-3441; 
facsimile: 808/541-3470).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    A total of 37 plant species historically found on Lanai were listed 
as endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 
1973, as amended (Act), between 1991 and 1999. Seven of these species 
are endemic to the islands of Lanai, while 30 species are reported from 
one or more other islands, as well as Lanai.
    In other published proposals we proposed that critical habitat was 
prudent for 35 of the 37 species (Abutilon eremitopetalum, Adenophorus 
periens, Bidens micrantha ssp. kalealaha, Bonamia menziesii, Brighamia 
rockii, Cenchrus agrimonioides, Centarium sebaeoides, Clermontia 
oblongifolia ssp. mauiensis, Ctenitis squamigera, Cyanea grimesiana 
ssp. grimesiana, Cyanea lobata, Cyanea macrostegia ssp. gibsonii, 
Cyperus trachysanthos, Cyrtandra munroi, Diellia erecta, Diplazium 
molokaiense, Gahnia lanaiensis, Hedyotis mannii, Hedyotis 
schlechtendahliana var. remyi, Hesperomannia arborescens, Hibiscus 
brackenridgei, Isodendrion pyrifolium, Labordia tinifolia var. 
lanaiensis, Mariscus faurei, Melicope munroi, Neraudia sericea, 
Portulaca sclerocarpa, Sesbania tomentosa, Silene lanceolata, Solanum 
incompletum, Spermolepis hawaiiensis, Tetramolopium remyi, Vigna o-
wahuensis, and Viola lanaiensis, Zanthoxylum hawaiiense from the island 
of Lanai (64 FR 48307, 65 FR 66808, 65 FR 79192, 65 FR 82086, 65 FR 
83158, and 67 FR 3940). No change was made to these prudency 
determinations in the March 4, 2002 (67 FR 9805) revised proposal. In 
addition, on December 27, 2000, we proposed that critical habitat for 
Phyllostegia glabra var. lanaiensis, was not prudent because it has not 
been seen recently in the wild, and no viable genetic material of this 
species is known (65 FR 82086). No change was made in the March 4, 
2002, revised proposal to the not prudent determination for 
Phyllostegia glabra var. lanaiensis. In the March 4, 2002, revised 
proposal, we proposed that critical habitat is prudent for one other 
species, Tetramolopium lepidotum ssp. lepidotum, for which a prudency 
determination had not been made previously, and that no longer occurs 
on Lanai but is reported from one other island (Oahu) (67 FR 9805).
    In the March 4, 2002, revised prudency and critical habitat 
proposal,

[[Page 46627]]

we proposed critical habitat for 32 of the 37 species from the island 
of Lanai (67 FR 9805). Critical habitat was not proposed for 5 of the 
37 species. The five species are Mariscus fauriei, Silene lanceolata, 
Tetramolopium lepidotum ssp. lepidotum, and Zanthoxylum hawaiiense 
which no longer occur on the island of Lanai and for which we are 
unable to identify any habitat that is essential to their conservation 
on the island of Lanai (67 FR 9805), and Phyllostegia glabra var. 
lanaiensis for which we determined that critical habitat designation 
was not prudent because it has not been seen recently in the wild and 
no viable genetic material of this species is known (65 FR 82086).
    We have proposed to designate a total of 8 critical habitat units 
covering approximately 7,853 hectares (ha) (19,405 acres (ac)) on the 
island of Lanai.
    Critical habitat receives protection from destruction or adverse 
modification through required consultation under section 7 of the Act 
(16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) with regard to actions carried out, funded, or 
authorized by a Federal agency. Section 4(b)(2) of the Act requires 
that the Secretary shall designate or revise critical habitat based 
upon the best scientific and commercial 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 plant species from 
Lanai, and comments received during the previous comment period, we 
have prepared a draft economic analysis of the proposed critical 
habitat designations. The draft economic analysis is available on the 
Internet and from the mailing address in the Public Comments Solicited 
section below.

Public Comments Solicited

    We will accept written comments and information during this re-
opened comment period. If you wish to comment, you may submit your 
comments and materials concerning this proposal by any of several 
methods:
    (1) You may submit written comments and information to the Field 
Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands Office, 300 
Ala Moana Blvd., P.O. Box 50088, Honolulu, HI 96850-0001.
    (2) You may send comments by electronic mail (e-mail) to: [email protected]. If you submit comments by e-mail, please submit 
them as an ASCII file and avoid the use of special characters and any 
form of encryption. Please also include ``Attn: RIN 1018-AH10'' and 
your name and return address in your e-mail message. If you do not 
receive a confirmation from the system that we have received your e-
mail message, contact us directly by calling our Honolulu Fish and 
Wildlife Office at telephone number 808/541-3441.
    (3) You may hand-deliver comments to our Honolulu Fish and Wildlife 
Office at the address given above.
    Comments and materials received, as well as supporting 
documentation used in preparation of the proposal to designate critical 
habitat, will be available for inspection, by appointment, during 
normal business hours at the address under (1) above. Copies of the 
draft economic analysis are available on the Internet at http://pacificislands.fws.gov or by request from the Field Supervisor at the 
address and phone number under (1 and 2) above.

Author(s)

    The primary author of this notice is John Nuss, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, Regional Office, 911 NE 11th Avenue, 4th floor, 
Portland, OR 97232-4181.

Authority

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

    Dated: June 20, 2002.
Craig Manson,
Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
[FR Doc. 02-18016 Filed 7-15-02; 8:45 am]
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