[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 71 (Tuesday, April 13, 2004)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 19364-19365]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-8328]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1018-AT44


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Proposed 
Designation of Critical Habitat for the Santa Barbara County Distinct 
Population Segment of the California Tiger Salamander

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; reopening of comment period and public hearing 
announcement.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) give notice 
of reopening the public comment period and scheduling one public 
hearing on the proposed critical habitat designation for the Santa 
Barbara County Distinct Vertebrate Population Segment (DPS) of the 
California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense).

DATES: The comment period for this proposal now closes on May 28, 2004. 
Any comments received by the closing date will be considered in the 
final decision on this proposal. One public hearing will be held on May 
11, 2004, in Santa Maria from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and from 6 p.m. to 8 
p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public hearing in Santa Maria will be held at the 
Radisson Hotel, 3455 Skyway Drive, Santa Maria CA 93455.
    Written comments and materials may be submitted to us by any one of 
the following methods:
    1. You may submit written comments and information to the Field 
Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ventura Fish and Wildlife 
Office, 2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura, CA 93003, or by facsimile 
805/644-3958.
    2. You may hand-deliver written comments to our Ventura Office, at 
the address given above.
    3. You may send comments by electronic mail (e-mail) to 
[email protected].
    Comments and materials received, as well as supporting 
documentation used in the preparation of this proposed rule, will be 
available for public inspection, by appointment, during normal business 
hours at the Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office, at address given above 
(telephone 805/644-1766).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carl Benz, at the above address 
(telephone 805/644-1766; facsimile 805/644-3958).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 19365]]

Public Comments Solicited

    We will accept written comments and information during this 
reopened comment period. We solicit comments on the original proposed 
critical habitat designation (January 22, 2004, 69 FR 3064). Of 
particular interest to us are comments on the criteria used to identify 
critical habitat, the special management considerations, and additional 
suggestions regarding the primary constituent elements identified for 
the California tiger salamander in this proposed rule. Please feel free 
to suggest other sources of information relevant to this species of 
which you may be aware.
    An analysis of the economic impacts of proposing critical habitat 
for the California tiger salamander is being prepared. We will announce 
the availability of the draft economic analysis as soon as it is 
completed, at which time we will seek public review and comment. At 
that time, copies of the draft economic analysis will be available for 
downloading from the Internet at http://ventura.fws.gov, or by 
contacting the Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office directly (see ADDRESSES 
section).
    Please submit electronic comments in an ASCII file format and avoid 
the use of special characters and encryption. Please also include 
``ttn: RIN 1018-AT44'' 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, please contact the Ventura Fish and 
Wildlife Office (see ADDRESSES section and For Further Information 
Contact). In the event that our internet connection is not functional, 
please submit your comments by the alternate methods mentioned above.
    Our practice is to make comments, including names and home 
addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular 
business hours. Individual respondents may request that we withhold 
their home addresses from the rulemaking record, which we will honor to 
the extent allowable by law. In some circumstances, we would withhold 
from the rulemaking record a respondent's identity, as allowable by 
law. If you wish for us to withhold your name and/or address, you must 
state this prominently at the beginning of your comments. However, we 
will not consider anonymous comments. We will make all submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.

Background

    On January 22, 2004, we published in the Federal Register a 
proposed critical habitat rule for the Santa Barbara DPS of California 
tiger salamander listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 
amended (Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Six critical habitat units, 
totaling approximately 13,920 acres (5,633 hectares), are proposed for 
designation for the Santa Barbara County DPS of California tiger 
salamander. The proposed critical habitat is located in Santa Barbara 
County, CA. For locations of these proposed units, please consult the 
proposed rule (69 FR 3064).
    The comment period for the proposed critical habitat designation 
originally closed on March 22, 2004. We are now announcing one public 
hearing and are reopening the comment period to allow all interested 
parties to submit oral or written comments on the proposal. We are 
seeking comments or suggestions from the public, other concerned 
agencies, the scientific community, industry, or any other interested 
parties concerning the proposed rule. Comments already submitted on the 
proposed rule need not be resubmitted as they will be fully considered 
in the final determination.
    Section 4(b)(5)(E) of the Act requires that a public hearing be 
held if it is requested within 45 days of the publication of a proposed 
rule. We received numerous requests for an extension of the comment 
period and for a public hearing. In response to these requests, we are 
reopening the public comment period and holding a public hearing on the 
date and at the address described in the DATES and ADDRESSES section.
    Anyone wishing to make an oral statement for the record is 
encouraged to provide a written copy of their statement and present it 
to us at the hearing. In the event there is a large attendance, the 
time allotted for oral statements may be limited. Oral and written 
statements receive equal consideration. There are no limits to the 
length of written comments presented at the hearing or mailed to us.
    Persons needing reasonable accommodations in order to attend and 
participate in the public hearing should contact Patti Carroll, Region 
1, at 503/231-2080 as soon as possible. In order to allow sufficient 
time to process requests, please call no later than 1 week before the 
hearing date.
    Information regarding this proposal is available in alternative 
formats upon request.

Author

    The primary author of this notice is Katie Drexhage (see ADDRESSES 
section).

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

    Dated: April 5, 2004.
Craig Manson,
Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
[FR Doc. 04-8328 Filed 4-12-04; 8:45 am]
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