[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 105 (Friday, June 1, 2007)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 30534-30535]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-10587]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 224

[I.D. 021607C]


Endangered and Threatened Species: Extension of Public Comment 
Period and Notice of Public Hearings on Proposed Endangered Species Act 
Listing of Cook Inlet Beluga Whales

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Extension of public comment period; notice of public hearings.

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SUMMARY: On April 20, 2007, NMFS proposed the listing of the Cook Inlet 
beluga whale as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act 
of 1973 (ESA), as amended. As part of that proposal, NMFS announced a 
public comment period to end on June 19, 2007. NMFS has received 
requests for an extension to the comment period and for public hearings 
on this issue. In response to these requests, NMFS is extending the 
public comment period for the proposed listing action to August 3, 
2007. Additionally, NMFS is announcing that hearings will be held at 
two locations in Alaska to provide additional opportunities and formats 
to receive public input.

DATES: The deadline for comments on the April 20, 2007 (72 FR 19854) 
proposed rule is extended from June 19, 2007, to August 3, 2007.

ADDRESSES: We will hold two public hearings on this issue: one in Homer 
and one in Anchorage. The dates for these hearings will be announced in 
a forthcoming notice in the Federal Register.
    Send comments to Kaja Brix, Assistant Regional Administrator, 
Protected Resources Division, Alaska Region, NMFS, Attn: Ellen 
Sebastian. Comments may be submitted by:
     E-mail: [email protected]. Include in the 
subject line the following document identifier: Cook Inlet Beluga Whale 
PR. E-mail comments, with or without attachments, are limited to 5 
megabytes.
     Webform at the Federal eRulemaking Portal: 
www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions at that site for 
submitting comments.
     Mail: P. O Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802
     Hand delivery to the Federal Building : 709 W. 9\th\ 
Street, Juneau, AK.
     Fax: (907) 586-7557.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brad Smith, NMFS, 222 West 7th Avenue, 
Anchorage, AK 99517, telephone (907) 271-5006; Kaja Brix, NMFS, (907) 
586-7235; or Marta Nammack, (301) 713-1401.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On April 20, 2007, NMFS published a proposed rule (72 FR 19854) to 
list the Cook Inlet beluga whale as an endangered species. This action 
followed completion of a status review of the Cook Inlet beluga whale 
which found this population to be at risk of extinction within the next 
100 years. The April 20, 2007, proposed rule also describes NMFS' 
determination that this population constitutes a ``species'', or 
distinct population segment, under the ESA.

Extension of Public Comment Period

    Several requests have been received to extend the comment period 
for the proposed listing. The comment period for the proposed listing 
was to end on June 19, 2007. NMFS is extending the comment period until 
August 3, 2007, to allow for adequate opportunity for public comment 
and participation in

[[Page 30535]]

public hearings (see DATES and ADDRESSES).

Public Hearings

    Joint Commerce-Interior ESA implementing regulations state that the 
Secretary shall promptly hold at least one public hearing if any person 
requests one within 45 days of publication of a proposed regulation to 
list a species or to designate critical habitat (see 50 CFR 
424.16(c)(3)). In past ESA rule-making NMFS has conducted traditional 
public hearings, consisting of recorded oral testimony from interested 
individuals. This format, although providing a means of public input, 
does not provide opportunities for dialogue and information exchange. 
NMFS believes that the traditional public hearing format can be 
improved upon by also including a brief presentation on the results of 
the Status Review and what may be considered topics of interest.
    The preferred means of providing public comment for the official 
record is via written testimony prepared in advance of the meeting 
which may also be presented orally. Blank ``comment sheets'' will be 
provided at the meetings for those without prepared written comments, 
and opportunity will also be provided for additional oral testimony. 
There is no need to register for these hearings.
    In scheduling these public hearings, NMFS has anticipated that many 
affected stakeholders and members of the public may prefer to discuss 
the proposed listing directly with staff during the public comment 
period. These public meetings are not the only opportunity for the 
public to provide input on this proposal. The public and stakeholders 
are encouraged to continue to comment and provide input to NMFS on the 
proposal (via correspondence, e-mail, and the Internet; see ADDRESSES, 
above) up until the scheduled close of the comment period on August 3, 
2007.

References

    The proposed rule, status review report, maps, a list of the 
references cited in this document, and other materials relating to the 
proposed listing can be found on the NMFS Alaska Region website http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.

    Dated: May 25, 2007.
James H. Lecky,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. E7-10587 Filed 5-31-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S