[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 172 (Thursday, September 5, 2013)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 54614-54616]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-21664]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

[Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2013-0073; FXES11130900000C2-134-FF09E32000]
RIN 1018-AY00


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removing the Gray 
Wolf (Canis lupus) From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 
and Maintaining Protections for the Mexican Wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) 
by Listing It as Endangered

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of public comment period, and 
announcement of public hearings.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), recently 
published a proposal to remove the gray wolf from the List of 
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife (List) but to maintain endangered 
status for the Mexican wolf by listing it as a subspecies (Canis lupus 
baileyi), and we announced the opening of a 90-day public comment 
period on the proposed action, ending September 11, 2013. We now extend 
the public comment period to October 28, 2013. We are extending the 
public comment period to allow all interested parties additional time 
to comment on the proposed rule. Comments previously submitted need not 
be resubmitted and will be fully considered in preparation of the final 
rule. We also announce three public hearings on our proposed rule.

DATES: Written Comments: The public comment period on the proposal to 
remove the gray wolf from the List of Endangered and Threatened 
Wildlife but to maintain endangered status for the Mexican wolf by 
listing it as a subspecies is extended to October 28, 2013. Please note 
comments submitted electronically using the Federal eRulemaking Portal 
(see ADDRESSES section, below) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern 
Time on the closing date. If you are submitting your comments by hard 
copy, please mail them by October 28, 2013, to ensure that we receive 
them in time to give them full consideration.
    Public Hearings: We will hold three public hearings on the 
following dates:
     September 30, 2013, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., in 
Washington, DC.
     October 2, 2013, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., in Sacramento, 
California.
     October 4, 2013, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., in Albuquerque, 
New Mexico.

ADDRESSES: Written Comments: You may submit comments by one of the 
following methods:
    (1) Electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Search for Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2013-0073, which 
is the docket number for this rulemaking. Please ensure you have found 
the correct document before submitting your comments. If your comments 
will fit in the provided comment box, please use this feature of http://www.regulations.gov, as it is most compatible with our comment review 
procedures. If you attach your comments as a separate document, our 
preferred file format is Microsoft Word. If you attach multiple 
comments (such as form letters), our preferred format is a spreadsheet 
in Microsoft Excel. Submissions of electronic comments on our Proposed 
Revision to the Nonessential Experimental Population of the Mexican 
Wolf, which also published in the Federal Register on June 13, 2013, 
should be submitted to Docket No. FWS-R2-ES-2013-0056 using the method 
described above.
    (2) By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to: Public 
Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-HQ-ES-2013-0073; Division of Policy and 
Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N Fairfax 
Drive, MS 2042-PDM; Arlington, VA 22203.
    (3) At the public hearings: Written comments will be accepted by 
Service personnel at any of the three scheduled public hearings.
    We will post all comments we receive on http://www.regulations.gov. 
This generally means that we will post any personal information you 
provide us (see the Public Comments section below for more 
information).
    Public Hearings: Public hearings will be held at:

[[Page 54615]]

     Department of the Interior, Auditorium, 1849 C Street NW., 
Washington, DC 20240; (202) 208-3100.
     Clarion Inn, Martinique Ball Room, 1401 Arden Way, 
Sacramento, CA 95815; (916) 922-8041.
     Embassy Suites, Sandia Room, 1000 Woodward Place NE., 
Albuquerque, NM 87102; (505) 245-7100. This public hearing will also 
cover the proposed revision to the nonessential experimental population 
of the Mexican wolf (78 FR 35719).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Headquarters Office, Ecological 
Services; telephone (703) 358-2171. Direct all questions or requests 
for additional information to: GRAY WOLF QUESTIONS, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, Headquarters Office, Ecological Services, 4401 North 
Fairfax Drive, Room 420, Arlington, VA 22203. Individuals who are 
hearing-impaired or speech-impaired may call the Federal Relay Service 
at 1-800-877-8337 for TTY assistance.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Comments

    We are extending the public comment period for 45 days on our 
proposal to remove the gray wolf (Canis lupus) from the List of 
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife (List) and maintain protections for 
the Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) by listing it as endangered 
under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act; 16 U.S.C. 
1531 et seq.). That proposal was published in the Federal Register on 
June 13, 2013 (78 FR 35664). It is available online at http://www.regulations.gov under Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2013-0073 and at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-06-13/pdf/2013-13982.pdf#page=2.
    We intend that any final action resulting from this proposal will 
be as accurate and as effective as possible. Therefore, comments, new 
information, or suggestions from the public, other concerned 
governmental agencies, the scientific community, industry, or any other 
interested party concerning this proposed rule are hereby solicited. In 
particular, we are seeking targeted information and comments on our 
proposed removal of C. lupus from the List of Endangered and Threatened 
Wildlife and addition of C. l. baileyi as an endangered subspecies. We 
also seek comment on the following categories of information.
    (1) Biological, commercial trade, or other relevant information 
concerning our analysis of the current C. lupus listed entity and the 
adequacy of the approach taken in this analysis, with particular 
respect to our interpretation of the term ``population'' as it relates 
to the 1996 Policy Regarding the Recognition of Distinct Vertebrate 
Population Segments (DPS policy) (61 FR 4722, February 7, 1996) and 
specifically to gray wolves.
    (2) Information concerning the genetics and taxonomy of the eastern 
wolf, Canis lycaon.
    (3) Information concerning the status of the gray wolf in the 
Pacific Northwest United States and the following gray wolf subspecies: 
Canis lupus nubilus, Canis lupus occidentalis, and C. l. baileyi, 
including:
    (a) Genetics and taxonomy;
    (b) New information concerning range, distribution, population 
size, and population trends;
    (c) New biological or other relevant data concerning any threat (or 
lack thereof) to these subspecies, their habitat, or both; and
    (d) New information regarding conservation measures for these 
populations, their habitat, or both.
    As this proposal is intended to replace our May 5, 2011, proposal 
to remove protections for C. lupus in all or portions of 29 eastern 
contiguous States (76 FR 26086), we ask that any comments previously 
submitted that may be relevant to the proposal presented in this rule 
be resubmitted at this time.
    Please note that submissions merely stating support for or 
opposition to the action under consideration without providing 
supporting information, although noted, will not be considered in 
making a determination. You may submit your comments and materials by 
one of the methods listed in ADDRESSES. We request that you send 
comments only by the methods described in ADDRESSES. Verbal testimony 
may also be presented during the public hearings (see DATES and 
ADDRESSES sections).
    We will post your entire comment--including your personal 
identifying information--on http://www.regulations.gov. If you provide 
personal identifying information, such as your street address, phone 
number, or email address, you may request at the top of your document 
that we withhold this information from public review. However, we 
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
    Comments and materials we receive, as well as some of the 
supporting documentation we used in preparing this proposed rule, will 
be available for public inspection on http://www.regulations.gov at 
Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2013-0073, or by appointment, during normal 
business hours at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Headquarters Office, 
Endangered Species Program, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Room 420, 
Arlington, VA 22203.
    Our final determination concerning the proposed action will take 
into consideration all written comments we receive during all comment 
periods, comments from peer reviewers, and comments received during the 
public hearings. The comments will be included in the public record for 
this rulemaking, and we will fully consider them in the preparation of 
our final determination.
    If you previously submitted comments or information on this 
proposed rule, please do not resubmit them. We will incorporate them 
into the public record as part of this comment period, and will fully 
consider them in the preparation of our final determination.

Public Hearings

    We are holding three public hearings on the dates listed in the 
DATES section at the locations listed in the ADDRESSES section. The 
public hearing on the June 13, 2013 (78 FR 35719), proposed revision to 
the nonessential experimental population of the Mexican wolf is 
announced elsewhere in today's Federal Register. The October 4, 2013, 
public hearing in Albuquerque, NM, will address both the June 13, 2013 
(78 FR 35664), proposal to remove the gray wolf from the List and 
maintain protections for the Mexican wolf by listing it as endangered, 
as well as the June 13, 2013 (78 FR 35719), proposed revision to the 
nonessential experimental population of the Mexican wolf.
    We are holding the public hearings to provide interested parties an 
opportunity to present verbal testimony (formal, oral comments) or 
written comments regarding the June 13, 2013 (78 FR 35664), proposal to 
remove the gray wolf from the List and maintain protections for the 
Mexican wolf by listing it as endangered. A public hearing is not, 
however, an opportunity for dialogue with the Service or its 
contractors; it is a forum for accepting formal verbal testimony. 
Anyone wishing to make an oral statement at the public hearings for the 
record is encouraged to provide a written copy of their statement to us 
at the hearings. In the event there is a large attendance, the time 
allotted for oral statements may be limited. Speakers can sign up at 
the hearings if they desire to make an oral statement. Oral and written 
statements receive equal consideration. There are no limits on the 
length of written comments submitted to us.

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    Persons with disabilities needing reasonable accommodations to 
participate in the public hearings should contact the Headquarters 
Office (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). Reasonable accommodation 
requests should be received at least 3 business days prior to the 
hearing to help ensure availability; at least 2 weeks prior notice is 
requested for American-sign-language or English-as-a-second-language 
interpreter needs.

Authors

    The primary authors of this notice are the Ecological Services 
staff of the Headquarters Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Authority

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

    Dated: August 30, 2013.
Rowan W. Gould,
Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-21664 Filed 9-4-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P