[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 65 (Friday, April 4, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 18869-18870]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-07411]



[[Page 18869]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

[Docket No. FWS-R5-ES-2013-0097; 4500030114]
RIN 1018-AY17


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Proposed 
Threatened Status for the Rufa Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

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

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 
reopening of the public comment period on our September 30, 2013, 
proposal to list the rufa red knot (Calidris canutus rufa) as a 
threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended 
(Act). In accordance with section 4(b)(5) of the Act, during the 
reopened public comment period we will hold two public hearings, one in 
North Carolina and one in Texas, with public informational sessions 
immediately preceding the public hearings. This comment period will 
allow all interested parties an opportunity to attend the public 
hearings and provide testimony and additional comments on the proposed 
rufa red knot listing. Comments previously submitted need not be 
resubmitted, as they will be fully considered in preparation of the 
final rule.

DATES: For the proposed rule published September 30, 2013 (78 FR 
60024), we will consider comments received or postmarked on or before 
May 19, 2014. 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.
    Public Informational Sessions and Public Hearings: We will hold two 
public informational sessions and two public hearings on this proposed 
rule on the following dates and times; see ADDRESSES for locations:
     Morehead City, NC: Public informational session from 5:00 
p.m. to 6:30 p.m., followed by a public hearing from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 
p.m., May 6, 2014.
     Corpus Christi, TX: Public informational session from 5:00 
p.m. to 6:00 p.m., followed by a public hearing from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 
p.m., May 6, 2014.

Persons wishing to present oral comments on the proposed rule at the 
public hearing may register beginning at the start of the informational 
session.

ADDRESSES: Document availability: You may obtain copies of the 
September 30, 2013, proposed rule and supporting material on the 
Internet at http://www.regulations.gov at Docket Number FWS-R5-ES-2013-
0097. Documents may also be obtained by mail from the New Jersey 
Ecological Services Field Office (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
    Written comments: You may submit written comments by one of the 
following methods:
    (1) Electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. In the Search box, enter FWS-R5-ES-2013-0097, 
which is the docket number for the proposed rulemaking. You may submit 
a comment by clicking on ``Comment Now!''
    (2) By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to: Public 
Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R5-ES-2013-0097; Division of Policy and 
Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax 
Drive, MS 2042-PDM; Arlington, VA 22203.
    We request that you send comments only by the methods described 
above. We will post all comments 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 details).
    Public Informational Sessions and Public Hearings: The 
informational sessions and public hearings will take place at:
     North Carolina--Crystal Coast Civic Center, 3505 Arendall 
Street, Morehead City, NC 28557.
     Texas--Harte Research Institute, Conference Room 127, 6300 
Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eric Schrading, Field Supervisor, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, New Jersey Field Office, 927 North Main 
Street, Building D, Pleasantville, New Jersey 08232, by telephone 609-
383-3938 or by facsimile 609-646-0352. Persons who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Public Comments

    We will accept written comments and information during this 
reopened comment period on our proposal to list the rufa red knot as a 
threatened species that was published in the Federal Register on 
September 30, 2013 (78 FR 60024). We will consider information we 
receive from all interested parties. We intend that any final action 
resulting from this proposal will be based on the best scientific and 
commercial data available and be as accurate and as effective as 
possible.
    If you submitted comments or information on the proposed rule (78 
FR 60024) during the initial comment period from September 30, 2013, to 
November 29, 2013, please do not resubmit them. We have incorporated 
them into the public record as part of the previous comment period, and 
we will fully consider them in the preparation of our final 
determination.
    If you submit a comment via http://www.regulations.gov, your entire 
comment--including any personal identifying information--will be posted 
on the Web site. We will post all hardcopy comments on http://www.regulations.gov as well. If you submit a hardcopy comment that 
includes personal identifying information, 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 supporting 
documentation we used in preparing the proposed rule, are available for 
public inspection on http://www.regulations.gov at Docket No. FWS-R5-
ES-2013-0097, or by appointment, during normal business hours, at the 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New Jersey Ecological Services Field 
Office (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).

Background

    In our September 30, 2013, proposed rule (78 FR 60024), we proposed 
to list the rufa red knot as threatened due to loss of both breeding 
and nonbreeding habitat; potential for disruption of natural predator 
cycles on the breeding grounds; reduced prey availability throughout 
the nonbreeding range; and increasing frequency and severity of 
asynchronies (``mismatches'') in the timing of the birds' annual 
migratory cycle relative to favorable food and weather conditions.
    For more information on previous Federal actions concerning the 
rufa red knot, or information regarding its biology, status, 
distribution, and habitat, refer to the proposed rule published in the 
Federal Register on September 30, 2013 (78 FR 60024) and its four 
supplemental documents, all of which are available online at http://www.regulations.gov at Docket No.

[[Page 18870]]

FWS-R5-ES-2013-0097 or by mail from the New Jersey Ecological Services 
Field Office (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).

Authors

    The primary authors of this notice are the staff members in the 
Endangered Species Program, Northeast Regional 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: March 19, 2014.
Stephen Guertin,
 Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-07411 Filed 4-3-14; 8:45 am]
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