[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 111 (Tuesday, June 10, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 33169-33170]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-13426]



[[Page 33169]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

[Docket No. FWS-R1-ES-2012-0097; FXES11130900000C2-123-FF09E32000]
RIN 1018-AZ74


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 12-Month Finding 
on a Petition To Delist the Southern Selkirk Mountains Population of 
Woodland Caribou and Proposed Rule To Amend the Listing

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

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

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are 
extending the public comment period on our May 8, 2014, 12-month 
finding and proposed rule concerning the southern Selkirk Mountains 
population of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou). We will 
also hold two public hearings to receive comments on the proposed rule. 
We are taking these actions to allow all interested parties additional 
time and opportunity to comment on the proposed rule. Comments 
previously submitted need not be resubmitted and will be fully 
considered in preparation of the final rule.

DATES: 
    Written Comments: The comment period on the proposed rule published 
on May 8, 2014 (79 FR 26504), is extended. We will consider comments 
received or postmarked on or before August 6, 2014, or at the public 
hearings. Please note comments submitted electronically using the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal (see ADDRESSES) must be received by 11:59 
p.m. Eastern Time on the closing date. Any comments that we receive 
after the closing date may not be considered in the final decisions on 
these actions.
    Public Informational Sessions and Hearings: We will hold public 
informational sessions and public hearings as follows (see ADDRESSES 
for location information):
     On June 25, 2014, we will hold an informational session 
from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., followed by a public hearing from 6:00 
p.m. to 8:00 p.m., in Sandpoint, Idaho.
     On June 26, 2014, we will hold an informational session 
from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., followed by a public hearing from 6:00 
p.m. to 8:00 p.m., in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

ADDRESSES: 
    Document Availability: You may obtain copies of the proposed rule 
at http://www.regulations.gov at Docket No. FWS-R1-ES-2012-0097, or by 
contacting the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Office directly (see FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT).
    Comment Submission: You may submit written comments by one of the 
following methods:
    (1) Electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Search for docket number FWS-R1-ES-2012-0097.
    (2) By Hard Copy: Submit comments on the proposed rule by U.S. mail 
or hand-delivery to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R1-ES-2012-
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 information).
    Public Informational Sessions and Hearings: Public informational 
sessions and public hearings for the proposed Southern Mountain Caribou 
DPS will be held at the following locations:
     Bonner County Headquarters meeting room, 1500 Highway 2, 
Sandpoint, ID 83864.

     Bonners Ferry High School, 6485 Tamarack Lane, Bonners 
Ferry, ID 83805.

People needing reasonable accommodation in order to attend and 
participate in either public hearing should contact Ben Conard, Field 
Supervisor, Northern Idaho Field Office, Idaho Fish and Wildlife 
Office, as soon as possible (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mike Carrier, State Supervisor, Idaho 
Fish and Wildlife Office, 1387 S. Vinnell Way, Room 368, Boise, ID 
83709; by telephone (208) 378-5243; or by facsimile (208) 378-5262. 
Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call 
the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    On May 8, 2014, we published in the Federal Register (79 FR 26504) 
a document consisting of: (1) Our 12-month finding on a petition to 
delist the southern Selkirk Mountains population of woodland caribou 
(Rangifer tarandus caribou); (2) a proposed rule to amend the current 
listing of this population by defining the Southern Mountain Caribou 
distinct population segment (DPS), which includes the currently listed 
southern Selkirk Mountains population of woodland caribou, and by 
listing that DPS as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 
1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); and (3) a determination that 
the approximately 30,010 acres (12,145 hectares) designated as critical 
habitat on November 28, 2012 (77 FR 71042), for the southern Selkirk 
Mountains population of woodland caribou is applicable to the U.S. 
portion of the proposed Southern Mountain Caribou DPS.

Public Comments

    We are extending the public comment period on our May 8, 2014, 
proposed rule (79 FR 26504) for 30 days and announcing two public 
informational sessions and public hearings on the proposed rule (see 
DATES and ADDRESSES). This extension of the comment period allows all 
interested parties additional time and opportunity to comment on the 
proposed rule. We will consider all information and recommendations 
from all interested parties.
    For additional details on specific information we are requesting, 
please see the Information Requested section in our proposed rule (79 
FR 26504; May 8, 2014).
    You may submit your comments and materials concerning the proposed 
rule by one of the methods listed in ADDRESSES. We request that you 
send comments only by the methods described in ADDRESSES.

[[Page 33170]]

    If you submit a comment via http://www.regulations.gov, your entire 
comment--including any personal identifying information such as your 
street address, phone number, or email address--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, will be available 
for public inspection on http://www.regulations.gov at Docket No. FWS-
R1-ES-2012-0097, or by appointment, during normal business hours, at 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Idaho Fish and Wildlife Office (see 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).

Authority

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

    Dated: June 3, 2014.
Rowan W. Gould,
Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-13426 Filed 6-9-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P