[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 121 (Tuesday, June 24, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 35719-35720]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-14712]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 16

[Docket No. FWS-R9-FHC-2008-0015; FXFR13350900000-145-FF09F14000]
RIN 1018-AV68


Injurious Wildlife Species; Listing the Reticulated Python, Three 
Anaconda Species, and the Boa Constrictor as Injurious Reptiles

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; Reopening of Comment Period.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 
reopening of the comment period on the proposed rule published on March 
12, 2010, which proposed to amend our regulations to add nine species 
of large constrictor snakes as injurious species under the Lacey Act. 
Because four of the nine species were added to the regulations in 2012, 
this reopening notice is restricted to the five remaining species: the 
reticulated python (Broghammerus reticulatus or Python reticulatus), 
DeSchauensee's anaconda (Eunectes deschauenseei), green anaconda 
(Eunectes murinus), Beni anaconda (Eunectes beniensis), and boa 
constrictor (Boa constrictor). If you have previously submitted 
comments on the proposed rule, please do not resubmit them because we 
have already incorporated them in the public record and will fully 
consider them in our final decision on these five species.

DATES: We will consider comments received or postmarked on or before 
July 24, 2014. Any comments that are received after the closing date 
may not be considered in the final decision on this action.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. In 
the Search box, enter the docket number for the proposed rule, which is 
FWS-R9-FHC-2008-0015. Click on ``Comment Now!'' to submit a comment. 
Please ensure that you have found the correct rulemaking before 
submitting your comment.
     U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. 
FWS-R9-FHC-2008-0015; Division of Policy and Directives Management; 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222; 
Arlington, VA 22203.
    We will not accept email or faxes. We will post all comments on 
http://www.regulations.gov. This generally means that we will post any 
personal information you provide us (see Public Comments below for more 
information). Information regarding this notice is available in 
alternative formats upon request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob Progulske, Everglades Program 
Supervisor, South Florida Ecological Services Office, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, 1339 20th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960; telephone 
772-469-4299. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf 
(TDD), please call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 800-
877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 12, 2010, we published a proposed 
rule (75 FR 11808) to list Python molurus (which includes Burmese and 
Indian pythons), reticulated python, Northern African python (Python 
sebae), Southern African python (Python natalensis), boa constrictor, 
yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus), DeSchauensee's anaconda, green 
anaconda, and Beni anaconda as injurious reptiles under the Lacey Act 
(18 U.S.C. 42). This proposed rule established a 60-day comment period, 
ending May 11, 2010, and announced the availability of the draft 
economic analysis and the draft environmental assessment of the 
proposed rule. At the request of the public, we reopened the comment 
period for an additional 30 days on July 1, 2010 (75 FR 38069). On 
January 23, 2012, the Service published a final rule (77 FR 3330) that 
added Python molurus (which includes Burmese python and Indian python), 
Northern African python, Southern African python, and yellow anaconda 
to the list of injurious wildlife, while the other five species in the 
proposed rule remained under consideration. The Service has decided to 
reopen the public comment period on the same proposed rule, but only 
for the five remaining species.
    The proposed rule, draft economic analysis, initial regulatory 
flexibility analysis, and draft environmental assessment are available 
for review at http://www.regulations.gov under Docket No. FWS-R9-FHC-
2008-0015, or on the South Florida Ecological Services Office Web site 
at http://www.fws.gov/verobeach/index.cfm?method=activityhighlights&id=11, or at the South Florida 
Ecological Services Office (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).

Public Comments

    The Service has chosen to reopen the comment period because 
approximately 4 years have elapsed since the public was able to comment 
on the Service's proposed action for these five species. We intend that 
any subsequent final action resulting from the proposed rule will be 
based on the best information available to the Service and be as 
accurate and complete as possible. Therefore, we request comments or 
information from other concerned government agencies, the scientific 
community, industry, or other interested parties concerning the 
proposed rule. We will consider information and recommendations from 
all interested parties. For the complete list of subjects on which we 
seek comments for the five species, please refer to the March 12, 2010, 
proposed rule (75 FR 11808), available online at http://www.regulations.gov under Docket No. FWS-R9-FHC-2008-0015 or from the 
South Florida Ecological Services Office (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT).
    Before providing your comments, we recommend that you review the 
final rule listing the Burmese python, Northern and Southern African 
pythons, and yellow anaconda (77 FR 3330; January 23, 2012), 
particularly the section Comments Received on the Proposed Rule. This 
section extensively covers our responses to the public comments that we 
received during the first two comment periods (although focused on the 
four species listed in that final rule) and may address your issues. 
Also, the final economic analysis, final environmental assessment, and 
final regulatory flexibility analysis associated with that final rule 
can provide additional insight if you intend to submit new comments on 
the draft economic analysis, draft environmental assessment, and 
initial regulatory flexibility analysis.
    You may submit your comments and supporting materials concerning 
the proposed rule, the draft economic analysis, the initial regulatory 
flexibility analysis, and the draft environmental assessment by one of 
the methods listed in ADDRESSES. We will not accept comments sent by 
email or fax or to an address not listed in ADDRESSES.
    If you submit a comment via http://www.regulations.gov, your entire 
submission--including any personal identifying information--will be 
posted on the Web site. Before including your address, phone number, 
email address, or other personal identifying information in your 
comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including your 
personal identifying information--may be made publicly available at any 
time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying

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information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so. We will post all hardcopy submissions on http://www.regulations.gov. Please include sufficient information with your 
comments to allow us to verify any scientific or commercial information 
you include.
    We are seeking new information from the public only for the boa 
constrictor, reticulated python, DeSchauensee's anaconda, green 
anaconda, and Beni anaconda; comments on other species will not be 
considered. The new information (information that has become available 
after the close of the previous comment period on August 2, 2010) may 
relate to any aspect of the proposed rule and the associated draft 
economic analysis, initial regulatory flexibility analysis, and draft 
environmental assessment. Such information includes, but is not limited 
to, the biology of the five species, existing regulations that apply to 
the five species, the economic effect on wholesale and retail sales, 
and any other information relevant to the proposed rule and associated 
documents. Specific questions can be found in the proposed rule (75 FR 
11808; March 12, 2010). We may revise the rule or supporting documents 
to incorporate or address information we receive during this reopened 
public comment period.
    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 under Docket No. 
FWS-R9-FHC-2008-0015, or by appointment, during normal business hours 
at the South Florida Ecological Services Office (see FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT).
    In preparing the final rule, we will consider all comments and any 
additional information that we receive during this reopened comment 
period on the proposed rule. As we did previously, we are evaluating 
each of the five species of constrictor snakes individually. 
Accordingly, the final decision may differ from the March 2010 
proposal.

    Authority: The authority for this action is the Lacey Act (18 
U.S.C. 42).

    Dated: May 21, 2014
Rachel Jacobson,
 Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
[FR Doc. 2014-14712 Filed 6-23-14; 8:45 am]
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