[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 219 (Thursday, November 13, 2014)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 67356-67359]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-26893]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

[Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2014-0055; 4500030113]
RIN 1018-BA63


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Adding 20 Coral 
Species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), in 
accordance with the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), 
are amending the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife (List) by 
adding 20 species of corals: Boulder star coral (Orbicella franksi), 
lobed star coral (Orbicella annularis), mountainous star coral 
(Orbicella faveolata), pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus), rough 
cactus

[[Page 67357]]

coral (Mycetophyllia ferox), Acropora globiceps, Acropora jacquelineae, 
Acropora lokani, Acropora pharaonis, Acropora retusa, Acropora rudis, 
Acropora speciosa, Acropora tenella, Anacropora spinosa, Euphyllia 
paradivisa, Isopora crateriformis, Montipora australiensis, Pavona 
diffluens, Porites napopora, and Seriatopora aculeata. These amendments 
are based on previously published determinations by the National Marine 
Fisheries Service (NMFS) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration, Department of Commerce, which has jurisdiction for 
these species.

DATES: This rule is effective November 13, 2014. Applicability date: 
The 20 coral listings were applicable as of October 10, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas Krofta, Chief, Branch of 
Endangered Species Listing, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS-ES, 5275 
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803; 703-358-2171.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    In accordance with the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and 
Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970 (35 FR 15627; October 6, 1970), NMFS 
has jurisdiction over the marine and anadromous taxa identified in this 
rule. Under section 4(a)(2) of the Act, NMFS must decide whether a 
species under its jurisdiction should be classified as an endangered or 
threatened species. NMFS makes these determinations via its rulemaking 
process. We, the Service, are then responsible for publishing final 
rules to amend the List in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR) at 50 CFR 17.11(h).
    On December 7, 2012, NMFS published a proposed rule (77 FR 73220) 
to list 66 petitioned coral species, 12 as endangered and 54 as 
threatened, and to reclassify from threatened to endangered two coral 
species (elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) and staghorn coral (Acropora 
cervicornis)) already listed under the Act. NMFS solicited public 
comments on the proposed rule through March 7, 2013. On September 20, 
2013, NMFS published a notice of 6-month extension of the deadline for 
the final coral species' determinations because of substantial 
disagreement regarding the sufficiency and accuracy of the data and 
analyses relevant to the proposed listing determinations (78 FR 57835).
    On September 10, 2014, NMFS published a final rule (79 FR 53852) to 
list 20 of the 66 proposed coral species as threatened species. The 
listing of the 20 species was effective October 10, 2014. In that same 
rule, NMFS also determined that elkhorn coral and staghorn coral did 
not warrant reclassification from threatened to endangered. However, we 
revise the elkhorn coral and staghorn coral listings in this rule to 
make the information in the Historic Range column consistent with the 
other coral entries; the listing status of threatened remains unchanged 
for these two species.
    In the September 10, 2014, final rule (79 FR 53852), NMFS addressed 
all public comments received in response to the proposed rule. By 
publishing this final rule, we are simply taking the necessary 
administrative step to codify these changes in the List in 50 CFR 
17.11(h).

Administrative Procedure Act

    Because NMFS provided a public comment period on the proposed rules 
for these taxa, and because this action of the Service to amend the 
List in accordance with the determination by NMFS is nondiscretionary, 
the Service finds good cause that the notice and public comment 
procedures of 5 U.S.C. 553(b) are unnecessary for this action. We also 
find good cause under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to make this rule effective 
immediately. The NMFS rules extended protection under the Act to these 
species and listed them in 50 CFR parts 223 and 224; this rule is an 
administrative action to add the species to the List of Endangered and 
Threatened Wildlife at 50 CFR 17.11(h). The public would not be served 
by delaying the effective date of this rulemaking action.

Required Determinations

National Environmental Policy Act

    We have determined that an environmental assessment, as defined 
under the authority of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 
need not be prepared in connection with regulations adopted pursuant to 
section 4(a) of the Act. We outlined our reasons for this determination 
in the Federal Register on October 25, 1983 (48 FR 49244).

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 17

    Endangered and threatened species, Exports, Imports, Reporting and 
recordkeeping requirements, Transportation.

Regulation Promulgation

    Accordingly, we amend part 17, subchapter B of chapter I, title 50 
of the Code of Federal Regulations, as set forth below:

PART 17--[AMENDED]

0
1. The authority citation for part 17 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1361-1407; 1531-1544; 4201-4245, unless 
otherwise noted.


0
2. Amend Sec.  17.11(h) under Corals by:
0
a. Revising the entries for ``Coral, elkhorn'' and ``Coral, staghorn'' 
to read as set forth below; and
0
b. Adding 20 entries in alphabetical order for: ``Coral, [no common 
name]'' (15 entries); ``Coral, boulder star''; ``Coral, lobed star''; 
``Coral, mountainous star''; ``Coral, pillar''; and ``Coral, rough 
cactus'', to read as follows:


Sec.  17.11  Endangered and threatened wildlife.

* * * * *
    (h) * * *

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                     Species
--------------------------------------------------     Historic range       Vertebrate population where     Status       When      Critical     Special
          Common name            Scientific name                             endangered or threatened                   listed      habitat      rules
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                                                                      * * * * * * *
Corals
    Coral, [no common name]...  Acropora           U.S.A. (Guam,           Entire......................  T                   853          NA          NA
                                 globiceps.         Commonwealth of the
                                                    Northern Mariana
                                                    Islands, Pacific
                                                    Remote Island Areas,
                                                    American Samoa); and
                                                    wider Indo-Pacific.
    Coral, [no common name]...  Acropora           U.S.A. (American        Entire......................  T                   853          NA          NA
                                 jacquelineae.      Samoa); and wider
                                                    Indo-Pacific.

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    Coral, [no common name]...  Acropora lokani..  Indo-Pacific..........  Entire......................  T                   853          NA          NA
    Coral, [no common name]...  Acropora           Indo-Pacific..........  Entire......................  T                   853          NA          NA
                                 pharaonis.
    Coral, [no common name]...  Acropora retusa..  U.S.A. (Guam,           Entire......................  T                   853          NA          NA
                                                    Commonwealth of the
                                                    Northern Mariana
                                                    Islands, Pacific
                                                    Remote Island Areas,
                                                    American Samoa); and
                                                    wider Indo-Pacific.
    Coral, [no common name]...  Acropora rudis...  U.S.A. (American        Entire......................  T                   853          NA          NA
                                                    Samoa); and wider
                                                    Indo-Pacific.
    Coral, [no common name]...  Acropora speciosa  U.S.A. (Pacific Remote  Entire......................  T                   853          NA          NA
                                                    Island Areas,
                                                    American Samoa); and
                                                    wider Indo-Pacific.
    Coral, [no common name]...  Acropora tenella.  Indo-Pacific..........  Entire......................  T                   853          NA          NA
    Coral, [no common name]...  Anacropora         Indo-Pacific..........  Entire......................  T                   853          NA          NA
                                 spinosa.
    Coral, [no common name]...  Euphyllia          U.S.A. (American        Entire......................  T                   853          NA          NA
                                 paradivisa.        Samoa); and wider
                                                    Indo-Pacific.
    Coral, [no common name]...  Isopora            U.S.A. (American        Entire......................  T                   853          NA          NA
                                 crateriformis.     Samoa); and wider
                                                    Indo-Pacific.
    Coral, [no common name]...  Montipora          Indo-Pacific..........  Entire......................  T                   853          NA          NA
                                 australiensis.
    Coral, [no common name]...  Pavona diffluens.  Indo-Pacific..........  Entire......................  T                   853          NA          NA
    Coral, [no common name]...  Porites napopora.  Indo-Pacific..........  Entire......................  T                   853          NA          NA
    Coral, [no common name]...  Seriatopora        U.S.A. (Guam,           Entire......................  T                   853          NA          NA
                                 aculeata.          Commonwealth of the
                                                    Northern Mariana
                                                    Islands); and wider
                                                    Indo-Pacific.
    Coral, boulder star.......  Orbicella franksi  U.S.A. (FL, PR, USVI,   Entire......................  T                   853          NA          NA
                                                    Gulf of Mexico); and
                                                    wider Caribbean.
    Coral, elkhorn............  Acropora palmata.  U.S.A. (FL, PR, USVI);  Entire......................  T                   853     226.216     223.208
                                                    and wider Caribbean.
    Coral, lobed star.........  Orbicella          U.S.A. (FL, PR, USVI,   Entire......................  T                   853          NA          NA
                                 annularis.         Gulf of Mexico); and
                                                    wider Caribbean.
    Coral, mountainous star...  Orbicella          U.S.A. (FL, PR, USVI,   Entire......................  T                   853          NA          NA
                                 faveolata.         Gulf of Mexico); and
                                                    wider Caribbean.
    Coral, pillar.............  Dendrogyra         U.S.A. (FL, PR, USVI);  Entire......................  T                   853          NA          NA
                                 cylindrus.         and wider Caribbean.
    Coral, rough cactus.......  Mycetophyllia      U.S.A. (FL, PR, USVI);  Entire......................  T                   853          NA          NA
                                 ferox.             and wider Caribbean.
    Coral, staghorn...........  Acropora           U.S.A. (FL, PR, USVI);  Entire......................  T                   853     226.216     223.208
                                 cervicornis.       and wider Caribbean.
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[[Page 67359]]

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    Dated: November 4, 2014.
Stephen Guertin,
Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-26893 Filed 11-12-14; 8:45 am]
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