[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 14 (Friday, January 22, 2016)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 3767-3768]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-01143]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

[Docket No. FWS-R1-ES-2015-0125; 4500030113]
RIN 1018-BB07


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Status 
for 49 Species From the Hawaiian Islands

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; reopening of comment period, and announcement of 
public information meeting and hearing.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 
reopening of the comment period on our September 30, 2015, proposed 
rule to list 49 species from the Hawaiian Islands, including the 
Hawaiian distinct population segment of the band-rumped storm-petrel 
(Oceanodroma castro), the orangeblack Hawaiian damselfly (Megalagrion 
xanthomelas), the anchialine pool shrimp (Procaris hawaiana), seven 
yellow-faced bees (Hylaeus anthracinus, H. assimulans, H. facilis, H. 
hilaris, H. kuakea, H. longiceps, and H. mana), and 39 endemic plant 
species, as endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 
1973, as amended (Act). We now reopen the public comment period on the 
proposed rule for an additional 30 days and announce a public 
information meeting and public hearing on the proposed rule. We are 
reopening the public comment period and holding a public hearing to 
allow all interested parties an additional opportunity to comment on 
the proposed rule.

DATES: Written Comments: We will consider comments received or 
postmarked on or before February 22, 2016 or at the public hearing. 
Please note comments submitted electronically using the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal (see ADDRESSES, below) 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 decision on 
these actions.
    Public Information Meeting and Public Hearing: We will hold a 
public information meeting, followed by a public hearing, on Tuesday, 
February 9, 2016. The public information meeting will be held from 5:00 
p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and the public hearing will be held from 6:00 p.m. 
to 8:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Document Availability: You may obtain copies of the proposed 
rule at http://www.regulations.gov at Docket No. FWS-R1-ES-2015-0125; 
from the Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office's Web site (http://www.fws.gov/pacificislands); or by contacting the Pacific Islands Fish 
and Wildlife Office directly (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
    Comment Submission: You may submit 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-R1-ES-2015-0125, 
which is the docket number for this action. You may submit a comment by 
clicking on ``Comment Now!''
    (2) By hard copy: Submit comments on the proposed listing rule by 
U.S. mail or hand-delivery to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-
R1-ES-2015-0125; Division of Policy, Performance, and Management 
Programs; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: BPHC; 5275 Leesburg Pike; 
Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
    (3) At the public hearing: Interested parties may provide oral or 
written comments at the public hearing.
    We request that you provide 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 Information Meeting and Public Hearing: The public 
information meeting and public hearing will be held at Aunty Sally 
Kaleohano's Luau Hale, 799 Piilani Street, Hilo, HI 96720.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Abrams, Field Supervisor, Pacific 
Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu, HI 
96850; by telephone at 808-792-9400; or by facsimile at 808-792-9581. 
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

    On September 30, 2015, we published in the Federal Register a 
proposed rule to list 49 species from the Hawaiian Islands as 
endangered species (80 FR 58820). We accepted public comments on the 
proposed rule for 60 days, ending November 30, 2015. During the comment 
period, we received a request to hold a public hearing and to extend 
the public comment period on the proposed rule. In order to ensure that

[[Page 3768]]

the public has an adequate opportunity to review and comment, we are 
reopening the comment period on our September 30, 2015, proposed rule 
for an additional 30 days. We will accept comments and information 
until the date specified above in DATES or at the public hearing. We 
will consider all information and recommendations we receive from all 
interested parties.
    For details on specific information that we are requesting, please 
see the Information Requested section of our proposed rule (80 FR 
58820; September 30, 2015). The proposed rule is available at the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov (see 
ADDRESSES, above). Our final determination concerning the proposed 
rulemaking will take into consideration all written and oral comments 
and any additional information we receive. If you previously submitted 
comments or information on the proposed rule, please do not resubmit 
them. We have incorporated them into the public record, and we will 
fully consider them in our final determination.
    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.
    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, will be available 
for public inspection on http://www.regulations.gov at Docket No. FWS-
R1-ES-2015-0125 or by appointment, during normal business hours, at the 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife 
Office (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).

Public Information Meeting and Public Hearing

    We will hold a public information meeting and public hearing on the 
date listed above in the DATES section at the location listed above in 
the ADDRESSES section. The public information meeting is an opportunity 
for Service staff to provide information and address questions on the 
proposed rule; at the public hearing, we accept formal verbal testimony 
on the proposed rule.
    Anyone wishing to make an oral statement at a public hearing for 
the record is encouraged to provide a written copy of their statement 
to us at the hearing. In the event there is a large attendance, the 
time allotted for oral statements may be limited. Speakers can sign up 
at a hearing 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.
    People needing reasonable accommodation in order to attend and 
participate in the public information meeting or public hearing should 
contact Mary Abrams, Field Supervisor, Pacific Islands Fish and 
Wildlife Office, as soon as possible (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: January 5, 2016.
Stephen Guertin,
Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-01143 Filed 1-21-16; 8:45 am]
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