[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 246 (Thursday, December 22, 2016)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 93879-93880]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-30816]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

[Docket No. FWS-R2-ES-2015-0028; FXES11130900000C2-167-FF09E32000]
RIN 1018-AX99


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removal of the 
Hualapai Mexican Vole From the Federal List of Endangered and 
Threatened Wildlife

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 our proposed rule to remove the 
Hualapai Mexican vole from the Federal List of Endangered and 
Threatened Wildlife. We are reopening the comment period for 30 days in 
order to publish a summary of the proposed regulation in a newspaper of 
general circulation and to allow for all interested parties further 
opportunity to comment on the proposed rule. Comments previously 
submitted need not be resubmitted, as they will be fully considered in 
preparation of the final listing determination.

DATES: The comment period for the proposed rule that published June 4, 
2015 (80 FR 31875), is reopened. To allow us adequate time to consider 
your comments on the proposed rule, we must receive your comments on or 
before January 23, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Written comments: You may submit comments on the proposed 
rule and draft post-delisting monitoring plan by one of the following 
methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. In the Search box, enter the docket 
number for the proposed rule, which is FWS-R2-ES-2015-0028. Then click 
on the Search button. On the resulting page, you may submit a comment 
by clicking on ``Comment Now!'' Please ensure that you have found the 
correct rulemaking before submitting your comment.
     By U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, 
Attn: Docket No. FWS-R2-ES-2015-0028, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
MS: BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
    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 SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for more information).
    Document availability: 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-R2-ES-2015-0028.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Spangle, Field Supervisor, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Ecological Services Field Office, 
9828 North 31st Avenue, #C3, Phoenix, Arizona 85051-2517; telephone 
(602) 242-0210. Individuals who are hearing-impaired or speech-impaired 
may call the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339 for TTY assistance 
24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 4, 2015, we published a proposed 
rule (80 FR 31875) to remove the Hualapai Mexican vole from the List of 
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife in title 50 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (50 CFR 17.11(h)). We are proposing this action because the 
available information indicates the original scientific classification 
is no longer the appropriate determination for the subspecies, meaning 
that current data indicate that the original classification may be 
erroneous. We sought information, data, and comments from the public 
regarding the proposal for 60 days, ending August 3, 2015.
    We are reopening the comment period on that proposed rule for an 
additional 30 days (see DATES) while we simultaneously issue a notice 
in local newspapers. We will accept written comments and information 
during this reopened comment period. In particular, we seek comments 
concerning the following:
    (1) New information concerning the taxonomic classification and 
conservation status of Hualapai Mexican voles and Mexican voles in 
general;
    (2) New information on the historical and current status, range, 
distribution, and population size of Hualapai Mexican voles, including 
the locations of any additional populations; and
    (3) New information regarding the life history, ecology, and 
habitat use of Hualapai Mexican voles.

Please refer to the proposed rule for more information on our proposed 
action and the specific information we seek.
    You may submit your comments and materials concerning the proposed 
rule by one of the methods listed in ADDRESSES. 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. All comments and recommendations, 
including names and addresses, will become part of the administrative 
record.
    If you submit information via http://www.regulations.gov, your 
entire comment--including any personal identifying information--will be 
posted on the Web site. If you mail or hand-deliver 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, but we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. To 
ensure that the electronic docket for this rulemaking is complete and 
all comments we receive are publicly available, we will post all 
hardcopy submissions on http://www.regulations.gov.

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


[[Page 93880]]


    Dated: December 12, 2016.
Marty J. Kodis,
Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-30816 Filed 12-21-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P