[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 6, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8104-8105]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-04132]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2017-0079; FF09A30000-190FXIA16710900000]


Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International 
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); Eighteenth 
Regular Meeting; Provisional Agenda; Announcement of Public Meeting

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The United States, as a Party to the Convention on 
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora 
(CITES), will attend the eighteenth regular meeting of the Conference 
of the Parties to CITES (CoP18) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 23 to June 
3, 2019. Currently, the United States is developing its negotiating 
positions on proposed resolutions, decisions, and amendments to the 
CITES Appendices (species proposals), as well as other agenda items 
that have been submitted by other Parties, the permanent CITES 
committees, and the CITES Secretariat for consideration at CoP18. With 
this notice we announce the provisional agenda for CoP18, solicit your 
comments on the items on the provisional agenda, and announce a public 
meeting to discuss the items on the provisional agenda.

DATES: Public meeting: The public meeting will be held on March 13, 
2019, at 1 p.m.
    Comment submission: In developing the U.S. negotiating positions on 
species proposals and proposed resolutions, decisions, and other agenda 
items submitted by other Parties, the permanent CITES committees, and 
the CITES Secretariat for consideration at CoP18, we will consider 
written information and comments you submit if we receive them by April 
22, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Public meeting: The public meeting will be held in the 
Sidney Yates Auditorium at the Main Interior Building at 18th and C 
Streets NW, Washington, DC. Directions to the building are available on 
our website at https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop18/index.html. For more information about the meeting, see ``Announcement 
of Public Meeting'' under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
    Comment submission: You may submit comments pertaining to items on 
the provisional agenda for discussion at CoP18 by one of the following 
methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-
IA-2017-0079 (the docket number for this notice).
     U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing, 
Attn: FWS-HQ-IA-2017-0079; Division of Policy, Performance, and 
Management Programs; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 5275 Leesburg 
Pike, MS BPHC; Falls Church, VA 22041.
    Comments and materials we receive, as well as supporting 
documentation, will be available for public inspection on http://www.regulations.gov, or by appointment, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays, at: U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service Headquarters, Division of Management Authority, 5275 
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803; telephone 703-358-2095.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information pertaining to 
resolutions, decisions, and other agenda items, contact: Pamela 
Scruggs, Chief, Division of Management Authority; telephone 703-358-
2095; facsimile 703-358-2298. For information pertaining to species 
proposals, contact: Rosemarie Gnam, Chief, Division of Scientific 
Authority; telephone 703-358-1708; fascsimile 703-358-2276.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild 
Fauna and Flora, hereinafter referred to as CITES or the Convention, is 
an international treaty designed to control and regulate international 
trade in certain animal and plant species that are now or potentially 
may become threatened with extinction. These

[[Page 8105]]

species are listed in Appendices to CITES, which are available on the 
CITES Secretariat's website at http://www.cites.org/eng/app/index.php.
    Currently 182 countries and the European Union have ratified, 
accepted, approved, or acceded to CITES; these 183 entities are known 
as Parties. The Convention calls for regular biennial meetings of the 
Conference of the Parties, unless the Conference of the Parties decides 
otherwise. At these meetings, the Parties review the implementation of 
CITES, make provisions enabling the CITES Secretariat in Switzerland to 
carry out its functions, consider amendments to the lists of species in 
Appendices I and II, consider reports presented by the Secretariat and 
the permanent CITES committees (Standing, Animals, and Plants 
Committees), and make recommendations for the improved effectiveness of 
CITES. Any country that is a Party to CITES may propose amendments to 
Appendices I and II, resolutions, decisions, and other agenda items for 
consideration by all of the Parties at the meetings.
    This is our fourth in a series of Federal Register notices that, 
together with the announced public meeting, provides you with an 
opportunity to participate in the development of U.S. negotiating 
positions for the eighteenth regular meeting of the Conference of the 
Parties to CITES (CoP18). We published our first CoP18-related Federal 
Register notice on January 23, 2018 (83 FR 3179), in which we requested 
information and recommendations on species proposals for the United 
States to consider submitting for consideration at CoP18. In that 
notice, we also described the U.S. approach to preparations for CoP18. 
We published our second such Federal Register notice on March 12, 2018 
(83 FR 10736), in which we requested information and recommendations on 
proposed resolutions, decisions, and other agenda items for the United 
States to consider submitting for consideration at CoP18, and provided 
preliminary information on how to request approved observer status for 
non-governmental organizations that wish to attend the meeting. In our 
third CoP18-related Federal Register notice, published on October 1, 
2018 (83 FR 49421), we requested public comments and information on 
species proposals that the United States was considering submitting for 
consideration at CoP18. We also requested public comments and 
information on proposed resolutions, decisions, and other agenda items 
that the United States was considering submitting for consideration at 
CoP18, and provided more information on how to request approved 
observer status for non-governmental organizations that wish to attend 
the meeting.
    The three prior CoP18 Federal Register notices are in the docket 
(FWS-HQ-IA-2017-0079) at http://www.regulations.gov. A link to these 
notices, along with information on U.S. preparations for CoP18, can 
also be found at https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop18/index.html. For further information on proposed resolutions, decisions, 
and other agenda items, contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
Division of Management Authority, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS-IA, Falls 
Church, VA 22041; and for information on species proposals, contact the 
Division of Scientific Authority, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS-IA, Falls 
Church, VA 22041. Our regulations governing this public process are 
found in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations at 50 CFR 23.87.
    On December 21, 2018, the United States submitted to the CITES 
Secretariat, for consideration at CoP18, its species proposals, 
proposed resolutions, proposed decisions, and other agenda items. These 
documents are available on our website at https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop18/index.html.

Announcement of Provisional Agenda for CoP18

    The provisional agenda for CoP18 is currently available on the 
CITES Secretariat's website at https://cites.org/eng/cop/18/doc/index.php. The working documents associated with the items on the 
provisional agenda, including proposed resolutions, proposed decisions, 
and discussion documents, are also available on the Secretariat's 
website. To view the working document associated with a particular 
agenda item, access the provisional agenda at the above website, locate 
the particular agenda item, and click on the document link for that 
agenda item in the column entitled ``Document.'' The species proposals 
that will be considered at CoP18 are also available on the 
Secretariat's website. Proposals for amendment of Appendices I and II 
can be accessed at https://cites.org/eng/cop/18/prop/index.php. We look 
forward to receiving your comments on the items on the provisional 
agenda.

Announcement of Public Meeting

    We will hold a public meeting to discuss the items on the 
provisional agenda for CoP18. The public meeting will be held on the 
date specified in DATES and at the address specified in ADDRESSES. 
Directions to the building are available on our website at https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop18/index.html. Please note that the 
Sidney Yates Auditorium is wheelchair accessible and all persons 
planning to attend the meeting will be required to present photo 
identification when entering the building. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service is committed to providing access to this meeting for all 
participants. Please direct all requests for sign language interpreting 
services, close captioning, or other accommodation needs to Frank Kohn, 
703-358-2408 (voice), [email protected], TTY 800-877-8339 by close of 
business March 1, 2019. For those who cannot attend the public meeting 
but are interested in watching via live stream please go to our 
website: https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop18/index.html, and 
look for the link to the live feed.

Public Comments

    We will not consider 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 comment, including any personal 
identifying information, will be posted on the website. 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. We will post all hardcopy comments on http://www.regulations.gov.

Future Actions

    Through an additional notice and website posting in advance of 
CoP18, we will inform you about tentative U.S. negotiating positions on 
species proposals, proposed resolutions, proposed decisions, and agenda 
items that were submitted by other Parties, the permanent CITES 
committees, and the CITES Secretariat for consideration at CoP18.

Author

    The primary author of this notice is Frank B. Kohn, Division of 
Management Authority; under the authority of the U.S. Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

    Dated: February 27, 2019.
Margaret E. Everson,
Principal Deputy Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Exercising 
the Authority of the Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-04132 Filed 3-4-19; 4:15 pm]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P