[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 127 (Tuesday, July 2, 2019)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 31559-31560]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-14069]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Chapter I

[Docket No. FWS-HQ-LE-2018-0078; FF09L00200-FX-LE18110900000]


Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and Migratory Bird Treaty 
Act; Religious Use of Feathers; Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Petition for rulemaking; extension of the comment period.

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SUMMARY: In 2018, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) received 
a petition for rulemaking, which asks the Service to revise the 
existing rules pertaining to the religious use of federally protected 
bird feathers. The Service published the petition in the Federal 
Register for public comment pursuant to the terms of a settlement 
agreement entered into in 2016 by the United States with McAllen Grace 
Brethren Church et al. Today's action extends the comment period for 15 
days.

DATES: The comment period on the petition for rulemaking that published 
April 30, 2019 (84 FR 18230), is extended. To ensure our consideration 
of your comments, they must be submitted on or before July 16, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Document availability: The petition and other materials 
mentioned in this document are available on the internet at http://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-HQ-LE-2018-0078. To review these 
materials in person, contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Comment submission: You may submit written comments by one of the 
following methods:
    Electronically: Go to the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Search for FWS-HQ-LE-2018-0078, which is the 
docket number for this notice, and follow the directions for submitting 
comments.
    By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to Public 
Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-HQ-LE-2018-0078; Division of Policy, 
Performance, and Management Programs; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 
MS: BPHC; 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
    We request that you send comments by only one of the methods 
described above. We will post all information received 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).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Edward Grace, Assistant Director, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement, 
[email protected], (703) 358-1949. Individuals who are hearing 
impaired or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 800-
877-8337 for TTY assistance.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On July 26, 2018, the Service received a petition for rulemaking 
from Pastor Robert Soto, the lead plaintiff in McAllen Grace Brethren 
Church v. Jewell, No. 7:07-cv-060 (S.D. Tex. June 3, 2016) (hereinafter 
``McAllen''), and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, asking the 
Service to revise its existing rules pertaining to the religious use of 
federally protected bird feathers and parts for Native Americans. The 
petitioners submitted the petition

[[Page 31560]]

pursuant to paragraph 7 of the June 10, 2016, settlement agreement 
between the McAllen Plaintiffs and the United States, which states that 
the Secretary of the Interior will publish the petition for public 
comment and make a decision on the petition within 2 years of receipt.
    Accordingly, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published the 
petition in the Federal Register on April 30, 2019 (84 FR 18230) and 
opened a comment period with a deadline of July 1, 2019. During the 
comment period, we received a request to extend the comment period. 
With this notice, we are extending the deadline for submission of 
comments, as requested.

Public Comments

    You may obtain the petition for rulemaking, and you must submit 
your comments and materials concerning this petition, by one of the 
methods described in ADDRESSES. The Service will not consider the 
petition's merits until after the comment period ends on the date set 
forth in DATES. The Service will announce in the Federal Register any 
action that we decide to take in response to the petition and public 
comments we receive.
    Written comments we receive become part of the public record 
associated with this action. Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in 
your comment, you should be aware that the 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 information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so. All submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, will be made available for public disclosure in their 
entirety.

    Dated: June 26, 2019.
Aurelia Skipwith,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
[FR Doc. 2019-14069 Filed 7-1-19; 8:45 am]
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