[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 149 (Friday, August 2, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37913-37914]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-16592]


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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; Tentative U.S. Negotiating Positions for Agenda Items 
and Species Proposals Submitted by Foreign Governments and the CITES 
Secretariat

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 Geneva, Switzerland, August 17 to 
28, 2019. This notice announces the availability of tentative U.S. 
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 that we will publish a summary 
of our proposed negotiating positions and the reasons for our proposed 
positions on or before August 16, 2019, on our website at https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop18/index.html.

ADDRESSES: Information on tentative U.S. negotiating positions on 
amendments to the CITES Appendices (species proposals), draft 
resolutions and decisions, and agenda items submitted by other 
countries and the CITES Secretariat for consideration at CoP18 will be 
available on our website, https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop18/index.html, on or before August 16, 2019, and:
     Electronically using the Federal eRulemaking Portal: 
http://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2017-0079 (the 
docket number for this notice).
     By email request to: [email protected]; or
     By postal mail or in person, 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; facsimile 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 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 fifth in a series of Federal Register notices on the 
development of U.S. submissions and tentative negotiating positions for 
CoP18. In this notice, we announce the availability of tentative U.S. 
negotiating positions on species proposals, draft resolutions and 
decisions, and agenda items submitted by other Parties and the 
Secretariat for consideration at CoP18. The ADDRESSES section, above, 
explains how to obtain this information.
    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. In our fourth CoP18-related Federal Register notice, 
published on March 6, 2019 (84 FR 8104), we announced the provisional 
agenda for CoP18, solicited comments

[[Page 37914]]

on the items on the provisional agenda, and announced a public meeting 
on March 13, 2019.
    A link to the complete list of those Federal Register notices, 
along with information on U.S. preparations for CoP18, can be found at 
https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop18/index.html. The notices 
and public comments received can be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2017-0079. You may obtain 
additional information on those Federal Register notices from the 
following sources: 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 (CFR) 
at 50 CFR 23.87. Pursuant to 50 CFR 23.87(a)(3)(iii), with this notice 
we are announcing that we will soon make available to the public a 
summary of our tentative negotiating positions on the items included on 
the CoP18 agenda and proposed amendments to the Appendices, and the 
reasons for our tentative positions. This information and the ways that 
we will make it available to the public are described in detail below 
under Tentative Negotiating Positions.

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.

Tentative Negotiating Positions

    On or before August 16, 2019, we will post on http://www.regulations.gov (see Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2017-0079) and on our 
website (https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop18/index.html) a 
summary of our tentative negotiating positions on the items included on 
the CoP18 agenda and proposed amendments to the Appendices, and the 
reasons for our tentative positions. Documents submitted by the United 
States either alone or as a co-proponent for consideration by the 
Parties at CoP18 can be found on the Secretariat's website at: https://cites.org/eng/cop/18/doc/index.php. Those documents are: CoP18 Docs. 
21.3, 40, and 94 and (co-sponsored with Sri Lanka) Docs. 66, 72, and 
79. The United States is pleased to co-sponsor the following proposals 
to amend the CITES Appendices for CoP18: CoP18 Props. 2, 28, 37, 45, 
and (co-sponsored with Sri Lanka) Prop. 46. We will not provide any 
additional explanation of the U.S. negotiating positions for documents 
and proposals that the United States submitted. The introduction in the 
text of each of the documents the United States submitted contains a 
discussion of the background of the issue and the rationale for 
submitting the document.
    New information that may become available prior to or at CoP18 
could lead to modifications of tentative U.S. positions. The U.S. 
delegation will disclose changes in our negotiating positions and the 
explanations for those changes during public briefings at CoP18. 
Species proposals are considered pursuant to 50 CFR 23.89. The United 
States is concerned about the budgetary implications and workload 
burden that will be placed upon the Parties, the Committees, and the 
Secretariat, and intends to evaluate all proposed resolutions, 
decisions, and other agenda items for CoP18 in view of these concerns.

Available Information on CoP18

    Information concerning the results of CoP18 will be available after 
the close of the meeting on the Secretariat's website at http://www.cites.org, or upon request from the Division of Management 
Authority (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, above), or on our 
website (https://www.fws.gov/international/cites/cop18/index.html).

Author

    The primary author of this notice is Monika T. Thiele, 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: June 21, 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. 2019-16592 Filed 8-1-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P