[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 217 (Thursday, November 10, 2022)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 67853-67854]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-24512]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 223

[Docket No. 221104-0235]
RTID 0648-XR071


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Listing the Queen 
Conch as Threatened Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

[[Page 67854]]


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

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SUMMARY: We, NMFS, will hold a public hearing related to our proposed 
rule published September 8, 2022, to list the queen conch (Aliger 
gigas) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). 
We are also reopening the public comment period, which will now close 
on December 15, 2022.

DATES: The comment period for the proposed rule published on September 
8, 2022 (87 FR 55200) is reopened.
    Comments: The comment period is reopened from November 7, 2022, to 
December 15, 2022. Comments must be received by December 15, 2022. 
Comments received after this date may not be accepted.
    Public hearing: The public hearing on the proposed rule will be 
held online on November 21, 2022, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Eastern 
Standard Time). Since the hearing will be held online, any member of 
the public can join by internet or phone regardless of location. 
Instructions for joining the hearing are provided under ADDRESSES 
below. Alternative languages for persons with limited English 
proficiency can be made available if requested by November 11, 2022.

ADDRESSES: The public hearing will be conducted as a virtual meeting. 
You may join the virtual public hearing using a web browser, a mobile 
app on a phone (app installation required), or by phone (for audio 
only), as specified on this website: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/queen-conch#protected.
    You may submit comments on the proposed rule verbally at the public 
hearing or in writing by any of the following methods:
     Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic comments via 
the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to www.regulations.gov and enter 
NOAA-NMFS-2019-0141 in the Search box. Click on the ``Comment'' icon, 
complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
     Mail: NMFS, Southeast Regional Office, 263 13th Avenue 
South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
    Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
might not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of 
the public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on 
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying 
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business 
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily 
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous 
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain 
anonymous).
    Translation services: To request alternative languages for persons 
with limited English proficiency, contact Orian Tzadik at 
[email protected] to request translation services.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Calusa Horn, NMFS, Southeast Regional 
Office at (727) 551-5782 or [email protected] or Orian Tzadik, NMFS, 
Southeast Region Office at (727) 824-5312 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 8, 2022 (87 FR 55200), NMFS 
published a proposed rule to list the queen conch (Aliger gigas) as a 
threatened species under the ESA. In that document, we also announced a 
60-day public comment period and indicated that requests for public 
hearings must be submitted by October 24, 2022. On October 20, 2022, we 
received a request to hold a public hearing on the proposed rule. In 
response to that request, we will hold a public hearing as described 
under the ``Public Hearing'' section of this document. The proposed 
rule provided for a public comment period that ended on November 7, 
2022. We are reopening and extending the public comment period to 
December 15, 2022, in order to provide the public with additional time 
to provide comment in a meaningful and constructive manner.
    The proposed rule and other materials prepared in support of this 
action are available at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/queen-conch#protected. We are accepting public comments for the proposed rule 
through December 15, 2022. Public comments can be submitted as 
described under ADDRESSES.

Public Hearing

    The public hearing will be conducted online as a virtual meeting, 
as specified in ADDRESSES above. More detailed instructions for joining 
the virtual meeting are provided on our web page https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/queen-conch#protected. The hearing will 
begin with a brief presentation by NMFS that will give an overview of 
the proposed listing under the ESA. After the presentation, but before 
public comments, there will be a question and answer session during 
which members of the public may ask NMFS staff questions about the 
proposed rule. Following the question and answer session, members of 
the public will have the opportunity to provide oral comments on the 
record regarding the proposed rule. In the event there is a large 
attendance, the time allotted per individual for oral comments may be 
limited. Therefore, anyone wishing to make an oral comment at the 
public hearing for the record is also encouraged to submit a written 
comment during the relevant public comment period as described under 
ADDRESSES and DATES. All oral comments will be recorded, transcribed, 
and added to the public comment record for this proposed rule.

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

    Dated: November 4, 2022.
Samuel D. Rauch, III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-24512 Filed 11-7-22; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P