[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 133 (Thursday, July 11, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 56847]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-15177]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 223

[Docket No. 240508-0132]
RIN 0648-BM49


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Protective 
Regulations for the Oceanic Whitetip Shark (Carcharhinus longimanus); 
Extension of Public Comment Period

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

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

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SUMMARY: We, NMFS, announce the extension of the public comment period 
on our May 14, 2024, proposed rule to issue protective regulations 
under section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for the 
conservation of the threatened oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus 
longimanus). As part of that proposed action, we solicited comment on 
the proposed rule, a draft environmental assessment (EA), and an 
initial regulatory flexibility analysis (IRFA) over a 60-day period, to 
end on July 15, 2024. Today, we extend the public comment period by 60 
days to September 15, 2024, and announce that we will be holding one or 
more public hearings on the proposed rule. Comments previously 
submitted do not need to be resubmitted, as they will be fully 
considered in the agency's proposed action.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of comments is extended from July 15, 
2024, until September 15, 2024.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this proposed rule, identified by 
NOAA-NMFS-2023-0117 by any one of the following methods:
     Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic comments via 
the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to https://www.regulations.gov and 
enter NOAA-NMFS-2023-0117 in the Search box. Click the ``Comment'' 
icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
     Mail or hand-delivery: Office of Protected Resources, 
NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
    Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are part of the 
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on 
https://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).
    The proposed rule and other supporting materials are available 
electronically at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/oceanic-whitetip-shark/conservation-management.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adrienne Lohe, NMFS Office of 
Protected Resources, 301-427-8442; [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On May 14, 2024, we published a proposed rule to issue protective 
regulations under section 4(d) of the ESA for the threatened oceanic 
whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) (89 FR 41917). In that 
notification, we also announced a 60-day public comment period and the 
availability of a draft EA and IRFA.
    We received a request to extend the public comment period and hold 
public hearings for fishing communities in Hawaii, the Territories of 
American Samoa and Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
Islands in order to better understand the potential impact of the 
proposed rule and for communities to provide comments on the proposed 
rule. We considered the request and concluded that a 60-day extension 
should allow sufficient time for responders to submit comments without 
significantly delaying finalization of the proposed rule. We are 
therefore extending the close of the public comment period from July 
15, 2024, to September 15, 2024. In addition to extending the public 
comment period, we are announcing that we will hold one or more public 
hearings on the proposed rule. Details on the date(s), time(s) and 
location(s) of the public hearing(s) will be announced in an upcoming 
Federal Register notice.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.

    Dated: July 5, 2024.
Samuel D. Rauch III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-15177 Filed 7-10-24; 8:45 am]
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