[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 150 (Monday, August 5, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 63393-63394]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-17152]
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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),
Public Hearings
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notification of public hearings.
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SUMMARY: We, NMFS, will hold two public hearings related to our
proposed rule to apply protective regulations to the oceanic whitetip
shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
DATES: Public hearings on the proposed protective regulations for the
oceanic whitetip shark will be held on the following dates in the
evening hours of the affected jurisdictions (Hawai[hairsp][revaps]i,
Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and
American Samoa). Times are given in Chamorro Standard Time (ChST),
Samoa Standard Time (SST), and Hawai[revaps]i Standard Time (HST).
Addresses for the venue of the in-person hearing and instructions for
joining the virtual hearing are provided under ADDRESSES below.
An in-person public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday,
August 20, 2024, at the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Resort, Kailua-Kona,
Hawai[revaps]i. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. HST, the informational
meeting will begin at 6 p.m. HST, and the public hearing will begin at
7 p.m. HST.
One virtual hearing is scheduled for the following time
and date:
[cir] Samoa Standard Time Zone: the informational meeting will
begin on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at 7 p.m. SST, and the public
hearing will begin at 8 p.m. SST.
[cir] Hawai[hairsp][hairsp][revaps]i Standard Time Zone: the
informational meeting will begin on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at 8
p.m. HST, and the public hearing will begin at 9 p.m. HST.
[cir] Chamorro Standard Time Zone: the informational meeting will
begin on Thursday, August 22, 2024, at 4 p.m. ChST, and the public
hearing will begin at 5 p.m. ChST.
Comments on the proposed rule (89 FR 41917, May 14, 2024) must be
received by September 15, 2024. Comments received after this date may
not be accepted.
ADDRESSES: The address for the venue of the in-person hearing and
instructions for joining the virtual hearing are provided below.
Hawai[hairsp][hairsp][revaps]i Public Hearing: King
Kamehameha Kona Beach Resort, Kailua-Kona, Hawai[revaps]i, 75-5660
Palani Road, Kailua-Kona, Hawai[revaps]i 96740.
Virtual Hearing: This hearing will be conducted as a Webex
meeting. You may join the Webex meeting using a web browser, the Webex
desktop app (app installation required), a mobile app on a phone (app
installation required), or audio-only using just a phone call, as
specified below.
[cir] Join the webinar via this link: https://noaanmfs-meets.webex.com/noaanmfs-meets/j.php?MTID=m3850e903d036865917d076acd702d934.
[cir] Webinar number: 2830 072 6586 Webinar password: fTJBNncM788
(38526626 when dialing from a phone or video system).
[cir] Join by phone: +1-415-527-5035 Access code: 283 007 26586.
You may submit comments verbally or in writing at the public
hearings, or in writing by any 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: Adrienne Lohe, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS,
1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910.
Instructions: You must submit comments by one of the previously
described methods to ensure that we receive, document, and consider
them. 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. All comments received are a part of the public record and
will generally be posted to https://www.regulations.gov without change.
All Personal Identifying Information (for example, name, address, etc.)
voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do
not submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information.
NMFS will accept anonymous comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required
fields if you wish to remain anonymous).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adrienne Lohe, NMFS Office of
Protected Resources, at [email protected] or 301-427-8442.
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 environmental assessment and an initial
regulatory flexibility analysis.
On June 28, 2024, we received a request to extend the public
comment period and hold public hearings for fishing communities in
Hawai[revaps]i, 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. On July 11, 2024,
we published a Federal Register notification extending the comment
period until September 15, 2024, and announcing that we would hold one
or more public hearings on the proposed rule (89 FR 56847).
[[Page 63394]]
The proposed rule and other materials prepared in support of this
action are available at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/proposed-protective-regulations-oceanic-whitetip-shark.
Public Hearings
One public hearing will be conducted in-person and one hearing will
be conducted online as a Webex meeting, as specified in ADDRESSES
above. The hearings will begin with a brief presentation by NMFS that
gives an overview of the proposed protective regulations for the
oceanic whitetip shark under section 4(d) of 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
clarifying questions about the proposed protective regulations.
Following the question and answer session, members of the public will
have the opportunity to provide oral comments on the record regarding
the proposed protective regulations. Members of the public will also
have the opportunity to submit written comments at the hearings.
Written comments may also be submitted at any time during the relevant
public comment period as described above (see DATES and ADDRESSES). All
oral comments will be recorded, transcribed, and added to the public
comment record for this proposed rule.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.
Dated: July 30, 2024.
Samuel D. Rauch, III,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-17152 Filed 8-2-24; 8:45 am]
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