[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 19, 2025)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 12694-12695]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-04443]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
[Docket Nos. FWS-R3-ES-2024-0137, FWS-R8-ES-2024-0041, and FWS-R7-ES-
2024-0117; FXES1111090FEDR-256-FF09E21000]
RINs 1018-BE30; 1018-BH49; 1018-BI15
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Reopening Comment
Periods for Three Proposed Rules; Announcement of a Public Hearing for
One Proposed Rule
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rules; reopening of the comment periods, announcement
of public hearing.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce that we are
reopening the comment periods for proposed rules pertaining to three
insect species: monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), bleached sandhill
skipper (Polites sabuleti sinemaculata), and Suckley's cuckoo bumble
bee (Bombus suckleyi). We also announce a public hearing for the
bleached sandhill skipper. Comments previously submitted on these
proposed rules need not be resubmitted as they are already incorporated
into the public records for these rulemaking actions and will be fully
considered in our development of the final rules.
DATES: Comment periods: The comment periods on the proposed rules that
published on December 12, 2024, at 89 FR 100662, on December 17, 2024,
at 89 FR 102074, and on January 8, 2025, at 90 FR 1421 are reopened
until May 19, 2025. Comments submitted electronically using the Federal
eRulemaking Portal (see ADDRESSES, below) must be received by 11:59
p.m. eastern time on the closing date.
Public hearing: On April 16, 2025, we will hold a public hearing on
the proposed rule for the bleached sandhill skipper from 5 to 7 p.m.,
Pacific time, using the Zoom online platform (for more information, see
Public Hearing, below).
ADDRESSES: Availability of documents: You may obtain copies of the
proposed rules and associated documents on the internet at https://www.regulations.gov under the appropriate docket number (see table 1,
below).
Comment submission: You may submit written comments by one of the
following methods:
(1) Electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. In the Search box, enter the appropriate docket
number (see table 1, below). Then, click on the Search button. On the
resulting page, in the panel on the left side of the screen, under the
Document Type heading, check the Proposed Rule box to locate the
correct document. You may submit a comment by clicking on ``Comment.''
(2) By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail to: Public Comments
Processing, Attn: [Insert appropriate docket number; see table 1,
below], U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 Leesburg Pike,
Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
Public hearing: Interested parties may present verbal testimony
(formal, oral comments) at a public hearing, which will be held
virtually using the Zoom platform. See Public Hearing, below, for more
information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information related to the monarch
butterfly, bleached sandhill skipper, or Suckley's cuckoo bumble bee,
contact John Tirpak, Manager of the Division of Conservation and
Classification, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Headquarters Office;
telephone 703-358-2163. Individuals in the United States who are deaf,
deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711
(TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services.
Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services
offered within their country to make international calls to the point-
of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (Act; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, published the following proposed rules:
On December 12, 2024, we published a proposed rule to list
the monarch butterfly as a threatened species with protective
regulations under section 4(d) of the Act and to designate critical
habitat for the species (89 FR 100662). The proposed rule opened a 90-
day comment period, which ended March 12, 2025.
On December 17, 2024, we published a proposed rule to list
the Suckley's cuckoo bumble bee as an endangered species (89 FR
102074). The proposed rule opened a 60-day comment period, which ended
February 18, 2025.
On January 8, 2025, we published a proposed rule to list
the bleached sandhill skipper as an endangered species (90 FR 1421).
The proposed rule opened a 60-day comment period, which ended March 10,
2025.
To give all interested parties an additional opportunity to comment
on all of these proposed rules, we are reopening the comment periods
for each of the proposed rules described above for a period of 60 days.
In response to a formal request from the Humboldt County Manager's
Office received on January 24, 2025, we also announce a public hearing
for the proposed rule pertaining to the bleached sandhill skipper as
described above in DATES and ADDRESSES.
Please refer to the proposed rules for more information on our
proposed actions and the specific information we seek. Additional
information about the proposed rules, including supplementary materials
and the comments received, is available in their respective dockets on
https://www.regulations.gov.
We request that you send written comments only by the methods
described above. We will post all comments on https://www.regulations.gov. This generally means that we will post any
personal information you provide us (see Public Comments, below, for
more information).
[[Page 12695]]
Table 1--Proposed Rules With Reopened Public Comment Periods
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Federal Register
Proposed rule title citation Docket No.
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Threatened Species Status With 89 FR 100662; FWS-R3-ES-2024-013
Section 4(d) Rule for Monarch December 12, 2024. 7.
Butterfly and Designation of
Critical Habitat.
Endangered Species Status for 89 FR 102074; FWS-R7-ES-2024-011
Suckley's Cuckoo Bumble Bee. December 17, 2024. 7.
Endangered Species Status for 90 FR 1421; FWS-R8-ES-2024-004
the Bleached Sandhill Skipper. January 8, 2025. 1.
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Public Hearing
We are holding a public hearing to accept comments on the proposed
rule to list the bleached sandhill skipper on the date and at the time
listed in DATES. We are holding the public hearing via the Zoom online
video platform and via teleconference so that participants can attend
remotely. For security purposes, registration is required. All
participants must register in order to listen and view the hearing via
Zoom, listen to the hearing by telephone, or provide oral public
comments at the public hearing by Zoom or telephone.
For information on how to register, or if you encounter problems
joining Zoom the day of the meeting, visit https://www.fws.gov/office/reno-fish-and-wildlife. Registrants will receive the Zoom link and the
telephone number for the public hearing. If applicable, interested
members of the public not familiar with the Zoom platform should view
the Zoom video tutorials (https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/categories/200101697-Getting-Started-with-Zoom) prior to the public hearing.
The public hearing will provide interested parties an opportunity
to present verbal testimony (formal, oral comments) regarding the
January 8, 2025, proposed rule to list the bleached sandhill skipper as
an endangered species (90 FR 1421). The purpose of the public hearing
is to provide a forum for accepting formal verbal testimony, which will
then become part of the record for the proposed rule. In the event
there is a large attendance, the time allotted for verbal testimony may
be limited. Therefore, anyone wishing to provide verbal testimony at
the public hearing is encouraged to provide a prepared written copy of
their statement to us through the Federal eRulemaking Portal or U.S.
mail (see ADDRESSES, above). There are no limits on the length of
written comments submitted to us. Anyone wishing to provide verbal
testimony at the public hearing must register before the hearing. For
information on how to register, visit https://www.fws.gov/office/reno-fish-and-wildlife. The use of a virtual public hearing is consistent
with our regulations at 50 CFR 424.16(c)(3).
Reasonable Accommodations
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to providing access
to the public hearing for all participants. Closed captioning will be
available during the public hearing. Further, a full audio and video
recording and transcript of the public hearing will be posted online at
https://www.fws.gov/office/reno-fish-and-wildlife after the hearing.
Participants will also have access to live audio during the public
hearing via their telephone or computer speakers. Persons with
disabilities requiring reasonable accommodations to participate in the
hearing should contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT at least 5-business days prior to the date of the hearing to
help ensure availability. An accessible version of the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service's public hearing presentation will also be posted
online at https://www.fws.gov/office/reno-fish-and-wildlife prior to
the hearing (see DATES, above). See https://www.fws.gov/office/reno-fish-and-wildlife for more information about reasonable accommodations.
Public Comments
If you already submitted comments or information on the December
12, 2024 (89 FR 100662), December 17, 2024 (89 FR 102074), or January
8, 2025 (90 FR 1421) proposed rules, please do not resubmit them. Any
such comments are incorporated as part of the public record of the
rulemaking proceeding, and we will fully consider them in the
preparation of our final determination.
Comments should be as specific as possible. Please include
sufficient information with your submission (such as scientific journal
articles or other publications) to allow us to verify any scientific or
commercial information you include. Please note that submissions merely
stating support for, or opposition to, the action under consideration
without providing supporting information, although noted, will not be
considered in making a determination, as section 4(b)(1)(A) of the Act
directs that determinations as to whether any species is an endangered
species or a threatened species must be made solely on the basis of the
best scientific and commercial data available, and section 4(b)(2) of
the Act directs that the Secretary shall designate critical habitat on
the basis of the best scientific data available.
You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods
listed in ADDRESSES. We request that you send comments only by the
methods described in ADDRESSES. If you submit information via https://www.regulations.gov, your entire submission--including your personal
identifying information--will be posted on the website. If your
submission is made via a hardcopy that includes personal identifying
information, you may request at the top of your document that we
withhold this information from public review. However, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so. We will post all hardcopy
submissions on https://www.regulations.gov.
Paul Souza,
Regional Director, Region 8, Exercising the Delegated Authority of the
Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-04443 Filed 3-18-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P