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Revised Designation of Critical Habitat for the Bull

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Revised Designation of Critical Habitat for the Bull Thursday, January 14, 2010 Part III Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Revised Designation of Critical Habitat for Bull Trout in the Coterminous United States; Proposed Rule VerDate Nov<24>2008 18:22 Jan 13, 2010 Jkt 220001 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4717 Sfmt 4717 E:\FR\FM\14JAP2.SGM 14JAP2 mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS 2270 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 9 / Thursday, January 14, 2010 / Proposed Rules DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Public Hearing: We will hold a public 378-5243; facsimile 208-378-5262. If you hearing in Boise, Idaho on February 25, use a telecommunications device for the Fish and Wildlife Service 2010, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; and public deaf (TDD), call the Federal Information meetings in: Relay Service (FIRS) at 800-877-8339. 50 CFR Part 17 • Bend, Oregon on February 2, 2010, SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.; [Docket No. FWS-R1-ES-2009-0085] • [[MO 92210-0-0009] Chiloquin, Oregon on February 3, Public Comments 2010, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.; We intend that any final action [RIN 1018-AW88] • LaGrande, Oregon on February 4, resulting from this proposed rule will be 2010, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Endangered and Threatened Wildlife based on the best scientific and • Post Falls, Idaho on February 11, and Plants; Revised Designation of commercial data available and be as 2010, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Critical Habitat for Bull Trout in the accurate and as effective as possible. • Missoula, Montana on February 16, Coterminous United States Therefore, we request comments or 2010, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.; information from the public, other • Elko, Nevada on February 17, 2010, AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, concerned government agencies, the 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Interior. scientific community, industry, or other • Wenatchee, Washington on February ACTION: Proposed rule, announcement of interested parties concerning this 23, 2010, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.; and public hearing, and announcement of proposed rule. Verbal testimony or • Boise, Idaho on February 25, 2010, 4 availability of draft economic analysis. written comments may also be p.m. to 6 p.m. presented during the public hearing (see SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and ADDRESSES: You may submit comments the Public Hearing section below for Wildlife Service (Service), propose to by one of the following methods: • more information). We will consider revise the designation of critical habitat Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// information and recommendations from for the bull trout (Salvelinus www.regulations.gov. Search for docket all interested parties. We particularly confluentus) under the Endangered FWS-R1-ES-2009-0085 and then follow seek comments concerning: Species Act of 1973, as amended. In the instructions for submitting (1) The reasons why we should or total, approximately 36,498 kilometers comments. should not designate habitat as ‘‘critical • (km) (22,679 miles (mi)) of streams U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public habitat’’ under section 4 of the (which includes 1,585.7 km (985.30 mi) Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R1- Endangered Species Act of 1973, as of marine shoreline area in the Olympic ES-2009-0085; Division of Policy and amended (Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), Peninsula and Puget Sound), and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and including whether there are threats to 215,870 hectares (ha) (533,426 acres Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, the species from human activity, the (ac)) of reservoirs or lakes are being Suite 222; Arlington, VA 22203. • degree to which threats can be expected proposed for the revised critical habitat Public Hearing: We will hold the to increase due to the designation, and designation. The revised proposed public hearing at Boise Centre on the whether that increase in threat critical habitat is located in Adams, Grove, 850 W. Front Street, Boise, outweighs the benefit of designation; Benewah, Blaine, Boise, Bonner, Idaho. (2) Specific information on: • Boundary, Butte, Camas, Canyon, Public Meetings: We will hold the • The amount and distribution of bull Clearwater, Custer, Elmore, Gem, Idaho, public meetings at: trout habitat, Kootenai, Lemhi, Lewis, Nez Perce, o Hollingshead Barn, 1235 NE Jones • What areas occupied at the time of Owyhee, Shoshone, Valley, and Road, Bend Oregon; listing that contain features essential to Washington counties in Idaho; Deer o Chiloquin Community Center, 140 the conservation of the species should Lodge, Flathead, Glacier, Granite, Lake, S. 1st Street, Chiloquin, Oregon; be included in the designation and why, Lewis and Clark, Lincoln, Mineral, o Blue Mountain Conference Center, • Special management considerations Missoula, Powell, Ravalli, and Sanders 404 12th Street, la Grande, Oregon; or protections that the features essential counties in Montana; Baker, Clatsop, o Red Lion Templins Inn, 414 East 1st to the conservation of the bull trout that Columbia, Deschutes, Gilliam, Grant, Avenue, Post Falls, Idaho; have been identified in this proposal Harney, Hood River, Jefferson, Klamath, o Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks may require, including managing for the Lake, Lane, Linn, Malheur, Morrow, Headquarters, 3201 Spurgin Road, potential effects of climate change, and Multnomah, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Missoula, Montana; • What areas not occupied at the time Wallowa, Wasco, and Wheeler counties o Elko Convention Center, Gold Room, of listing are essential to the in Oregon; Asotin, Benton, Chelan, 700 Moren Way, Elko, Nevada; conservation of the species and why; Clallam, Clark, Columbia, Cowlitz, o Wenatchee-Okanogan National (3) Land use designations and current Douglas, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Forest Headquarters, 215 Melody Lane, or planned activities in the areas Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Wenatchee, Washington; and occupied by the species, and their Kittitas, Klickitat, Mason, Okanogan, o Boise Centre on the Grove, 850 W. possible impacts on proposed critical Pend Oreille, Pierce, Skagit, Skamania, Front Street, Boise, Idaho. habitat; Snohomish, Thurston, Wahkiakum, We will post all comments on http:// (4) Any foreseeable economic, Walla Walla, Whatcom, Whitman, and www.regulations.gov. This generally national security, or other relevant Yakima counties in Washington; and means that we will post any personal impacts of designating any area that Elko county, Nevada. information you provide us (see the may be included in the final DATES: Written Comments: We will Public Comments section below for designation. We are particularly accept comments received or more information). interested in any impacts on small postmarked on or before March 15, FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff entities, and the benefits of including or 2010. Because of the anticipated interest Foss, Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and excluding areas that exhibit these in this proposed designation, we are Wildlife Service, Idaho Fish and impacts; planning on holding a public hearing Wildlife Office, 1387 South Vinnell (5) Whether the benefits of excluding and several public meetings. Way, Boise, ID 83702; telephone 208- any particular area from critical habitat VerDate Nov<24>2008 18:22 Jan 13, 2010 Jkt 220001 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4701 Sfmt 4702 E:\FR\FM\14JAP2.SGM 14JAP2 mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with PROPOSALS Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 9 / Thursday, January 14, 2010 / Proposed Rules 2271 outweigh the benefits of including that (8) Specific information on areas of (14) We have organized the Primary area as critical habitat under section habitat that were historically occupied, Constituent Elements (PCEs) of bull 4(b)(2) of the Act, after considering the or areas for which we have limited trout critical habitat based on the life- potential impacts and benefits of the evidence of occupancy, which we do history needs of the species. We are proposed critical habitat designation. not consider to be essential to the considering reorganizing the PCEs in Under section 4(b)(2) of the Act, we may conservation of the species in this order to improve clarity, into broad exclude an area from critical habitat if proposed rule. These areas include habitat attributes (water bodies and we determine that the benefits of such Okanogan River; Lake Chelan and migratory corridors), and identify exclusion outweigh the benefits of Stehekin River; west side tributaries to specific needs of bull trout within these including that particular area as critical Hood Canal (e.g., Dosewallips River, broad categories. This approach would habitat, unless failure to designate that Duckabush River, Quilcene River); and likely require repetition of specific specific area as critical habitat will Willapa River; features, but may be more result in the extinction of the species. (9) Specific information on areas understandable by making clear the We request specific information on: believed to be unoccupied in the relationships between the needs of the • The benefits of including specific Klamath River basin, but essential for species and the specific locations where areas in the final designation and FMO habitat; those needs are provided. We request supporting rationale, (10) Specific information as to comments on whether this • The benefits of excluding specific whether the six recovery units reorganization would improve clarity of areas from the final designation and identified in the ‘‘Critical Habitat the PCEs. supporting rationale, and Background’’ section accurately reflect (15) Whether we could improve or • Whether any specific exclusions the conservation needs of bull trout; modify our approach to designating may result in the extinction of the (11) Information on the projected and critical habitat in any way to provide for species and why (see Exclusions section reasonably likely impacts of climate greater public participation and below). change on bull trout, and any special understanding, or to better (6) Whether our exemptions under management needs or protections that accommodate public concerns and section 4(a)(3)(B) of the Act of the lands may be needed in the critical habitat comments; and (16) Specific information on ways to on Department of Defense (DOD) land at areas we are proposing.
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