67060 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 235 / Friday, December 6, 2019 / Proposed Rules DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (1) Electronically: Go to the Federal throughout all or a significant portion of eRulemaking Portal: http:// its range, we are required to promptly Fish and Wildlife Service www.regulations.gov. In the Search box, publish a proposal in the Federal enter FWS–R2–ES–2018–0104, which is Register and make a determination on 50 CFR Part 17 the docket number for this rulemaking. our proposal within 1 year. Under [Docket No. FWS–R2–ES–2018–0104; Then, click on the Search button. On the section 4(d) of the Act, the Secretary of 4500030113] resulting page, in the Search panel on the Interior has the discretion to issue the left side of the screen, under the such regulations as he deems necessary RIN 1018–BD35 Document Type heading, click on the and advisable to provide for the conservation of threatened species. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife Proposed Rule box to locate this Critical habitat shall be designated, to and Plants; Endangered Species document. You may submit a comment the maximum extent prudent and Status for Beardless Chinchweed With by clicking on ‘‘Comment Now!’’ (2) By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail determinable, for any species Designation of Critical Habitat, and or hand-delivery to: Public Comments determined to be an endangered or Threatened Species Status for Processing, Attn: FWS–R2–ES–2018– threatened species under the Act. Bartram’s Stonecrop With Section 4(d) 0104; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Listing a species as an endangered or Rule MS: BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls threatened species, adopting provisions AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Church, VA 22041–3803. under section 4(d) of the Act for a Interior. We request that you send comments threatened species, and designations and revisions of critical habitat can only ACTION: Proposed rule. only by the methods described above. We will post all comments on http:// be completed by issuing a rule. SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and www.regulations.gov. This generally What this document does. We Wildlife Service (Service), propose to means that we will post any personal propose to list beardless chinchweed as list Pectis imberbis (beardless information you provide us (see Public an endangered species and Bartram’s chinchweed), a plant species from Comments, below, for more stonecrop as a threatened species. This southern Arizona and northern Mexico, information). proposed rule assesses all available as an endangered species and to Document availability: The draft information regarding status of and designate critical habitat for Beardless economic analysis is available at http:// stressors to beardless chinchweed and chinchweed under the Endangered www.fws.gov/southwest/es/arizona/ Bartram’s stonecrop. We also propose a Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended. Docs_Species.htm, at http:// rule issued under section 4(d) of the Act In total, we propose to designate www.regulations.gov at Docket No. to provide for the conservation of approximately 10,604 acres (4,291 FWS–R2–ES–2018–0104, and at the Bartram’s stonecrop. In addition, we hectares) in southern Arizona as critical Arizona Ecological Services Field Office propose to designate critical habitat for habitat for this plant. We also announce (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). beardless chinchweed. We are not the availability of a draft economic The coordinates or plot points or both proposing critical habitat for Bartram’s analysis of the proposed designation of from which the map is generated are stonecrop as we have determined that critical habitat for beardless included in the administrative record the designation of critical habitat for chinchweed. for this critical habitat designation and this species is not prudent. In addition, we propose to list are available at https://www.fws.gov/ The basis for our action. Under the Graptopetalum bartramii (Bartram’s southwest/es/arizona/Docs_ Act, we can determine that a species is stonecrop), a plant species from Species.htm, at http:// an endangered or threatened species southern Arizona and northern Mexico, www.regulations.gov at Docket No. based on any of five factors: (A) The as a threatened species under the Act FWS–R2–ES–2018–0104, and at the present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its and to issue a rule under section 4(d) of Arizona Ecological Services Field Office habitat or range; (B) overutilization for the Act to provide for the conservation (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). commercial, recreational, scientific, or of Bartram’s stonecrop. We are not Any additional tools or supporting educational purposes; (C) disease or proposing to designate critical habitat information that we may develop for predation; (D) the inadequacy of for Bartram’s stonecrop because we find this critical habitat designation will also existing regulatory mechanisms; or (E) that a designation is not prudent. If we be available at the Fish and Wildlife other natural or manmade factors make this rule final as proposed, it Service website and Field Office set out affecting its continued existence. above, and may also be included in the would extend the Act’s protections to For beardless chinchweed, we have both of these species and to beardless preamble and/or at http:// determined that the key factors chinchweed’s critical habitat. www.regulations.gov. supporting the proposed endangered DATES: We will accept comments FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff finding are: Loss of habitat due to received or postmarked on or before Humphrey, Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish invasion by nonnative species (Factor February 4, 2020. Comments submitted and Wildlife Service, Arizona Ecological A); altered fire regime exacerbated by electronically using the Federal Services Field Office, 9828 North 31st nonnative invasion (Factors A and E); eRulemaking Portal (see ADDRESSES, Avenue, #C3, Phoenix, AZ 85051–2517; altered precipitation, drought, and below) must be received by 11:59 p.m. telephone 602–242–0210. Persons who temperature (Factors A and E); road and Eastern Time on the closing date. We use a telecommunications device for the trail maintenance, mining, livestock, must receive requests for a public deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay wildlife, and post-wildfire runoff hearing, in writing, at the address Service at 800–877–8339. (Factors A and E); grazing from wildlife shown in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: and livestock (Factor C); and small CONTACT by January 21, 2020. population size exacerbating all other ADDRESSES: Executive Summary stressors (Factor E). The existing Written comments: You may submit Why we need to publish a rule. Under regulatory mechanisms are not adequate comments by one of the following the Act, if a species is determined to be to address these factors such that the methods: an endangered or threatened species species does not meet the definition of VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:19 Dec 05, 2019 Jkt 250001 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4701 Sfmt 4702 E:\FR\FM\06DEP3.SGM 06DEP3 lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with PROPOSALS3 Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 235 / Friday, December 6, 2019 / Proposed Rules 67061 an endangered or threatened species designation are based on scientifically which may include habitat modification (Factor D). sound data, assumptions, and analyses. or destruction, overutilization, disease, For Bartram’s stonecrop, we have The peer reviewers have expertise with predation, the inadequacy of existing determined the key factors supporting beardless chinchweed’s or Bartram’s regulatory mechanisms, or other natural the proposed threatened finding are: stonecrop’s biology, habitat, physical or or manmade factors. Reduction in water availability (Factors biological factors, or stressors. Species (3) Biological, commercial trade, or A and E); erosion, sedimentation, and status assessment reports for beardless other relevant data concerning any burial (Factors A and E); trampling chinchweed and Bartram’s stonecrop stressors (or lack thereof) to these (Factor E); altered fire regime (Factors A were developed (Service 2018a and species and existing regulations that and E); loss of shade (Factors A and E); 2018b, entire), which represent a may be addressing those stressors. altered flooding regime (Factors A and compilation of the best scientific and (4) Additional information concerning E); drought (Factors A and E); predation commercial data available concerning the historical and current status, range, of individuals and shade trees (Factors the status of the species, including the distribution, and population size of A, C, and E); illegal collection (Factor past, present, and future stressors to the these species, including the locations of B); and small population size (Factor E). species. We requested peer review of any additional populations of these The existing regulatory mechanisms are each species status assessment report species. not adequate to address these factors from three independent specialists, with (5) Information related to climate such that the species does not meet the expertise with the species, to ensure change within the range these species definition of an endangered or that we based our determinations on and how it may affect these species’ threatened species (Factor D). scientifically sound data, assumptions, habitats. Under the Act, any species that is and analyses. The peer reviewers’ (6) Information on regulations that are determined to be an endangered or a comments