Wednesday, December 8, 2004 Part IV Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: Proposed Designation of Critical Habitat for Brodiaea filifolia (thread- leaved brodiaea); Proposed Rule VerDate jul<14>2003 15:35 Dec 07, 2004 Jkt 205001 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4717 Sfmt 4717 E:\FR\FM\08DEP4.SGM 08DEP4 71284 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 235 / Wednesday, December 8, 2004 / Proposed Rules DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR will be available for public inspection, section). Please submit Internet by appointment, during normal business comments to [email protected] in Fish and Wildlife Service hours at the Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife ASCII file format and avoid the use of Office (at the above address) (telephone special characters or any form of 50 CFR Part 17 number 760–431–9440). encryption. Please also include ‘‘Attn: Brodiaea filifolia’’ in your e-mail subject RIN 1018–AT75 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Field Supervisor, Carlsbad Fish and header and your name and return Endangered and Threatened Wildlife Wildlife Service (see ADDRESSES address in the body of your message. If and Plants; Proposed Designation of section). you do not receive a confirmation from the system that we have received your Critical Habitat for Brodiaea filifolia SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: (thread-leaved brodiaea) internet message, contact us directly by Public Comments Solicited calling our Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, We intend that any final action Office at phone number 760–431–9440. Interior. Please note that the Internet address resulting from this proposal be as _ ACTION: Proposed rule. accurate as possible. Accordingly, we fw1cfwo [email protected] will be closed out at the termination of the public SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife hereby solicit comments or suggestions from the public, other governmental comment period. Service (Service), propose to designate Our practice is to make comments, critical habitat pursuant to the agencies and entities, Tribes, the scientific community, industry, and any including the names and home Endangered Species Act of 1973, as addresses of respondents, available for amended (Act), for the federally other interested parties regarding this proposed rule. In particular, we seek public review during regular business threatened Brodiaea filifolia (thread- hours. Individual respondents may leaved brodiaea). We have determined comments concerning: (1) The reasons any areas should or request that we withhold their home that 9,403 acres (ac) (3,805 hectares (ha)) address from the rulemaking record, and of habitat with essential features exists should not be determined to be critical habitat as provided by section 4 of the we will honor such requests to the for Brodiaea filifolia in Los Angeles, San extent allowable by law. There also may Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, and San Act, including whether the benefits of designation will outweigh threats to the be circumstances in which, as allowable Diego counties. Of this eligible habitat, by law, we would withhold from the we are proposing to designate species due to the designation; (2) Specific information on the rulemaking record a respondent’s approximately 4,690 ac (1,898 ha) of identity. If you wish us to withhold land in 10 units in Los Angeles, San amount and distribution of Brodiaea filifolia and its habitat, specifically your name and/or address, you must Bernardino, Orange, and San Diego state this prominently at the beginning Counties, California, as critical habitat updated information on specific populations or occurrences and what of your comment. We will not, however, for this species. Eligible habitat in consider anonymous comments. The Riverside and portions of San Diego habitat or habitat components or features are essential to the conservation Service will make all submissions from counties covered by approved and/or organizations or businesses, and from pending habitat conservation plans is of this species and why; (3) Land use designations and current individuals identifying themselves as being proposed for exclusion from or planned activities in or adjacent to representatives or officials of critical habitat under 4(b)(2) of the Act. the subject areas and their possible organizations or businesses, available DATES: We will accept comments from impacts on proposed critical habitat; for public inspection in their entirety. all interested parties until February 7, (4) Any foreseeable economic, Comments and materials received will 2005. We must receive requests for national security, or other potential be available for public inspection, by public hearings, in writing, at the impacts which could result from the appointment, during normal business address shown in the ADDRESSES section proposed designation and, in particular, hours at the above address. by January 24, 2005. any impacts to small entities; and Designation of Critical Habitat Provides ADDRESSES: If you wish to comment, (5) Whether our approach to Little Additional Protection to Species you may submit your comments and designating critical habitat could be information concerning this proposal by improved or modified in any way to In 30 years of implementing the Act, any one of several methods: provide for greater public participation we have found that the designation of 1. You may submit written comments and understanding, or to assist us in statutory critical habitat provides little and information to the Field Supervisor, accommodating public concerns and additional protection to most listed U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Carlsbad comments. species, while consuming significant Fish and Wildlife Office, 6010 Hidden (6) We request information from the amounts of available conservation Valley Road, Carlsbad, CA 92009. Department of Defense to assist the resources. Our present system for 2. You may hand-deliver written Secretary of the Interior in evaluating designating critical habitat has evolved comments and information to our office critical habitat on lands administered by since its original statutory prescription at the above address. or under the control of the Department into a process that provides little real 3. You may send comments and of Defense based on any benefit conservation benefit, is driven by information by electronic mail (e-mail) provided by an Integrated Natural litigation and the courts rather than [email protected]. Please see the Resources Management Plan (INRMP) to biology, limits our ability to fully ‘‘Public Comments Solicited’’ section the conservation of Brodiaea filifolia; evaluate the science involved, consumes below for file format and other and information regarding impacts to enormous agency resources, and information about electronic filing. national security associated with imposes huge social and economic 4. You may fax your comments to proposed designation of critical habitat. costs. We believe that additional agency 760–431–3624. If you wish to comment, you may discretion would allow our focus to Comments and materials received, as submit your comments and materials return to those actions that provide the well as supporting documentation used concerning this proposal by any one of greatest benefit to the species most in in preparation of this proposed rule, several methods (see ADDRESSES need of protection. VerDate jul<14>2003 15:35 Dec 07, 2004 Jkt 205001 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4701 Sfmt 4702 E:\FR\FM\08DEP4.SGM 08DEP4 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 235 / Wednesday, December 8, 2004 / Proposed Rules 71285 Role of Critical Habitat in Actual listing petition responses, our own and seeds takes four to eight weeks. The Practice of Administering and proposals to list critically imperiled rate of deposition and duration of seeds Implementing the Act species, and final listing determinations in the soil is unknown. However, it is While attention to and protection of on existing proposals are all likely that the majority of seeds habitat is paramount to successful significantly delayed. produced in the capsules are dispersed The accelerated schedules of court- conservation actions, we have nearby and as such would be expected ordered designations have left us with consistently found that, in most to be scattered among the standing almost no ability to provide for adequate circumstances, the designation of plants at any given occurrence. public participation or to ensure a Conditions conducive to triggering critical habitat is of little additional defect-free rulemaking process before natural germination are also unknown. value for most listed species, yet it making decisions on listing and critical Leaves are likely produced every year. consumes large amounts of conservation habitat proposals due to the risks Young plants may produce only leaves resources. Sidle (1987) stated, ‘‘Because associated with noncompliance with for a few seasons before having enough the Act can protect species with and judicially-imposed deadlines. This in food stores to be capable of producing without critical habitat designation, turn fosters a second round of litigation flower stalks. Leaves appear in early critical habitat designation may be in which those who fear adverse spring and die back by the time of redundant to the other consultation impacts from critical habitat flowering which typically occurs from requirements of section 7.’’ Currently, designations challenge those May to June. Even mature specimens only 467 species or 37 percent of the designations. The cycle