Friday September 19, 1997 Part V Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 Endangered and Threatened Species; Review of Plant and Animal Taxa; Proposed Rule federal register 49397 49398 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 182 / Friday, September 19, 1997 / Proposed Rules DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR time. The information on candidate taxa Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New will be revised and updated continually Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Fish and Wildlife Service by the Regional Offices identified as Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West having lead responsibility for the Virginia. 50 CFR Part 17 particular taxa. The Service anticipates Regional Director (TE), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 300 Westgate Center Endangered and Threatened Wildlife publishing annually an update of the Drive, Hadley, Massachusetts 01035± and Plants; Review of Plant and candidate notice of review, annual notice of findings on recycled petitions, 9589 (413/253±8615). Animal Taxa That Are Candidates or Region 6. Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Proposed for Listing as Endangered or and annual description of progress on listing actions. Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Threatened, Annual Notice of Findings Utah, and Wyoming. on Recycled Petitions, and Annual ADDRESSES: Interested persons or organizations should submit comments Regional Director (TE), U.S. Fish and Description of Progress on Listing Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 25486, Actions regarding a particular taxon to the Regional Director of the Region Denver Federal Center, Denver, AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, identified as having the lead Colorado 80225±0486 (303/236±7398). Interior. responsibility for that taxon. Comments Region 7. Alaska. Regional Director (TE), U.S. Fish and ACTION: Notice of review. of a more general nature may be Wildlife Service, 1011 East Tudor Road, submitted to the Chief, Division of Anchorage, Alaska 99503±6199 (907/ SUMMARY: In this document, the Fish Endangered Species, U.S. Fish and 786±3605). and Wildlife Service (Service) presents Wildlife Service, 1849 C Street, NW., an updated list of plant and animal taxa Mail Stop 452 ARLSQ, Washington, DC FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The native to the United States that are 20240. Information regarding the range, Endangered Species Coordinator(s) in regarded as candidates or proposed for status, and habitat needs of and listing the appropriate Regional Office(s) (see possible addition to the Lists of priority assignment for a particular phone numbers in ADDRESSES section) Endangered and Threatened Wildlife taxon is available for review at the or E. LaVerne Smith, Chief, Division of and Plants under the Endangered appropriate Regional Office listed below Endangered Species, (703) 358±2171. Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). or at the Division of Endangered SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Identification of candidate taxa can Species, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room Background assist environmental planning efforts by 452, Arlington, Virginia 22203 (703/ providing advance notice of potential 358±2171). Written comments and Candidate Notice of Review listings, allowing resource managers to materials received in response to this The Endangered Species Act of 1973, alleviate threats and thereby possibly document will be available for public remove the need to list taxa as as amended (Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et inspection by appointment at the seq.), requires the Service to identify endangered or threatened. Even if a appropriate Regional Office listed candidate taxon is subsequently listed, taxa of wildlife and plants that are below. endangered or threatened, based on the the early notice provided here could Region 1. California, Commonwealth result in fewer restrictions on activities best available scientific and commercial of the Northern Mariana Islands, information. As part of the program to by prompting candidate conservation Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Pacific measures to alleviate threats to the accomplish this, the Service has Territories of the United States, and maintained a list of taxa regarded as taxon. Washington. The Service requests additional status candidates for listing. The Service Regional Director (TE), U.S. Fish and maintains this list for a variety of information that may be available for Wildlife Service, Eastside Federal the identified candidate taxa and reasons, including: to provide advance Complex, 911 N.E. 11th Avenue, knowledge of potential listings that information indicating that taxa not Portland, Oregon 97232±4181 (503/231± presently regarded as candidates should could affect decisions of environmental 6131). planners and developers; to solicit input be included in future updates of this Region 2. Arizona, New Mexico, from interested parties to identify those list. This information will be considered Oklahoma, and Texas. in preparing listing documents and Regional Director (TE), U.S. Fish and candidate taxa that may not require future revisions to the notice of review. Wildlife Service, 500 Gold Avenue protection under the Act or additional It will also help the Service monitor S.W., P.O. Box 1306, Albuquerque, New taxa that may require the Act's changes in the status of candidate taxa Mexico 87103±1306 (505/248±6671). protections; and to solicit information and in candidate conservation activities. Region 3. Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, needed to prioritize the order in which The Service announces the Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, taxa will be proposed for listing. At availability of listing priority and Wisconsin. present, there are 207 taxa included in assignment forms for candidate taxa and Regional Director (TE), U.S. Fish and Table 1 of this notice that are listing priority determinations for Wildlife Service, Federal Building, One considered by the Service as candidates proposed taxa. These documents Federal Drive, Fort Snelling, Minnesota for possible addition to the Lists of describe the status and threats which 55111±4056 (612/725±3276). Endangered and Threatened Wildlife were evaluated in order to assign a Region 4. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, and Plants, as well as 99 taxa for which listing priority number to each taxon. Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, proposed rules to list have been The Service also announces its Mississippi, North Carolina, South published. The Service encourages their findings on recycled petitions and Carolina, Tennessee, Puerto Rico, and consideration in environmental describes its progress in revising the the U.S. Virgin Islands. planning, such as in environmental Lists of Endangered and Threatened Regional Director (TE), U.S. Fish and impact analysis under the National Wildlife and Plants during the period Wildlife Service, 75 Spring Street, SW, Environmental Policy Act of 1969 February 28, 1996, to September 3, Suite 1276, Atlanta, Georgia 30345± (implemented at 40 CFR parts 1500± 1997. 3319 (404/679±7096). 1508). Table 2 of this notice contains DATES: Comments on the candidate Region 5. Connecticut, Delaware, taxa identified as candidates in the 1996 notice of review will be accepted at any District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Candidate Notice of Review which have Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 182 / Friday, September 19, 1997 / Proposed Rules 49399 been removed from candidate status, 3, 1997. Although it has not published delistings, and reclassifications from taxa identified as proposed species in descriptions of its annual progress on endangered to threatened status. the 1996 notice which have been listed listing actions in the past, the Service Because of the large backlog of as threatened or endangered, and taxa intends to publish these descriptions outstanding proposed listings (second identified as proposed species in the annually beginning with this notice. highest priority actions) caused by the 1996 notice for which proposed rules Findings on Recycled Petitions listing moratorium, the Service was able have been withdrawn. The Service to process only 23 new proposals to add The Service reviewed the current intends to publish an updated combined species to the lists (third highest priority status of and threats to the taxa which notice of review for animals and plants actions). annually in the Federal Register. were the subjects of the 18 recycled petitions that became due during the Notice of Review Findings on Recycled Petitions period February 28, 1996, to September Section 4(b)(3) of the Act sets out 3, 1997, to determine whether any Previous Notices of Review required procedures for responding to changes to the listing priority The Act directed the Secretary of the petitions under the Act (i.e., petitions to assignments for these taxa were revise the lists of Endangered and necessary. As a result of this review, the Smithsonian Institution to prepare a Threatened Wildlife and Plants or to Service has made continued ``warranted report on endangered and threatened designate or revise critical habitat for but precluded'' findings on all of these plant taxa, which was published as listed taxa). Section 4(b)(3)(B) requires petitions. These taxa are maintained as House Document No. 94±51. The the Service to make one of the following candidates and are identified in Table 1 Service published a notice in the 12-month findings on each petition by the code ``C(w)'' in the category Federal Register on July 1, 1975 (40 FR presenting substantial information: (i) column on the left side of the table. 27823), in which it announced that The petitioned action is not warranted; more than 3,000 native plant taxa Progress