[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 166 (Tuesday, August 29, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59537-59538]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18574]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2023-0159; FXIA16710900000-234-FF09A30000]


Foreign Endangered Species; Receipt of Permit Application

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit application; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to 
comment on an application to conduct certain activities with a foreign 
species that is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act 
(ESA). With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits activities with listed 
species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such 
activities. The ESA also requires that we invite public comment before 
issuing permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the ESA with 
respect to any endangered species.

DATES: We must receive comments by September 28, 2023.

ADDRESSES: 
    Obtaining Documents: The application, application supporting 
materials, and any comments and other materials that we receive will be 
available for public inspection at https://www.regulations.gov in 
Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2023-0159.
    Submitting Comments: When submitting comments, please specify the 
name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your 
comment. You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
    <bullet> Internet: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for and 
submit comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2023-0159.
    <bullet> U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. 
FWS-HQ-IA-2023-0159; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: 
PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

[[Page 59538]]

    For more information, see Public Comment Procedures under 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brenda Tapia, by phone at 703-358-2185 
or via email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f6b2bbb7b0a4b6908185d8919980"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="753138343327351302065b121a03">[email protected]</span></a>. 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:

I. Public Comment Procedures

A. How do I comment on submitted applications?

    We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies 
to comment on this application. Before issuing the requested permit, we 
will take into consideration any information that we receive during the 
public comment period.
    You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods in 
ADDRESSES. We will not consider comments sent by email or to an address 
not in ADDRESSES. We will not consider or include in our administrative 
record comments we receive after the close of the comment period (see 
DATES).
    When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant 
and the permit number at the beginning of your comment. Provide 
sufficient information to allow us to authenticate any scientific or 
commercial data you include. The comments and recommendations that will 
be most useful and likely to influence agency decisions are: (1) Those 
supported by quantitative information or studies; and (2) those that 
include citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and 
regulations.

B. May I review comments submitted by others?

    You may view and comment on others' public comments at https://www.regulations.gov unless our allowing so would violate the Privacy 
Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).

C. Who will see my comments?

    If you submit a comment at https://www.regulations.gov, your entire 
comment, including any personal identifying information, will be posted 
on the website. If you submit a hardcopy comment that includes personal 
identifying information, such as your address, phone number, or email 
address, 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. Moreover, all submissions from organizations 
or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be 
made available for public disclosure in their entirety.

II. Background

    To help us carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected 
species, and in consideration of section 10(c) of the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), we 
invite public comments on permit applications before final action is 
taken. With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits certain activities with 
listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such 
activities. Permits issued under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA allow 
otherwise prohibited activities for scientific purposes or to enhance 
the propagation or survival of the affected species. Service 
regulations regarding prohibited activities with endangered species, 
captive-bred wildlife registrations, and permits for any activity 
otherwise prohibited by the ESA with respect to any endangered species 
are available in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations in part 
17.

III. Permit Application

    We invite comments on the following application.

Applicant: Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, 
Washington, DC; Permit No. PER4095187

    The applicant requests a permit to export three captive-born giant 
pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) from the Smithsonian National Zoo and 
Conservation Biology Institute to the China Conservation and Research 
Center for Giant Panda in Sichuan, People's Republic of China, for the 
purpose of enhancing the propagation or survival of the species. This 
notification is for a single export.

IV. Next Steps

    After the comment period closes, we will make decisions regarding 
permit issuance. If we issue a permit to the applicant listed in this 
notice, we will publish a notice in the Federal Register. You may 
locate the notice announcing the permit issuance by searching https://www.regulations.gov for the permit number listed above in this 
document. For example, to find information about the potential issuance 
of Permit No. 12345A, you would go to regulations.gov and search for 
``12345A''.

V. Authority

    We issue this notice under the authority of the Endangered Species 
Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and its implementing 
regulations.

Brenda Tapia,
Supervisory Program Analyst/Data Administrator, Branch of Permits, 
Division of Management Authority.
[FR Doc. 2023-18574 Filed 8-28-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P


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