[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 167 (Wednesday, August 30, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 59837]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18657]



[[Page 59837]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

[Docket No. FWS-R2-ES-2022-0162; FF09E21000 FXES1111090FEDR 234]
RIN 1018-BG22


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Species 
Status for the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are 
extending the comment period on our July 3, 2023, proposed rule to list 
the dunes sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus arenicolus), a species found 
only in southeastern New Mexico and west Texas, as an endangered 
species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We 
are extending the proposed rule's comment period for 30 days to give 
all interested parties an additional opportunity to comment on the 
proposed rule. Comments previously submitted need not be resubmitted as 
they are already incorporated into the public record and will be fully 
considered in the final rule.

DATES: The comment period on the proposed rule that published July 3, 
2023, at 88 FR 42661, is extended. We will accept comments received or 
postmarked on or before October 2, 2023.

ADDRESSES: 
    Comment submission: You may submit comments by one of the following 
methods:
    (1) Electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. In the Search box, enter FWS-R2-ES-2022-0162, 
which is the docket number for the July 3, 2023, proposed rule. Then 
click on the Search button. On the resulting page, in the Search panel 
on the left side of the screen, under the Document Type heading, click 
on the Proposed Rule box to locate the correct document. You may submit 
a comment by clicking on ``Comment.''
    (2) By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail to: Public Comments 
Processing, Attn: FWS-R2-ES-2022-0162, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
MS: PRB/3W, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.
    We request that you send comments only by the methods described 
above. We will post all comments on https://www.regulations.gov. This 
generally means that we will post any personal information you provide 
us (see Public Comments, below, for more information).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shawn Sartorius, Field Supervisor, 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New Mexico Ecological Services Field 
Office, 2105 Osuna NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113; telephone 505-346-2525. 
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:

Background

    On July 3, 2023, we published a proposed rule (88 FR 42661) to list 
the dunes sagebrush lizard as an endangered species under the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). 
The proposed rule opened a 60-day comment period, ending September 1, 
2023, and announced a public hearing on July 31, 2023. We have received 
multiple requests to extend the public comment period. With this 
document, we extend the public comment period for an additional 30 
days, as specified above in DATES.

Public Comments

    We will accept written comments and information during the extended 
comment period on our proposed rule to list the dunes sagebrush lizard. 
We will consider information from all interested parties. We intend 
that any final action resulting from the proposal will be based on the 
best scientific and commercial data available and will be as accurate 
and as effective as possible. Our final determination will take into 
consideration all comments and any additional information we receive 
during the open comment period on the proposed rule.
    Because we will consider all comments and information we receive 
during the open comment period, our final determination may differ from 
our July 3, 2023, proposed rule (88 FR 42661). Based on the new 
information we receive (and any comments on that new information), we 
may conclude that the dunes sagebrush lizard may warrant a different 
listing status compared to the original proposed rule.
    If you already submitted comments or information on the July 3, 
2023, proposed rule, please do not resubmit them. Any such comments are 
incorporated as part of the public record of the rulemaking proceeding, 
and we will fully consider them in the preparation of our final 
determination.
    Comments should be as specific as possible. Please include 
sufficient information with your submission (such as scientific journal 
articles or other publications) to allow us to verify any scientific or 
commercial information you assert. Please note that submissions merely 
stating support for, or opposition to, the action under consideration 
without providing supporting information, although noted, will not be 
considered in making a determination, as section 4(b)(1)(A) of the Act 
directs that determinations as to whether any species is an endangered 
species or a threatened species must be made ``solely on the basis of 
the best scientific and commercial data available.''
    You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods 
listed in ADDRESSES. We request that you send comments only by the 
methods described in ADDRESSES. If you submit information via https://www.regulations.gov, your entire submission--including your personal 
identifying information--will be posted on the website. If your 
submission is made via a hardcopy that includes personal identifying 
information, 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. We will post all hardcopy 
submissions on https://www.regulations.gov. Comments and materials we 
receive, as well as supporting documentation we used in preparing the 
proposed rule, will be available for public inspection on https://www.regulations.gov at FWS-R2-ES-2022-0162.

Authors

    The primary authors of this document are the staff members of the 
Fish and Wildlife Service's Species Assessment Team and the New Mexico 
Ecological Services Field Office.

Authority

    The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
seq.), is the authority for this action.

Stephen Guertin,
Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-18657 Filed 8-29-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P