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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 227 (Monday, November 25, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 92881-92883]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-27529]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

[Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2024-0073; FXES1111090FEDR-256-FF09E21000]
RIN 1018-BH47

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Critical Habitat 
Designations for Florida Manatee and Antillean Manatee

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 September 24, 2024, proposed rule 
to revise critical habitat for Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus 
latirostris) and to designate critical habitat for Antillean manatee 
(T. m. manatus) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as 
amended.

[[Page 92882]]

We are extending the proposed rule's comment period for 60 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 on 
September 24, 2024, at 89 FR 78134 is extended. We will accept comments 
received or postmarked on or before January 24, 2025.

ADDRESSES: 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-R4-ES-2024-0073, 
which is the docket number for the September 24, 2024, proposed rule. 
Then, click on the Search button. On the resulting page, in the panel 
on the left side of the screen, under the Document Type heading, check 
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-R4-ES-2024-0073, 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: Nikki Colangelo, Classification and 
Recovery Division Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida 
Ecological Services Field Office, 777 37th Street, Suite D-101, Vero 
Beach, FL 32960; telephone 772-226-8138. 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. 
Please see Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2024-0073 on https://www.regulations.gov for a document that summarizes the September 24, 
2024, proposed rule.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On September 24, 2024, we published in the Federal Register (89 FR 
78134) a proposed rule to revise critical habitat for the Florida 
manatee and to designate critical habitat for the Antillean manatee 
under the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The proposed rule opened a 60-
day comment period, ending November 25, 2024. We have received multiple 
requests to extend the public comment period due to impacts from recent 
hurricanes. With this document, we extend the public comment period for 
an additional 60 days, as specified above in DATES.

Public Comments

    We will accept written comments and information during the extended 
comment period on our September 24, 2024, proposed critical habitat 
rule for the West Indian manatee (89 FR 78134). 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 
data available and will be as accurate and as effective as possible. 
Our final critical habitat designation 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, as well as any information that may 
become available after the publication of our proposal, our final 
designations may differ from our September 24, 2024, proposed rule (89 
FR 78134). Based on new information we may receive (and, if relevant, 
any comments on that new information), we may modify the proposed 
critical habitat designations. Our final designations may not include 
all areas proposed, may include some additional areas that meet the 
definition of critical habitat, or may exclude some areas if we find 
the benefits of exclusion outweigh the benefits of inclusion and 
exclusion will not result in the extinction of the species. In our 
final rule, we will clearly explain our rationale and the basis for our 
final decision, including why we made changes, if any, that differ from 
the September 24, 2024, proposed rule.
    If you already submitted comments or information on the September 
24, 2024, 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 
information you assert. Please note that submissions merely stating 
support for, or opposition to, the action under consideration without 
providing supporting information, although noted, do not provide 
substantial information necessary to support a determination. Section 
4(b)(2) of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1533(b)(2)) directs that the Secretary 
shall designate critical habitat on the basis of the best scientific 
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 Docket No. FWS-R4-ES-2024-0073.

Authors

    The primary authors of this document are members of the Fish and 
Wildlife Service's Species Assessment Team and the Florida and 
Caribbean Ecological Services Field Offices.

Authority

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

[[Page 92883]]

Signing Authority

    Martha Williams, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
approved this action on November 14, 2024, for publication. On November 
20, 2024, Martha Williams authorized the undersigned to sign the 
document electronically and submit it to the Office of the Federal 
Register for publication as an official document of the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service.

Madonna Baucum,
Regulations and Policy Chief, Division of Policy, Economics, Risk 
Management, and Analytics of the Joint Administrative Operations, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-27529 Filed 11-22-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
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