25882 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 93 / Monday, May 15, 1995 / Proposed Rules

NHTSA believes that the new burnish

procedure is more valid because it has

a lower energy input level that is closer

to the burnish achieved in actual use.

Accordingly, it would be inappropriate

to permit the old procedure indefinitely.

The agency further believes that

achieving compliance using the new

burnish procedure is feasible given the

industry’s considerable progress in

developing new brake linings that can

meet the brake system performance

requirements when using the new

burnish procedures. The agency notes

that the additional year allowed by the

interim final rule, together with the

initial five year transition period,

provided ample time for vehicle and

brake manufacturers to evaluate brake

block materials.

NHTSA believes that there is only

very limited validity to the

manufacturers’ argument that the new

burnish procedure is more stringent.

The objections to the new burnish

procedure come from those

manufacturers whose existing brake

systems have to be burnished to peak

perfection in order to pass the minimum

requirements. The new burnish

procedure is more stringent only in the

sense that it does not produce

temperatures that are as high as the old

procedure and in the sense that the

lower temperature of the burnish

reduces brake performance. NHTSA

notes that brake manufacturers are

continuing to develop brake block

materials that are less sensitive to

burnish and do not require high

temperatures of the old burnish to

complete the manufacturing process. As

these materials are developed, the new

procedure’s already limited effect will

become progressively smaller.

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 322, 30111, 30162;

delegations of authority at 49 CFR 1.50 and

501.8.

Issued on: May 10, 1995.

Barry Felrice,

Associate Administrator for Safety

Performance Standards.

[FR Doc. 95–11927 Filed 5–12–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–59–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife

and Plants; Notice of Public Hearing

and Extension of Public Comment

Periods on Proposed Critical Habitat

Designation and Draft Economic

Analysis for the Pacific Coast

Population of the Western Snowy

Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus

nivosus)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service

Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of public

hearing and extension of public

comment periods.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service (Service), under the Endangered

Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act),

gives notice that public hearings will be

held on the proposed designation of

critical habitat for the Pacific coast

population of the western snowy plover

(Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus). The

hearings will allow all interested parties

to submit oral or written comments on

the proposal. In addition, the Service

extends the public comment period on

all aspects of this proposed critical

habitat designation including the draft

economic analysis.

DATES: The public hearings will be held

from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday,

June 7, 1995, in Florence, Oregon; from

6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 13,

1995, in Monterey, California; and from

2 p.m to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on

Thursday, June 15, 1995, in Eureka,

California. The public comment period

now closes on June 30, 1995. Any

comments received by the closing date

will be considered in the final decision

on this proposal.

ADDRESSES: Public hearings will be held

in Florence, Oregon, at the Driftwood

Shores Conference Center, 88416 First

Avenue; in Monterey, California, at the

Hyatt Regency, 1 Old Golf Course Road;

and in Eureka, California, at the Eureka

Inn, 518 7th Street. Written comments

and materials may be submitted at the

hearings or sent directly to Mr. Joel A.

Medlin, Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, Sacramento Field

Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Room E–

1803, Sacramento, California 95825–

1846. Comments and materials received

will be available for public inspection

during normal business hours, by

appointment, at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Karen J. Miller, Sacramento Field

Office, at the above address (telephone

(916) 979–2725).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Pacific coast population of the

western snowy plover breeds primarily

on coastal beaches from southern

Washington to southern Baja California.

Other less common nesting habitat

includes salt pans, coastal dredge

disposal sites, dry salt ponds and salt

pond levees. Historically, the Pacific

coast population of the western snowy

plover nested at over 80 locations on the

coast of California, Oregon, and

Washington. Today only 28 major

nesting areas remain. In addition to loss

of nesting areas, the size of the coastal

population also has decline. Human

activity on beaches (walking, jogging,

walking pets, off-road vehicle use,

horseback riding, etc.) during the plover

breeding season, and encroachment of

exotic European beachgrass

(Ammophilia arenaria) are primary

factors in the observed decline of the

western snowy plover on the Pacific

coast. The Service expects that only

small portions (5 to 15 percent) of these

beaches would be affected by this

designation, if made final. The Pacific

coast population of the western snowy

plover was listed as a threatened species

without critical habitat on march 5,

1993.

A proposal was published in the

Federal Register (60 FR 11763) on

March 2, 1995, to designate 28 critical

habitat areas for the coastal population

of the western snowy plover. These 28

areas total approximately 20,000 acres

and about 210 miles of coastline, or

about 10 percent of the coastline in

California, Oregon, and Washington.

Two of the proposed critical habitat

areas are in Washington, seven are in

Oregon, and 19 are in California. The

areas range in size form less than 10

acres to over 2,000 acres.

Subsection 4(b)(5)(E) of the Act,

requires that a public hearing be held if

it is requested within 45 days of the

publication of a proposed rule. The

Service received several written

requests for public hearings from private

citizens and organizations. As a result,

the Service has scheduled three public

hearings to be held on Wednesday, June

7, 1995, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in

Florence Oregon at the Driftwood

Shores Conference Center, 88416 First

Avenue; Tuesday, June 13, 1995, from 6

p.m. to 8 p.m. in Monterey, California,

at the Hyatt Regency, 1 Old Golf Course

Road; and Thursday, June 15, 1995,
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 93 / Monday, May 15, 1995 / Proposed Rules 25883

from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8

p.m. in Eureka, California at the Eureka

Inn, 518 7th Street.

Parties wishing to make statements for

the record should bring a copy of their

statements to the hearing. Oral

statements may be limited in length, if

the number of parties present at the

hearing necessitates such a limitation.

There are, however, no limits to the

length of written comments or materials

presented at the hearing or mailed to the

Service. The comment period closes on

June 30, 1995. Written comments

should be submitted to the Service in

the ADDRESSES section.

Author

The primary author of this notice is

Ms. Karen J. Miller, Sacramento Field

Office, at the above address.

Authority: The authority for this action is

the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16

U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

Dated: May 9, 1995.

Thomas Dwyer,

Acting Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 95–11886 Filed 5–12–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M