30866 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 111 / Friday, June 8, 2001 / Proposed Rules

Policy Act of 1969, in connection with

regulations adopted pursuant to section

4(a) of the Act. We published a notice

outlining our reasons for this

determination in the Federal Register

on October 25, 1983 (48 FR 49244).

References Cited

A complete list of all references cited

herein is available upon request from

our Northeast Regional Office (see

ADDRESSES section).

Author

The primary author of this notice is

Diane Lynch, Endangered Species

Biologist (See ADDRESSES section), and

Doug Weihrauch, staff scientist for the

Appalachian Mountain Club Research

Department, provided assistance with

the summary of the biological record for

this species.

Lists of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 17

Endangered and threatened species,

Exports, Imports, Reporting and

recordkeeping requirements,

Transportation.

Proposed Regulation Promulgation

For the reasons set out in the

preamble, we propose to amend part 17,

subpart B of chapter I, title 50 Code of

Federal Regulations, as set forth below:

PART 17—[AMENDED]

1. The authority citation for part 17

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1361–1407; 16 U.S.C.

1531–1544; 16 U.S.C. 4201–4245; Pub. L. 99–

625, 100 Stat. 3500; unless otherwise noted.

§ 17.12 [Amended]

2. Section 17.12(h) is amended by

removing the entry for ‘‘Potentilla

robbinsiana, Robbins’ cinquefoil’ under

‘‘FLOWERING PLANTS,’’ from the List

of Endangered and Threatened Plants.

§ 17.96 [Amended]

Section 17.96(a) is amended by

removing the critical habitat entry for

‘‘Potentilla robbinsiana, (Robbin’s

cinquefoil)’’ which is under Family

Rosaceae.

Dated: May 12, 2001.

Marshall Jones, Jr.,

Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 01–14453 Filed 6–7–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–U

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 622

[ I.D. 052201E]

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management

Council; Public Meetings

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of scoping meetings;

request for comments.

SUMMARY: The Gulf of Mexico Fishery

Management Council (Council) will

convene scoping meetings to obtain

public comments on essential fish

habitat (EFH) issues to be discussed in

and potentially added to a

Supplemental Environmental Impact

Statement (SEIS) for the Council’s

Generic Essential Fish Habitat

Amendment to the Fishery Management

Plans of the Gulf of Mexico (EFH

Generic Amendment).

DATES: The scoping meetings will be

held in June. See SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION for specific dates and times

of the scoping meetings.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the

scope of issues that should be addressed

in and potentially added to the SEIS

should be sent to and copies of the EFH

Generic Amendment are available from

the Council. The Council’s address is:

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management

Council, The Commons at Rivergate,

3018 U.S. Highway 301, North, Suite

1000, Tampa, FL 33619–7015; telephone

(813) 228–2815; fax (813) 225–7015. See

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific

dates, locations, and times of the

scoping meetings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Richard Leard, Senior Fishery Biologist,

Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management

Council; telephone (813) 228–2815.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

scoping meetings will be convened to

obtain public comments on the range of

issues to be discussed in the SEIS for

the EFH Generic Amendment. The

Council is especially interested in

public views on what alternatives

should be considered for the

designation of EFH, the identification of

Habitat Areas of Particular Concern

(HAPC), and the recommendation of

management measures to minimize the

adverse impacts of fishing activities and

gear on identified EFH and HAPC areas.

The Council prepared the EFH

Generic Amendment in response to

provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens

Fishery Conservation and Management

Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act). The EFH

Generic Amendment identifies and

describes EFH for the species managed

under the Council’s fishery management

plans; it also discusses threats to EFH

from both fishing and non-fishing

activities, discusses EFH conservation

and enhancement opportunities, and

identifies HAPCs. NMFS partially

approved the EFH Generic Amendment

in 1999 after conducting Secretarial

review under Magnuson-Steven Act

procedures. NMFS and the Council

previously published a notice in the

Federal Register (66 FR 15405; March

19, 2001) announcing their intent to

prepare a SEIS for the EFH Generic

Amendment that will supersede the

environmental assessment originally

prepared in support of this amendment.

Meeting Dates, Locations, and Times

The scoping meetings will be held at

the following dates, locations, and

times:

1. Thursday, June 14, 2001, 3 p.m.–5

p.m., Omni Bayfront Hotel, 900 North

Shoreline Boulevard, Corpus Christi, TX

78401; telephone (361) 887–1600

2. Friday, June 15, 2001, 1 p.m.–3

p.m., Courtyard by Marriott, 9190 Gulf

Freeway, Houston, TX 77017; telephone

(713) 910–1700

3. Monday, June 18, 2001, 2 p.m.– 4

p.m., New Orleans Airport Hilton, 901

Airline Drive, Kenner, LA 70062;

telephone (504) 469–5000

4. Tuesday, June 19, 2001, 3 p.m.–5

p.m., Imperial Palace Hotel, 850

Bayview, Biloxi, MS 39530; telephone

(228) 436–3000

5. Thursday, June 21, 2001, 3 p.m.–5

p.m., National Marine Fisheries Service,

3500 Delwood Beach Road, Panama

City, FL 32408; telephone (850) 234–

6541

6. Monday, June 25, 2001, 3 p.m.–5

p.m., Holiday Inn Beachside, 3841

North Roosevelt Boulevard, Key West,

FL 33040; telephone (305) 294–2571

7. Thursday, June 28, 2001, 3 p.m.–5

p.m., Tampa Airport Hilton, 2225 Lois

Avenue, Tampa, FL 33607; telephone

(813) 877–6688

Special Accommodations

These meetings are physically

accessible to people with disabilities.

Requests for sign language

interpretation or other auxiliary aids

should be directed to Anne Alford at the

Council (see ADDRESSES) by June 8,

2001.

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 111 / Friday, June 8, 2001 / Proposed Rules 30867

Dated: June 4, 2001.

Bruce C. Morehead,

Acting Director, Office of Sustainable

Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.

[FR Doc. 01–14521 Filed 6–7–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–22–S

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration

50 CFR Part 660

[I.D. 052201D]

Western Pacific Fishery Management

Council; Public Meetings

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),

Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings/

public hearings.

SUMMARY: The Western Pacific Fishery

Management Council (Council)

Advisory Panels will meet on June 15

and 16, 2001; the Standing Committees

will meet on June 18, 2001; and the

Council will hold its 110th meeting June

18 through June 21, 2001, in Honolulu,

HI.

At the full Council meeting, a public

hearing will be held prior to the Council

taking final action on its Coral Reef

Ecosystem Fishery Management Plan/

Draft Environmental Impact Statement

(CREFMP/DEIS).

The Council will also be holding a

public hearing to accept comments on a

proposed action that would implement

the prohibitions specified in the Shark

Finning Prohibition Act, that was signed

by the President in December 2000.

DATES: The meetings and the hearings

will be held during June 2001. See

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for specific

dates, and times for the meetings and

the hearings.

ADDRESSES: The meetings and the

hearings will be held at the Ala Moana

Hotel, 410 Atkinson Drive, Honolulu, HI

96813; telephone: 808–955–4811.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kitty M. Simonds, Executive Director;

telephone: 808–522–8220.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Dates and Locations

Advisory Panels

The Commercial, Recreational,

Subsistence/Indigenous, and Ecosystem

and Habitat sub-panels will meet jointly

on Friday, June 15, 2001, from 8:30 a.m.

to 5 p.m. Sub-panels will meet

individually on Saturday, June 16, 2001,

but will reconvene jointly before the

end of the day to finalize

recommendations. In addition, the

Panels will hear reports from plan

teams, the scientific and statistical

committee, and other ad hoc groups.

Public comment periods will be

provided throughout the meetings. The

order in which agenda items are

addressed may change. The Advisory

Panels will meet as late as necessary to

complete scheduled business.

The agenda for the Advisory Panel

meetings will include the items listed

below:

1. Welcome and introductions

2. Overview of the Magnuson-Stevens

Fishery Conservation and Management

Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act), Council

program, and decision-making process,

and other applicable laws

3. Role of advisors

4. Report on island area Advisory Group

meetings

5. Fisheries data collection and

monitoring programs, including the

Western Pacific Fisheries Information

Network (WesPacFIN) and the Marine

Recreational Fishery Survey

6. Research priorities and needs

7. Coral reef management

8. Protected species issues, including

turtles, seabirds and marine mammals

9. Enforcement and safety issues

10. American Samoa longline fishery

issues

11. Indigenous initiatives, including the

Community Development Program,

Community Demonstration Projects,

cultural take of green sea turtles, and the

native Observer program

12. Education and outreach efforts

13. Presentation on fish aggregation

devices

14. Sub-panel break-out sessions to

discuss issues and develop

recommendations

15. Joint panel session to review and

finalize recommendations to the

Council

Public Hearings

A public hearing will be held at 6

p.m. on June 20, 2001, on upcoming

actions with respect to shark finning.

A public hearing will be held at 9:30

a.m. on June 21, 2001, on the CREFMP/

DEIS.

Committee Meetings

The following Standing Committees

of the Council will meet on June 18,

2001. Enforcement/Vessel Monitoring

System (VMS) from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.;

Fishery Rights of Indigenous People

from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.; International

Fisheries/Pelagics from 10 a.m. to 12

noon; Precious Corals from 1:30 p.m. to

3 p.m.; Crustaceans from 1:30 p.m. to 3

p.m.; Bottomfish from 3 p.m. to 4:30

p.m; Ecosystem and Habitat from 3 p.m.

to 4:30 p.m.; and Executive/Budget and

Program from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

In addition, the Council will hear

recommendations from its advisory

panels, plan teams, scientific and

statistical committee, and other ad hoc

groups. Public comment periods will be

provided throughout the agenda. The

order in which agenda items are

addressed may change. The Council will

meet as late as necessary to complete

scheduled business.

The agenda during the full Council

meeting will include the items listed

below:

1. Introductions

2. Approval of agenda

3. Approval of 108th and 109th Meeting

Minutes

4. Island Reports

A. American Samoa

B. Guam

C. Hawaii

D. Commonwealth of the Northern

Mariana Islands

5. Federal Fishery Agency and

Organization Reports

A. Department of Commerce

(1) NMFS

(a) Southwest Region, Pacific Islands

Area Office

(b) Southwest Fisheries Science

Center, La Jolla and Honolulu

Laboratories

(2) NOAA General Counsel,

Southwest Region

B. Department of the Interior/U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service

C. U.S. State Department

6. Enforcement

A. U.S. Coast Guard activities

B. NMFS activities

C. Commonwealth, Territories, and

State activities

D. Archipelago Marine Research Ltd.

- digital monitoring

E. Digital Observer project

F. Report on Enforcement meeting

G. Status of Violations

7. VMS

A. NMFS status of VMS report

B. USCG request to use VMS for

targeting boardings

C. Report on VMS issues from the

Enforcement meeting

8. Hawaiian Monk Seals

A. Current population trends and

factors affecting monk seal populations

B. Recommendations of the Hawaiian

Monk Seal Recovery Team

C. Bottomfish/monk seal mitigation

measures

9. Precious Corals

A. Status of 1999 framework

amendment regarding new harvesting

requirements

B. Status of 2000 framework

adjustment regarding Hawaiian Islands

exploratory area quota increase