[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 8 (Tuesday, January 13, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 1618-1619]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-00368]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

50 CFR Part 226

RIN 0648-BC56


Endangered and Threatened Species; Proposed Designation of 
Critical Habitat for the Arctic Ringed Seal; Public Hearings

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public hearings.

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SUMMARY: We, NMFS, announce the specific dates and locations for four 
public hearings in Alaska, one each in Nome, Anchorage, Kotzebue, and 
Barrow, on our proposed rule to designate critical habitat for the 
threatened Arctic subspecies (Phoca hispida hispida) of the ringed seal 
(Phoca hispida) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which published 
in the Federal Register on December 9, 2014. We also announce that a 
hearing will be held in Bethel, AK.

DATES: Written comments on the proposed rule must be received by March 
9, 2015. For specific dates of the public hearings, see SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: Five public hearings will be held in Alaska, one each in 
Nome, Anchorage, Kotzebue, Barrow, and Bethel: For specific locations 
of these hearings, see SUPPLMENTARY INFORMATION.
    You may submit written comments on the proposed rule, identified by 
NOAA-NMFS-2013-0114, by any one of the following methods:
    <bullet> Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public 
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2013-0114, click the 
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields, and enter or 
attach your comments.
    <bullet> Mail: Address written comments to Jon Kurland, Assistant 
Regional Administrator for Protected Resources, Alaska Region NMFS, 
Attn: Ellen Sebastian. Mail comments to P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 
99802-1668.
    Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
may not be considered by NMFS. All comments received are a part of the 
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on http://www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying 
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business 
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily 
by the sender will be publicly accessible. NMFS will accept anonymous 
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain 
anonymous). Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in 
Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF file formats only.
    Electronic copies of the proposed rule, list of references and 
supporting documents, and the draft economic report (i.e., Regulatory 
Impact Review (RIR)/4(b)(2) Preparatory Assessment/Initial Regulatory 
Flexibility Act (IRFA) report) prepared for this action are available 
from http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NMFS-2013-0114 or 
from the NMFS Alaska Region Web site at http://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tamara Olson, NMFS Alaska Region, 
(907) 271-2373; Jon Kurland, NMFS Alaska Region, (907) 586-7638; or 
Marta

[[Page 1619]]

Nammack, NMFS Office of Protected Resources, (301) 427-8469.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    On December 9, 2014, we published a proposed rule to designate 
critical habitat for the threatened Arctic ringed seal under the ESA 
(79 FR 73010). At that time, we opened a public comment period on the 
proposed rule through March 9, 2015, and announced that four public 
hearings will be held on the proposed rule in Alaska, one each in 
Anchorage, Barrow, Kotzebue, and Nome. In this notice, we announce the 
specific dates and locations for these four public hearings (see Public 
Hearing Schedule). We also announce that a fifth public hearing will be 
held in Bethel, AK.

Public Hearings

    During each public hearing, a brief opening presentation on the 
proposed rule will be provided before accepting public testimony. 
Written comments may be submitted at the hearing or via the Federal e-
Rulemaking Portal (see ADDRESSES) until the scheduled close of the 
comment period on March 9, 2015. In the event that attendance at the 
public hearings is large, the time allotted for oral statements may be 
limited. Oral and written statements receive equal consideration. There 
are no limits on the length of written comments submitted to us.

Public Hearing Schedule

    The specific date and location for the hearing in Bethel, AK, will 
be announced in a subsequent Federal Register notice. The dates and 
locations for the other four hearings are as follows:
    1. Nome: January 28, 2015, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Old St. Joe's, 
407 Bering Street, Nome, AK.
    2. Anchorage: February 2, 2015, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Z. J. 
Loussac Public Library, Wilda Marston Theatre, 3600 Denali Street, 
Anchorage, AK.
    3. Kotzebue: February 17, 2015, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Northwest 
Arctic Borough Assembly Chambers, 163 Lagoon Street, Kotzebue, AK.
    4. Barrow: February 23, 2015, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., at the 
I[ntilde]upiat Heritage Center, 5421 North Star Street, Barrow, AK.

Special Accommodations

    These hearings are physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
accommodations should be directed to Tamara Olson (see ADDRESSES) as 
soon as possible, but no later than 7 business days prior to the 
hearing date.

    Authority:  16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.

    Dated: January 7, 2015.
Donna S. Wieting,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-00368 Filed 1-12-15; 8:45 am]
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