Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designations of Critical Habitat for Plant Species From the Island of Lanai, HI

AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Proposed rule; reopening of comment period, and public hearing announcement.

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) gives notice of a public hearing on the proposed critical habitat designations for 32 plants from the island of Lanai, Hawaii. In addition, the comment period which originally closed on May 3, 2002, will be reopened. The new comment period and hearing will allow all interested parties to submit oral or written comments on the proposal. We are seeking comments or suggestions from the public, other concerned agencies, the scientific community, industry, or any other interested parties concerning the proposed rule. Comments already submitted on the proposed rule need not be resubmitted as they will be fully considered in the final determination.

DATES:

The comment period for this proposal now closes on August 30, 2002. Any comments received by the closing date will be considered in the final decision on this proposal. The public hearing will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, August 1, 2002, on the island of Lanai, Hawaii. Prior to the public hearing, the Service will be available from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. to provide information and to answer questions. We will also be available for questions after the hearing.

ADDRESSES:

The public hearing will be held at the Lanai Public Library Meeting Room, Fraser Avenue, Lanai City, Hawaii. Comments and materials concerning this proposal should be sent to the Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands Office, 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 3-122, P.O. Box 50088, Honolulu, HI 96850. Comments and materials received will be available for public inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Paul Henson, at the above address (telephone 808/541-3441; facsimile 808/541-3470).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On March 4, 2002, we published a revised proposed critical habitat rule for 32 of the 37 plant species listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), known historically from the island of Lanai (67 FR 9806). The original comment period closed on May 3, 2002. The comment period now closes on August 30, 2002. Written comments should be submitted to us (see ADDRESSES section).

A total of 37 species historically found on Lanai were listed as endangered or threatened species under the Act between 1991 and 1999. Some of these species may also occur on other Hawaiian islands. Previously, we proposed that designation of critical habitat was prudent for 32 (Abutilon eremitopetalum, Adenophorus periens, Bidens micrantha ssp. kalealaha, Bonamia menziesii, Brighamia rockii, Cenchrus agrimonioides, Centaurium sebaeoides, Clermontia oblongifolia ssp. mauiensis, Ctenitis squamigera, Cyanea grimesiana ssp. grimesiana, Cyanea lobata, Cyanea macrostegia ssp. gibsonii, Cyperus trachysanthos, Cyrtandra munroi, Diellia erecta, Diplazium molokaiense, Gahnia lanaiensis, Hedyotis mannii, Hesperomannia arborescens, Hibiscus brackenridgei, Isodendrion pyrifolium, Mariscus fauriei, Neraudia sericea, Portulaca sclerocarpa, Sesbania tomentosa, Silene lanceolata, Solanum incompletum, Spermolepis hawaiiensis, Tetramolopium remyi, Vigna o-wahuensis, Viola lanaiensis, and Zanthoxylum hawaiiense) of the 37 species reported from the island of Lanai. No change is made to the 32 proposed prudency determinations in the March 4, 2002, revised proposed critical habitat rule for plants from Lanai. We previously proposed that designation of critical habitat was not prudent for Phyllostegia glabra var. lanaiensis because it had not been seen recently in the wild, and no viable genetic material of this species is known to exist (65 FR 82086). No change is made to this proposed prudency determination in the March 4, 2002, revised proposed critical habitat rule (67 FR 9806). In the March 4, 2002, revised proposed critical habitat rule, we proposed that designation of critical habitat is prudent for Tetramolopium lepidotum ssp. lepidotum, a species for which a prudency determination has not been made previously. We determined that designation of critical habitat was prudent for Hedyotis schlechtendahliana var. remyi, Labordia tinifolia var. lanaiensis, and Melicope munroi at the time of their listing in 1999.

We also propose designation of critical habitat for 32 (Abutilon eremitopetalum, Adenophorus periens, Bidens micrantha ssp. kalealaha, Bonamia menziesii, Brighamia rockii, Cenchrus agrimonioides, Centaurium sebaeoides, Clermontia oblongifolia ssp. mauiensis, Ctenitis squamigera, Cyanea grimesiana ssp. grimesiana, Cyanea lobata, Cyanea macrostegia ssp. gibsonii, Cyperus trachysanthos, Cyrtandra munroi, Diellia erecta, Diplazium molokaiense, Gahnia lanaiensis, Hedyotis mannii, Hedyotis schlechtendahliana var. remyi, Hesperomannia arborescens, Hibiscus brackenridgei, Isodendrion pyrifolium, Labordia tinifolia var. lanaiensis, Melicope munroi, Neraudia sericea, Portulaca sclerocarpa, Sesbania tomentosa, Solanum incompletum, Spermolepis hawaiiensis, Tetramolopium remyi, Vigna o-wahuensis, and Viola lanaiensis) plant species. Critical habitat is not proposed for four (Mariscus fauriei, Silene lanceolata, Tetramolopium lepidotum ssp. lepidotum, and Zanthoxylum hawaiiense) of the 37 species which no longer occur on the island of Lanai, and for which we are unable to identify any habitat that is essential to their conservation on the island of Lanai. Critical habitat is not proposed for Phyllostegia glabra var. lanaiensis for the reasons given above. Eight critical habitat units, totaling approximately 7,853 hectares (19,405 acres), are proposed for designation on the island of Lanai. For locations of these proposed units, please consult the proposed rule (67 FR 9806).

Section 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. In response to a request from a government agency of the State of Hawaii, we will hold a public hearing on the date and at the address described in the DATES and ADDRESSES sections above.

Anyone wishing to make an oral statement for the record is encouraged to provide a written copy of their statement and present it to us at the hearing. In the event there is a large attendance, the time allotted for oral statements may be limited. Oral and written statements receive equal consideration. There are no limits to the length of written comments presented at the hearing or mailed to us. Legal notices announcing the date, time, and location of the public hearing will be published in newspapers concurrently with the Federal Register notice.

Persons needing reasonable accommodations in order to attend and participate in the public hearing should contact Patti Carroll at 503/231-2080 as soon as possible. In order to allow sufficient time to process requests, please call no later than 1 week before the hearing date.

Information regarding this proposal is available in alternative formats upon request.

Comments from the public regarding this proposed rule are sought, especially regarding:

(1) The reasons why critical habitat for any of these species is prudent or not prudent as provided by section 4 of the Act and 50 CFR 424.12(a)(1);

(2) The reasons why any particular area should or should not be designated as critical habitat for any of these species, as critical habitat is defined by section 3 of the Act;

(3) Specific information on the amount, distribution, and quality of habitat for the 32 species, and what habitat is essential to the conservation of the species and why;

(4) Land use practices and current or planned activities in the subject areas, and their possible impacts on proposed critical habitat;

(5) Any economic or other impacts resulting from the proposed designations of critical habitat, including any impacts on small entities, energy development, low income households, and local governments;

(6) Economic and other potential values associated with designating critical habitat for the above plant species such as those derived from non-consumptive uses (e.g., hiking, camping, birding, enhanced watershed protection, increased soil retention, “existence values”, and reductions in administrative costs); and

(7) Information for use, under section 4(b)(2) of the Act, in determining if the benefits of excluding an area from critical habitat outweigh the benefits of specifying the area as critical habitat.

Reopening of the comment period will enable us to respond to the request for a public hearing on the proposed action. The comment period on this proposal now closes on August 30, 2002. Written comments should be submitted to the Service office listed in the ADDRESSES section.

Author

The primary author of this notice is Christa Russell (see ADDRESSES section).

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