SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), invite review and comment from the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies on applications we have received for permits to conduct certain activities with endangered and threatened species under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and our regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR part 17. Documents and other information submitted with the applications are available for review, subject to the requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 U.S.C. 552a), and the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).

Background

With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits take of listed species unless a Federal permit is issued that authorizes such take. The definition of “take” in the ESA includes hunting, shooting, harming, wounding, or killing, and also such activities as pursuing, harassing, ( printed page 2364) trapping, capturing, or collecting, or attempting to engage in any such conduct.

A recovery permit issued by us under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA authorizes the permittee to take endangered or threatened species while engaging in activities that are conducted for scientific purposes that promote recovery of species or for enhancement of propagation or survival of species. These activities often include the capture and collection of species, which would result in prohibited take if a permit were not issued. Our regulations implementing section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA for these permits are found at 50 CFR 17.22 for endangered wildlife species, 50 CFR 17.32 for threatened wildlife species, 50 CFR 17.62 for endangered plant species, and 50 CFR 17.72 for threatened plant species.

Permit Applications Available for Review and Comment

The ESA requires that we invite public comment before issuing these permits. Accordingly, we invite local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies, and the public to submit written data, views, or arguments with respect to these applications. The comments and recommendations that will be most useful and likely to influence agency decisions are those supported by quantitative information or studies. Proposed activities in the following permit requests are for the recovery and enhancement of propagation or survival of the species in the wild.

Public Availability of Comments

All written comments that are received during the comment period become part of the administrative record associated with this notice. If including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, be aware that the comment, including personal identifying information, may be available to the public. While you may request to withhold personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee privacy of the information. All comments will be made available for public disclosure in their entirety from organizations or businesses, including individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of such organizations or businesses.

Next Steps

After the comment period closes, we will make a decision regarding the status of permit issuance for each application. If we issue permits to any of the applicants listed above in this notice, we will publish a subsequent notice in the Federal Register . The notice announcing the permit issuance may be located by searching https://www.regulations.gov for the permit application number listed in the table above.

An interested party opposed to a recovery permit's issuance may object by following the requirements in 50 CFR 17.22(d). The Service will notify the interested party of the Service's decision for the permit application under that section.

Authority

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, publish this notice under section 10(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

91 FR 2363