Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Extension of Comment Period and Public Hearings on Proposed Designation of Critical Habitat for the Louisiana Black Bear

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1018-AB97

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Extension of

Comment Period and Public Hearings on Proposed Designation of Critical

Habitat for the Louisiana Black Bear

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; public hearings and extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) gives notice that two

public hearings will be held on the proposed designation of critical

habitat for the Louisiana black bear, Ursus americanus luteolus. The

Louisiana black bear occupies the Tensas and Atchafalaya River basins

with possible remnant numbers in the lower Mississippi River Delta and

the bluffs south of Vicksburg, Mississippi. The proposed critical

habitat areas are limited to forests within the Tensas and Atchafalaya

River basins and south of U.S. Highway 90, west from the lower

Atchafalaya River along the coastline to the Vermillion Parish line,

north to Highway 14, thence east to U.S. Highway 90. These hearings

will allow additional comments on this proposal to be submitted from

all interested parties.

DATES: The comment period on the proposal is extended through May 25,

1994. The public hearings will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. on May 10,

1994, in West Monroe, Louisiana; and from 6 to 10 p.m. on May 11, 1994,

in New Iberia, Louisiana.

ADDRESSES: The May 10th hearing will be held at the West Monroe

Convention Center, 901 Ridge Avenue, West Monroe, Louisiana; and the

May 11th hearing will be held in the auditorium of the New Iberia

Senior High School, 1301 E. Admiral Doyle Drive, New Iberia, Louisiana.

Written comments and materials should be sent to the Field Supervisor,

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6578 Dogwood View Parkway, suite A,

Jackson, Mississippi 39213. Comments and materials received will be

available for public inspection, by appointment, during normal business

hours at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wendell A. Neal at the above address

(601/965-4900).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Endangered Species Act requires the Service to designate

critical habitat to the maximum extent prudent and determinable

concurrently with listing a species. Although the Service found that

designation of critical habitat was not prudent in the proposed rule of

June 21, 1990 (55 FR 25341) for listing the Louisiana black bear as

threatened, in the final rule listing the Louisiana black bear as

threatened, published on January 7, 1992 (57 FR 588), the Service

changed its earlier finding to indicate that designation of critical

habitat may be prudent, but that it was not then determinable. A

proposal to designate three areas as critical habitat was published in

the Federal Register on December 2, 1993 (58 FR 63560). The actual

critical habitat within these areas is limited to forestland.

Section 4(b)(5)(E) of the Endangered Species Act requires that a

public hearing be held on proposed designation of critical habitat if

requested within 45 days of the proposal's publication in the Federal

Register. Public hearing requests were received during the allotted

time period from Robert Lamar Boese, the Honorable Bill Tauzin, Pietro

L. Pipari, and Henry Stickler. An earlier public hearing was scheduled

for March 23, 1994, and announced in the Federal Register on March 7,

1994 (59 FR 10607). The comment period was reopened until April 4,

1994. The hearing scheduled for March 23rd was canceled and has been

rescheduled, and a second hearing scheduled in West Monroe as the

result of a request from the Louisiana Congressional Delegation.

Anyone expecting to make an oral presentation at these hearings is

encouraged to provide a written copy of their statement to the hearing

officer prior to the start of the hearing. In the event there is a

large attendance, the time allotted for oral statements may have to be

limited. Oral and written statements receive equal consideration. There

are no limits to the length of written comments presented at these

hearings or mailed to the Service.

The previous hearing notice reopened the comment period until April

4, 1994. In order to accommodate the presently scheduled public

hearings, the Service extends the public comment period. Written

comments may now be submitted through May 25, 1994, to the office in

the ADDRESSES section.

Author

The primary author of this notice is Wendell A. Neal (See ADDRESSES

section).

Authority: The authority for this action is the Endangered

Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531-1544).

Dated: March 25, 1994.

James W. Pulliam, Jr.,

Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 94-7790 Filed 3-31-94; 8:45 am]

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