Interior Department, Fish and Wildlife Service
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose the designation of critical habitat pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), for the Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) (owl). The owl inhabits canyon and montane forest habitats across a range that extends from southern Utah and Colorado, through Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas, to the mountains of central Mexico. We propose to designate approximately 5.5 million hectares (ha) (13.5 million acres (ac)) of critical habitat in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, mostly on federal lands. If this proposed rule is finalized, section 7(a)(2) of the Act would require that Federal agencies ensure that actions they fund, authorize, or carry out are not likely to result in the "destruction or adverse modification" of critical habitat. Section 4 of the Act requires us to consider economic and other relevant impacts of specifying any particular area as critical habitat. We request data and comments from the public and all interested parties on all aspects of this proposal, including data on economic and other impacts of the designation. A draft analysis of the economic and other relevant impacts of this proposal that will be available for review and comments on during the public comment period for this proposal. We will announce the availability of this analysis in a future Federal Register notice and local newspapers. We also have prepared a draft environmental assessment for this proposal and are accepting public comments on the draft document.
Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 RIN 1018-AG29 AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Proposed rule; availability of supplementary information. SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose the designation of critical habitat pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), for the Mexican spotted owl ( Strix occidentalis lucida ) (owl). The owl inhabits canyon and montane forest habitats across a range that extends from southern Utah and Colorado, through Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas, to the mountains of central Mexico. We propose to designate approximately 5.5 million hectares (ha) (13.5 million acres (ac)) of critical habitat in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, mostly on federal lands. If this proposed rule is finalized, section 7(a)(2) of the Act would require that Federal agencies ensure that actions they fund, authorize, or carry out are not likely to result in the “destruction or adverse modification” of critical habitat. Section 4 of the Act requires us to consider economic and other relevant impacts of specifying any particular area as critical habitat. We request data and comments from the public and all interested parties on all aspects of this proposal, including data on economic and other impacts of the designation. A draft analysis of the economic and other relevant impacts of this proposal that will be available for review and comments on during the…
Citation: 65 FR 45336
