Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Threatened Listing Determination for the Sunflower Sea Star Under the Endangered Species Act; Public Hearings

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 Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Parts 223 and 226 [Docket No.230309-0070; RTID 0648-XC913] AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notification of public hearings. SUMMARY: We, NMFS, will hold two public hearings related to our March 16, 2023, proposed rule to list the sunflower sea star ( Pycnopodia helianthoides ) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). DATES: Written comments must be received by May 15, 2023. Both hearings are open to all interested parties and we encourage participation by members of the public wishing to provide oral comments. In-person public hearings will be held, convening at 4 p.m. and concluding no later than 7 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time (AKDT), on the following dates: May 2, 2023 (Kodiak, Alaska) and May 10, 2023 (Petersburg, Alaska). Teleconference will also be available (see ADDRESSES ). NMFS may close the hearings 15 minutes after the conclusion of public testimony and after responding to any clarifying questions from hearing participants about the proposed rule. Contact Sadie Wright (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT ) if you intend to join the public hearing after 5:30 p.m. so we can leave the public testimony portion open to accommodate you. ADDRESSES: The May 2 public hearing will be held in the Harbor Room of the Best Western Kodiak Inn at 236 Rezanof Drive, Kodiak, Alaska 99615. The May 10 public …