Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Critical Habitat for Five Endangered and Two Threatened Mussels in Four Northeast Gulf of Mexico Drainages

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are reopening the comment period on our proposed designation of critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act) for seven southeastern U.S. mussels. On June 6, 2006, we published our original proposed rule to designate critical habitat for five endangered mussel species--fat threeridge, shinyrayed pocketbook, Gulf moccasinshell, Ochlockonee moccasinshell, and oval pigtoe--as well as two threatened species--Chipola slabshell and purple bankclimber (in this document, we refer to all seven species collectively as the seven mussels). We propose the following changes to our original proposed rule: (1) We are enlarging two previously proposed critical habitat units, and (2) we are adding one of the mussels to the list of species associated with one of our previously proposed units. We also have corrected inadvertent oversights in our original proposal. The draft economic analysis estimates potential future impacts associated with conservation efforts for the seven mussels in areas proposed for designation to be $42.7 million to $67.9 million over the next 20 years (undiscounted). The present value of these impacts is $33.0 million to $52.1 million, using a discount rate of three percent (2.21 million to 3.49 million annually), or $24.7 million to $38.8 million, using a discount rate of seven percent (2.31 million to 3.63 million annually). All dollar amounts include those costs coextensive with listing. We now announce public hearings and reopen the comment period to allow all interested parties an opportunity to comment simultaneously on the original proposed rule, the newly available associated draft economic analysis, and the changes to the original proposed rule included in this document. If you previously submitted comments, you need not resubmit them; they are already part of the public record that we will consider in preparing our final rule. With the inclusion of our newly proposed river lengths, our proposed critical habitat area totals 1,908.5 river kilometers (river km) (1,185.9 river miles (river mi)). Aside from the amendments we describe in this document, our original proposed rule of June 6, 2006, stands.