2023-05153. Foreign Endangered Species; Receipt of Permit Applications  

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    AGENCY:

    Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

    ACTION:

    Notice of receipt of permit applications; request for comments.

    SUMMARY:

    We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on applications to conduct certain activities with foreign species that are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such activities. The ESA also requires that we invite public comment before issuing permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the ESA with respect to any endangered species.

    DATES:

    We must receive comments by April 12, 2023.

    ADDRESSES:

    Obtaining Documents: The applications, application supporting materials, and any comments and other materials that we receive will be available for public inspection at https://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2023-0021.

    Submitting Comments: When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your comment. You may submit comments by one of the following methods:

    Internet: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for and submit comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2023-0021.

    U.S. mail: Public Comments Processing, Attn: Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2023-0021; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, MS: PRB/3W; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-3803.

    For more information, see Public Comment Procedures under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION .

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    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

    Brenda Tapia, by phone at 703-358-2185 or via email at DMAFR@fws.gov. Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services offered within their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.

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    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    I. Public Comment Procedures

    A. How do I comment on submitted applications?

    We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment on these applications. Before issuing any of the requested permits, we will take into consideration any information that we receive during the public comment period.

    You may submit your comments and materials by one of the methods in ADDRESSES . We will not consider comments sent by email or to an address not in ADDRESSES . We will not consider or include in our administrative record comments we receive after the close of the comment period (see DATES ).

    When submitting comments, please specify the name of the applicant and the permit number at the beginning of your comment. Provide sufficient information to allow us to authenticate any scientific or commercial data you include. The comments and recommendations that will be most useful and likely to influence agency decisions are: (1) Those supported by quantitative information or studies; and (2) those that include citations to, and analyses of, the applicable laws and regulations.

    B. May I review comments submitted by others?

    You may view and comment on others' public comments at https://www.regulations.gov unless our allowing so would violate the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) or Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).

    C. Who will see my comments?

    If you submit a comment at https://www.regulations.gov, your entire comment, including any personal identifying information, will be posted on the website. If you submit a hardcopy comment that includes personal identifying information, such as your address, phone number, or email address, you may request at the top of your document that we withhold this information from public review. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Moreover, all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be made available for public disclosure in their entirety.

    II. Background

    To help us carry out our conservation responsibilities for affected species, and in consideration of section 10(c) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), we invite public comments on permit applications before final action is taken. With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits certain activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such activities. Permits issued under section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA allow otherwise prohibited activities for scientific purposes or to enhance the propagation or survival of the affected species. Service regulations regarding prohibited activities with endangered species, captive-bred wildlife registrations, and permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the ESA with respect to any endangered species are available in title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations in part 17.

    III. Permit Applications

    We invite comments on the following applications.

    Applicant: Kimberly Ange-can Heugten, Ph.D., Raleigh, NC; Permit No. PER0070277

    The applicant requests authorization to import biological samples derived from wild and captive-born chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes) taken from the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Centre, Republic of the Congo, for the purpose of scientific research. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period. Start Printed Page 15453

    Applicant: Memphis Zoo, dba Memphis Zoological Society, Memphis, TN; Permit No. PER1642140

    The applicant requests a permit to re-export one live captive-bred female giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca), the carcass of one male giant panda, and biological samples derived from giant panda to Shanghai Zoo, Shanghai, China, for the purpose of enhancing the propagation or survival of the species. This notification is for a single re-export.

    Applicant: Russell B. Kimbrell, Mountain Home, TX; Permit No. PER0033070

    The applicant requests a captive-bred wildlife registration under 50 CFR 17.21(g) for Arabian oryx ( Oryx leucoryx) to enhance the propagation or survival of the species. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

    Applicant: Russell B. Kimbrell, Mountain Home, TX; Permit No. PER0025148

    On November 21, 2022, we published a Federal Register notice inviting the public to comment on an application for a permit to conduct certain activities with endangered species (87 FR 70860). We are reopening the comment period to allow the public the opportunity to review the documents that was submitted for an application for a permit authorizing the culling of Arabian oryx ( Oryx leucoryx) from the captive herd maintained at their facility, to enhance the species' propagation and survival. This notification covers activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period.

    Multiple Trophy Applicants

    The following applicants request permits to import sport-hunted trophies of male bontebok ( Damaliscus pygargus pygargus) culled from a captive herd maintained under the management program of the Republic of South Africa, for the purpose of enhancing the propagation or survival of the species.

    • Brent C. Oxley, Uvalde, TX; Permit No. PER0613031
    • Richard Prager, Greenwich, CT; Permit No. 93301C

    IV. Next Steps

    After the comment period closes, we will make decisions regarding permit issuance. If we issue permits to any of the applicants listed in this notice, we will publish a notice in the Federal Register . You may locate the notice announcing the permit issuance by searching https://www.regulations.gov for the permit number listed above in this document. For example, to find information about the potential issuance of Permit No. 12345A, you would go to regulations.gov and search for “12345A”.

    V. Authority

    We issue this notice under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and its implementing regulations.

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    Brenda Tapia,

    Supervisory Program Analyst/Data Administrator, Branch of Permits, Division of Management Authority.

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    [FR Doc. 2023-05153 Filed 3-10-23; 8:45 am]

    BILLING CODE 4333-15-P

Document Information

Published:
03/13/2023
Department:
Fish and Wildlife Service
Entry Type:
Notice
Action:
Notice of receipt of permit applications; request for comments.
Document Number:
2023-05153
Dates:
We must receive comments by April 12, 2023.
Pages:
15452-15453 (2 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Docket No. FWS-HQ-IA-2023-0021, FXIA16710900000-234-FF09A30000
PDF File:
2023-05153.pdf
Supporting Documents:
» Applicant: Memphis Zoo, dba Memphis Zoological Society, Memphis, TN; Permit No. PER1642140
» Applicant: Kimberly Ange-can Heugten, Ph.D., Raleigh, NC; Permit No. PER0070277
» Richard Prager, Greenwich, CT; Permit No. 93301C
» Applicant: Russell B. Kimbrell, Mountain Home, TX; Permit No. PER0033070
» Brent C. Oxley, Uvalde, TX; Permit No. PER0613031
» Applicant: Russell B. Kimbrell, Mountain Home, TX; Permit No. PER0025148