Request for Information and Recommendations on Resolutions, Decisions, and Agenda Items for Consideration at the Sixteenth Regular Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, 68778-68780 [2011-28735]
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68778
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 215 / Monday, November 7, 2011 / Notices
industry exploration activities in the
Chukchi Sea and adjacent western coast
of Alaska. The rule established subpart
I of 50 CFR part 18 and is effective until
June 11, 2013. The rule prescribed a
process under which we issue LOAs to
applicants conducting activities as
On June 11, 2008, we published in the
Federal Register a final rule (73 FR
33212) establishing regulations that
allow us to authorize the nonlethal,
incidental, unintentional take of small
numbers of polar bears and Pacific
walrus during year-round oil and gas
described under the provisions of the
regulations. In accordance with section
101(a)(5)(A) of the MMPA and our
regulations at 50 CFR 18, subpart I, we
issued an LOA to the following
companies in the Chukchi Sea:
CHUKCHI SEA LETTERS OF AUTHORIZATION
Company
Activity
Shell Offshore, Inc .....................
Shell Offshore, Inc .....................
Exploration ............
Exploration ............
Shell Offshore, Inc .....................
Statoil USA E&P, Inc .................
Exploration ............
Exploration ............
Dated: October 5, 2011.
E. LaVerne Smith,
Acting Regional Director, Alaska Region.
[FR Doc. 2011–28739 Filed 11–4–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R9–IA–2011–0087; 96300–1671–0000
FY12–R4]
Request for Information and
Recommendations on Resolutions,
Decisions, and Agenda Items for
Consideration at the Sixteenth Regular
Meeting of the Conference of the
Parties to the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
To implement the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES
or the Convention), the Parties to the
Convention meet periodically to review
what species in international trade
should be regulated and other aspects of
the implementation of CITES. The
sixteenth regular meeting of the
Conference of the Parties to CITES
(CoP16) is tentatively scheduled to be
held in March 2013 in Thailand. This is
our second in a series of Federal
Register notices that, together with an
announced public meeting, provide you
with an opportunity to participate in the
development of the U.S. negotiating
positions for CoP16. We published our
first CoP16-related Federal Register
notice on June 14, 2011, in which we
requested information and
recommendations on species proposals
for the United States to consider
submitting for consideration at CoP16.
Further input from the public on species
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
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Project
Chukchi Sea
Chukchi Sea
line Study.
Chukchi Sea
Chukchi Sea
Ice Observation Flights Program ............................
Coastal Marine and Onshore Environmental Base-
January 10, 2011.
May 15, 2011.
Baseline Environmental Studies Program ..............
Shallow Hazards Survey Project ............................
July 29, 2011.
June 20, 2011.
proposals will be sought in a future
notice. With this notice we are soliciting
and invite you to provide us with
information and recommendations on
resolutions, decisions, and agenda items
that the United States might consider
submitting for discussion at CoP16. In
addition, with this notice we provide
preliminary information on how to
request approved observer status for
nongovernmental organizations that
wish to attend the meeting.
DATES: We will consider all information
and comments we receive on or before
January 6, 2012.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
pertaining to recommendations for
resolutions, decisions, and agenda items
for discussion at CoP16 by one of the
following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments
on Docket No. FWS–R9–IA–2011–0087.
• U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public
Comments Processing, Attn: FWS–R9–
IA–2011–0087; Division of Policy and
Directives Management; U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive,
MS 2042–PDM; Arlington, VA 22203.
We will not consider comments sent
by email or fax or to an address not
listed in the ADDRESSES section. We will
post all comments on https://
www.regulations.gov. This generally
means that we will post any personal
information you provide us. If you
submit a comment via https://
www.regulations.gov, your entire
comment—including any personal
identifying information—will be posted
on the Web site. If you submit a
hardcopy comment that includes
personal identifying information, 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.
We will post all hardcopy comments on
https://www.regulations.gov.
PO 00000
Frm 00062
Date issued
Fmt 4703
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Comments and materials we receive
in response to this notice will be
available for public inspection on
https://www.regulations.gov, or by
appointment, between 8 a.m. and
4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays, at the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Division of
Management Authority, 4401 N. Fairfax
Drive, Room 212, Arlington, VA 22203;
telephone (703) 358–1908.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
information pertaining to resolutions,
decisions, and agenda items contact:
Robert R. Gabel, Chief, Division of
Management Authority, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive,
Room 212, Arlington, VA 22203;
telephone (703) 358–2095; facsimile
(703) 358–2298. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD), call the Federal Information
Relay Service (FIRS) at (800) 877–8339.
For information pertaining to species
proposals contact: Rosemarie Gnam,
Chief, Division of Scientific Authority,
phone (703) 358–1708, fax (703) 358–
2276, email:
scientificauthority@fws.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora, hereinafter referred to
as CITES or the Convention, is an
international treaty designed to regulate
international trade in certain animal and
plant species that are now, or
potentially may become, threatened
with extinction. These species are listed
in the Appendices to CITES, which are
available on the CITES Secretariat’s Web
site at https://www.cites.org/eng/app/
index.shtml.
Currently, 175 countries, including
the United States, are Parties to CITES.
The Convention calls for regular
biennial meetings of the Conference of
the Parties, unless the Conference
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mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
decides otherwise. At these meetings,
the Parties review the implementation
of CITES, make provisions enabling the
CITES Secretariat in Switzerland to
carry out its functions, consider
amendments to the list of species in
Appendices I and II, consider reports
presented by the Secretariat, and make
recommendations for the improved
effectiveness of CITES. Any country that
is a Party to CITES may propose
amendments to Appendices I and II,
resolutions, decisions, and agenda items
for consideration by all the Parties at the
meeting.
This is our second in a series of
Federal Register notices that, together
with an announced public meeting,
provide you with an opportunity to
participate in the development of the
U.S. submissions to and negotiating
positions for the sixteenth regular
meeting of the Conference of the Parties
to CITES (CoP16). We published our
first CoP16-related Federal Register
notice on June 14, 2011 (76 FR 34746),
in which we requested information and
recommendations on species proposals
for the United States to consider
submitting for consideration at CoP16.
With today’s notice, we had intended to
announce tentative species proposals
that the United States is considering
submitting for CoP16 and solicit further
information and comments on them.
However, we have not completed our
assessment of the information received
in response to our request for
information and recommendations on
species proposals for the United States
to consider submitting for consideration
at CoP16. We intend to announce
tentative species proposals that the
United States is considering submitting
for CoP16 and solicit further
information and comments on them
when we publish our next CoP16related Federal Register notice. You
may obtain information on species
proposals by contacting the Division of
Scientific Authority at the telephone
number or email address provided in
‘‘FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT’’
above. Our regulations governing this
public process are found in title 50 of
the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at
23.87.
CoP16 is tentatively scheduled to be
held in Thailand in March 2013.
U.S. Approach for CoP16
We published our first CoP16-related
Federal Register notice on June 14, 2011
(76 FR 34746) and described our
approach for species proposals for the
United States to consider submitting at
CoP16. Priorities for U.S. submissions to
CoP16 continue to be consistent with
the overall objective of U.S.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:50 Nov 04, 2011
Jkt 226001
participation in the Convention: To
maximize the effectiveness of the
Convention in the conservation and
sustainable use of species subject to
international trade. With this in mind,
we plan to consider the following
factors when considering
recommendations for resolutions,
decisions, and agenda items for
discussion at CoP16:
(1) Does the proposed action address
difficulties in implementing or
interpreting the Convention by the
United States as an importing or
exporting country, and would the
proposed action contribute to the
effective implementation of the
Convention by all Parties? Differences in
interpretation of the Convention by 175
Party nations can result in
inconsistencies in the way it is
implemented. In addition, wildlife trade
is dynamic and ever-changing, thus
presenting problems when established
procedures are not readily applicable to
new situations. The United States
experiences some of these problems and
inconsistencies directly through its own
imports and exports, but we also learn
of these difficulties through our
participation in various fora, such as the
CITES Standing Committee and
technical committees, and through
discussions with other countries,
nongovernmental organizations, and the
CITES Secretariat. When the United
States cannot resolve these difficulties
unilaterally or through bilateral
discussions with trading partners, we
may propose resolutions or decisions,
usually in collaboration with other
Parties, or have these topics included in
the agenda of the meeting of the
Conference of the Parties for discussion
by all of the Parties.
(2) Does the proposed action improve
implementation of the Convention by
increasing the quality of information
and expertise used to support decisions
by the Parties? With increased
complexity, sophistication, and
specialization in the biological sciences
and other disciplines, it is critical that
the CITES Parties have the best available
information upon which to base
decisions that affect the conservation of
wildlife resources. Where appropriate,
the United States will recommend
actions to ensure the availability of upto-date and accurate information to the
Parties, including through the
establishment of relationships with
relevant international bodies, including
other conventions, interjurisdictional
resource management agencies, and
international nongovernmental
organizations with relevant expertise.
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68779
Request for Information and
Recommendations on Resolutions,
Decisions, and Agenda Items
Although we have not yet received
formal notice of the provisional agenda
for CoP16, we invite your input on
possible agenda items that the United
States could recommend for inclusion,
or on possible resolutions and decisions
of the Conference of the Parties that the
United States could submit for
consideration. Copies of the agenda and
the results of the last meeting of the
Conference of the Parties (CoP15) in
Doha, Qatar, in March 2010, as well as
copies of all resolutions and decisions
of the Conference of the Parties
currently in effect, are available on the
CITES Secretariat’s Web site (https://
www.cites.org/) or from the Division of
Management Authority at the above
address.
Observers
Article XI, paragraph 7 of CITES
provides: ‘‘Any body or agency
technically qualified in protection,
conservation or management of wild
fauna and flora, in the following
categories, which has informed the
Secretariat of its desire to be represented
at meetings of the Conference by
observers, shall be admitted unless at
least one-third of the Parties present
object:
(a) International agencies or bodies,
either governmental or
nongovernmental, and national
governmental agencies and bodies; and
(b) National nongovernmental
agencies or bodies which have been
approved or this purpose by the State in
which they are located.
Once admitted, these observers shall
have the right to participate but not to
vote.’’
National agencies or organizations
within the United States must obtain
our approval to participate in CoP16,
whereas international agencies or
organizations must obtain approval
directly from the CITES Secretariat. We
will publish information in a future
Federal Register notice on how to
request approved observer status. A
factsheet on the process is posted on our
Web site at: https://www.fws.gov/
international/pdf/ob.pdf.
Future Actions
As stated above, the next regular
meeting of the Conference of the Parties
(CoP16) is tentatively scheduled to be
held in Thailand in March 2013. The
United States must submit any
proposals to amend Appendix I or II, or
any draft resolutions, decisions, or
agenda items for discussion at CoP16, to
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 215 / Monday, November 7, 2011 / Notices
the CITES Secretariat 150 days
(tentatively early October 2012) prior to
the start of the meeting. In order to meet
this deadline and to prepare for CoP16,
we have developed a tentative U.S.
schedule. When we publish our next
CoP16-related Federal Register notice,
we intend to announce tentative species
proposals that the United States is
considering submitting for CoP16 and
solicit further information and
comments on them. Following
publication of that Federal Register
notice and approximately 9 months
prior to CoP16, we plan to publish a
Federal Register notice announcing
draft resolutions, draft decisions, and
agenda items to be submitted by the
United States at CoP16, and to solicit
further information and comments on
them. Approximately 4 months prior to
CoP16, we will post on our Web site an
announcement of the species proposals,
draft resolutions, draft decisions, and
agenda items submitted by the United
States to the CITES Secretariat for
consideration at CoP16.
Through a series of additional notices
and Web site postings in advance of
CoP16, we will inform you about
preliminary negotiating positions on
resolutions, decisions, and amendments
to the Appendices proposed by other
Parties for consideration at CoP16, and
about how to obtain observer status
from us. We will also publish an
announcement of a public meeting
tentatively to be held approximately
3 months prior to CoP16; that meeting
will enable us to receive public input on
our positions regarding CoP16 issues.
The procedures for developing U.S.
documents and negotiating positions for
a meeting of the Conference of the
Parties to CITES are outlined in 50 CFR
23.87. As noted in paragraph (c) of that
section, we may modify or suspend the
procedures outlined there if they would
interfere with the timely or appropriate
development of documents for
submission to the CoP and of U.S.
negotiating positions.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Author
The primary author of this notice is
Clifton A. Horton, Division of
Management Authority, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.
Authority
The authority for this action is the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:50 Nov 04, 2011
Jkt 226001
Dated: October 19, 2011.
Hannibal Bolton,
Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
[FR Doc. 2011–28735 Filed 11–4–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLWO320000 L13100000 PP0000
LXSIOSHL0000]
Renewal of Approved Information
Collection, OMB Control Number 1004–
0201
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: 30-Day notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
The Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) has submitted an
information collection request to the
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for a 3-year renewal of OMB
control number 1004–0201, which
pertains to management of oil shale on
public lands.
DATES: The OMB is required to respond
to this information collection request
within 60 days but may respond after 30
days. Therefore, written comments
should be received on or before
December 7, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Please submit comments
directly to the Desk Officer for the
Department of the Interior (OMB #1004–
0201), Office of Management and
Budget, Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, fax (202) 395–5806,
or by electronic mail at
oira_docket@omb.eop.gov. Please
provide a copy of your comments to the
BLM. You may do so via mail, fax, or
electronic mail.
Mail: U.S. Department of the Interior,
Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C
Street NW., Room 2134LM, Attention:
Jean Sonneman, Washington, DC 20240.
Fax: Jean Sonneman at fax number
(202) 245–0050.
Electronic mail:
jean_sonneman@blm.gov.
SUMMARY:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mavis Love at (307) 775–6258. Persons
who use a telecommunication device for
the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service at 1–(800)
877–8339, to contact Ms. Love. You may
also review the information collection
request online at https://
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.
3501–3521) and OMB regulations at 5
PO 00000
Frm 00064
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
CFR part 1320 provide that an agency
may not conduct or sponsor a collection
of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number.
Until OMB approves a collection of
information, you are not obligated to
respond. 44 U.S.C. 3506 and 3507. In
order to obtain or renew an OMB
control number, Federal agencies are
required to seek public comment on
information collection and
recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR
1320.8(d) and 1320.12(a)).
As required at 5 CFR 1320.8(d), the
BLM published a 60-day notice in the
Federal Register on July 26, 2011 (76 FR
44600), soliciting comments from the
public and other interested parties. The
comment period closed on September
26, 2011. The BLM received no
comments. The BLM now requests
comments on the following subjects:
1. Whether the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
functioning of the BLM, including
whether the information will have
practical utility;
2. The accuracy of the BLM’s estimate
of the burden of collecting the
information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
3. The quality, utility and clarity of
the information to be collected; and
4. How to minimize the information
collection burden on those who are to
respond, including the use of
appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other forms of
information technology.
Please send comments as directed
under ADDRESSES and DATES. Please
refer to OMB control number 1004–0201
in your correspondence. Before
including your address, phone number,
email address, or other personal
identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment—including your
personal identifying information—may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
The following information is provided
for the information collection:
Title: Oil Shale Management (43 CFR
Parts 3900, 3910, 3920, and 3930).
Form: Under 43 CFR 3904.12, bonds
must be filed on an approved BLM form.
However, the BLM has not yet
developed the form.
OMB Control Number: 1004–0201.
Abstract: Section 369 of the Energy
Policy Act (codified at 42 U.S.C. 15927
and amendments to 30 U.S.C. 241)
authorizes the BLM to collect
information from applicants for oil shale
E:\FR\FM\07NON1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 215 (Monday, November 7, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68778-68780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-28735]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R9-IA-2011-0087; 96300-1671-0000 FY12-R4]
Request for Information and Recommendations on Resolutions,
Decisions, and Agenda Items for Consideration at the Sixteenth Regular
Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: To implement the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES or the Convention),
the Parties to the Convention meet periodically to review what species
in international trade should be regulated and other aspects of the
implementation of CITES. The sixteenth regular meeting of the
Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP16) is tentatively scheduled to
be held in March 2013 in Thailand. This is our second in a series of
Federal Register notices that, together with an announced public
meeting, provide you with an opportunity to participate in the
development of the U.S. negotiating positions for CoP16. We published
our first CoP16-related Federal Register notice on June 14, 2011, in
which we requested information and recommendations on species proposals
for the United States to consider submitting for consideration at
CoP16. Further input from the public on species proposals will be
sought in a future notice. With this notice we are soliciting and
invite you to provide us with information and recommendations on
resolutions, decisions, and agenda items that the United States might
consider submitting for discussion at CoP16. In addition, with this
notice we provide preliminary information on how to request approved
observer status for nongovernmental organizations that wish to attend
the meeting.
DATES: We will consider all information and comments we receive on or
before January 6, 2012.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments pertaining to recommendations for
resolutions, decisions, and agenda items for discussion at CoP16 by one
of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments on Docket No. FWS-R9-
IA-2011-0087.
U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing,
Attn: FWS-R9-IA-2011-0087; Division of Policy and Directives
Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS
2042-PDM; Arlington, VA 22203.
We will not consider comments sent by email or fax or to an address
not listed in the ADDRESSES section. We will post all comments on
https://www.regulations.gov. This generally means that we will post any
personal information you provide us. If you submit a comment via https://www.regulations.gov, your entire comment--including any personal
identifying information--will be posted on the Web site. If you submit
a hardcopy comment that includes personal identifying information, 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. We will post all hardcopy comments on https://www.regulations.gov.
Comments and materials we receive in response to this notice will
be available for public inspection on https://www.regulations.gov, or by
appointment, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays, at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of
Management Authority, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 212, Arlington, VA
22203; telephone (703) 358-1908.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information pertaining to
resolutions, decisions, and agenda items contact: Robert R. Gabel,
Chief, Division of Management Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 212, Arlington, VA 22203;
telephone (703) 358-2095; facsimile (703) 358-2298. If you use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at (800) 877-8339. For information
pertaining to species proposals contact: Rosemarie Gnam, Chief,
Division of Scientific Authority, phone (703) 358-1708, fax (703) 358-
2276, email: scientificauthority@fws.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora, hereinafter referred to as CITES or the Convention, is
an international treaty designed to regulate international trade in
certain animal and plant species that are now, or potentially may
become, threatened with extinction. These species are listed in the
Appendices to CITES, which are available on the CITES Secretariat's Web
site at https://www.cites.org/eng/app/index.shtml.
Currently, 175 countries, including the United States, are Parties
to CITES. The Convention calls for regular biennial meetings of the
Conference of the Parties, unless the Conference
[[Page 68779]]
decides otherwise. At these meetings, the Parties review the
implementation of CITES, make provisions enabling the CITES Secretariat
in Switzerland to carry out its functions, consider amendments to the
list of species in Appendices I and II, consider reports presented by
the Secretariat, and make recommendations for the improved
effectiveness of CITES. Any country that is a Party to CITES may
propose amendments to Appendices I and II, resolutions, decisions, and
agenda items for consideration by all the Parties at the meeting.
This is our second in a series of Federal Register notices that,
together with an announced public meeting, provide you with an
opportunity to participate in the development of the U.S. submissions
to and negotiating positions for the sixteenth regular meeting of the
Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP16). We published our first
CoP16-related Federal Register notice on June 14, 2011 (76 FR 34746),
in which we requested information and recommendations on species
proposals for the United States to consider submitting for
consideration at CoP16. With today's notice, we had intended to
announce tentative species proposals that the United States is
considering submitting for CoP16 and solicit further information and
comments on them. However, we have not completed our assessment of the
information received in response to our request for information and
recommendations on species proposals for the United States to consider
submitting for consideration at CoP16. We intend to announce tentative
species proposals that the United States is considering submitting for
CoP16 and solicit further information and comments on them when we
publish our next CoP16-related Federal Register notice. You may obtain
information on species proposals by contacting the Division of
Scientific Authority at the telephone number or email address provided
in ``FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT'' above. Our regulations governing
this public process are found in title 50 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) at 23.87.
CoP16 is tentatively scheduled to be held in Thailand in March
2013.
U.S. Approach for CoP16
We published our first CoP16-related Federal Register notice on
June 14, 2011 (76 FR 34746) and described our approach for species
proposals for the United States to consider submitting at CoP16.
Priorities for U.S. submissions to CoP16 continue to be consistent with
the overall objective of U.S. participation in the Convention: To
maximize the effectiveness of the Convention in the conservation and
sustainable use of species subject to international trade. With this in
mind, we plan to consider the following factors when considering
recommendations for resolutions, decisions, and agenda items for
discussion at CoP16:
(1) Does the proposed action address difficulties in implementing
or interpreting the Convention by the United States as an importing or
exporting country, and would the proposed action contribute to the
effective implementation of the Convention by all Parties? Differences
in interpretation of the Convention by 175 Party nations can result in
inconsistencies in the way it is implemented. In addition, wildlife
trade is dynamic and ever-changing, thus presenting problems when
established procedures are not readily applicable to new situations.
The United States experiences some of these problems and
inconsistencies directly through its own imports and exports, but we
also learn of these difficulties through our participation in various
fora, such as the CITES Standing Committee and technical committees,
and through discussions with other countries, nongovernmental
organizations, and the CITES Secretariat. When the United States cannot
resolve these difficulties unilaterally or through bilateral
discussions with trading partners, we may propose resolutions or
decisions, usually in collaboration with other Parties, or have these
topics included in the agenda of the meeting of the Conference of the
Parties for discussion by all of the Parties.
(2) Does the proposed action improve implementation of the
Convention by increasing the quality of information and expertise used
to support decisions by the Parties? With increased complexity,
sophistication, and specialization in the biological sciences and other
disciplines, it is critical that the CITES Parties have the best
available information upon which to base decisions that affect the
conservation of wildlife resources. Where appropriate, the United
States will recommend actions to ensure the availability of up-to-date
and accurate information to the Parties, including through the
establishment of relationships with relevant international bodies,
including other conventions, interjurisdictional resource management
agencies, and international nongovernmental organizations with relevant
expertise.
Request for Information and Recommendations on Resolutions, Decisions,
and Agenda Items
Although we have not yet received formal notice of the provisional
agenda for CoP16, we invite your input on possible agenda items that
the United States could recommend for inclusion, or on possible
resolutions and decisions of the Conference of the Parties that the
United States could submit for consideration. Copies of the agenda and
the results of the last meeting of the Conference of the Parties
(CoP15) in Doha, Qatar, in March 2010, as well as copies of all
resolutions and decisions of the Conference of the Parties currently in
effect, are available on the CITES Secretariat's Web site (https://www.cites.org/) or from the Division of Management Authority at the
above address.
Observers
Article XI, paragraph 7 of CITES provides: ``Any body or agency
technically qualified in protection, conservation or management of wild
fauna and flora, in the following categories, which has informed the
Secretariat of its desire to be represented at meetings of the
Conference by observers, shall be admitted unless at least one-third of
the Parties present object:
(a) International agencies or bodies, either governmental or
nongovernmental, and national governmental agencies and bodies; and
(b) National nongovernmental agencies or bodies which have been
approved or this purpose by the State in which they are located.
Once admitted, these observers shall have the right to participate but
not to vote.''
National agencies or organizations within the United States must
obtain our approval to participate in CoP16, whereas international
agencies or organizations must obtain approval directly from the CITES
Secretariat. We will publish information in a future Federal Register
notice on how to request approved observer status. A factsheet on the
process is posted on our Web site at: https://www.fws.gov/international/pdf/ob.pdf.
Future Actions
As stated above, the next regular meeting of the Conference of the
Parties (CoP16) is tentatively scheduled to be held in Thailand in
March 2013. The United States must submit any proposals to amend
Appendix I or II, or any draft resolutions, decisions, or agenda items
for discussion at CoP16, to
[[Page 68780]]
the CITES Secretariat 150 days (tentatively early October 2012) prior
to the start of the meeting. In order to meet this deadline and to
prepare for CoP16, we have developed a tentative U.S. schedule. When we
publish our next CoP16-related Federal Register notice, we intend to
announce tentative species proposals that the United States is
considering submitting for CoP16 and solicit further information and
comments on them. Following publication of that Federal Register notice
and approximately 9 months prior to CoP16, we plan to publish a Federal
Register notice announcing draft resolutions, draft decisions, and
agenda items to be submitted by the United States at CoP16, and to
solicit further information and comments on them. Approximately 4
months prior to CoP16, we will post on our Web site an announcement of
the species proposals, draft resolutions, draft decisions, and agenda
items submitted by the United States to the CITES Secretariat for
consideration at CoP16.
Through a series of additional notices and Web site postings in
advance of CoP16, we will inform you about preliminary negotiating
positions on resolutions, decisions, and amendments to the Appendices
proposed by other Parties for consideration at CoP16, and about how to
obtain observer status from us. We will also publish an announcement of
a public meeting tentatively to be held approximately 3 months prior to
CoP16; that meeting will enable us to receive public input on our
positions regarding CoP16 issues. The procedures for developing U.S.
documents and negotiating positions for a meeting of the Conference of
the Parties to CITES are outlined in 50 CFR 23.87. As noted in
paragraph (c) of that section, we may modify or suspend the procedures
outlined there if they would interfere with the timely or appropriate
development of documents for submission to the CoP and of U.S.
negotiating positions.
Author
The primary author of this notice is Clifton A. Horton, Division of
Management Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Authority
The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of
1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: October 19, 2011.
Hannibal Bolton,
Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-28735 Filed 11-4-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
