Department of the Interior April 13, 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the comment period on our July 15, 2021, proposed rule (hereinafter the ``2021 proposed rule'') to designate critical habitat for the rufa red knot (Calidris canutus rufa) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). In this document, we present revisions to the critical habitat designation we proposed for the species in the 2021 proposed rule. As a result of the critical habitat revisions, we now propose to designate a total of approximately 683,405 acres (276,564 hectares) as critical habitat for the rufa red knot across 127 units (18 of which are further subdivided into 46 subunits) in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. This amounts to an overall increase of 32,615 acres (13,199 hectares) in our proposed critical habitat designation for the species. This revision includes seven new units in Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia; revised units in Massachusetts, New Jersey, South Carolina, Georgia, and Texas; and corrections to reported acreages/hectares for four other units and the total acreage in the 2021 proposed rule. We are reopening the comment period to allow all interested parties the opportunity to comment on the 2021 proposed rule, as well as the revisions described in this document. Comments previously submitted need not be resubmitted, as they will be fully considered in preparation of the final rule. If the determination is finalized, the final rule will include responses to the comments previously received from the 2021 proposed rule and any comments received as part of this document's reopening of comments.