Feb. 2, 2012 -

The Interior Department’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and NOAA’s
National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries), the two federal
agencies responsible for administering the Endangered Species Act (ESA),
today announced a 30-day extension of the public comment period on a draft
policy interpreting the phrase “significant portion of its range” (SPR) in
the ESA’s definitions of “endangered species” and “threatened species.”

The public comment period on the draft policy will now close on March 8,
2012. Information about this policy and how it will improve administration
of the ESA can be found at
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/improving_ESA/spr.html.

Considering the complexity of the issues addressed in the draft policy and the level of public interest, FWS and NOAA Fisheries determined that additional time for public comment will be particularly valuable for this
action. The draft policy and supporting materials are available for
review, and comments can be submitted for consideration, at
http://www.regulations.gov under the docket number [FWS–R9–ES–2011–0031]. Information already submitted does not need to be resubmitted.

The notice will publish in the Federal Register on February 07, 2012.
Comments must be received on or before March 08, 2012. The Service will post all comments on http://www.regulations.gov. This generally means the agency will post any personal information provided through the process. The Service is not able to accept email or faxes.

America’s fish, wildlife and plant resources belong to all of us, and
ensuring the health of imperiled species is a shared responsibility. To find out more about the FWS Endangered Species program, go to
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/.