[From the Federal Register, July 1, 1994 (Vol. 59), p. 34272]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR



Fish and Wildlife Service



DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE



National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration



 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants: Notice of Interagency Cooperative Policy

for Endangered Species Act Section 9 Prohibitions



AGENCIES: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior, and National Marine Fisheries Service, National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.



ACTION: Notice of policy statement.



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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service (hereafter

referred to as Services) announce interagency cooperative policy to establish a procedure at the

time a species is listed as threatened or endangered to identify to the maximum extent practicable

those activities that would or would not constitute a violation of section 9 of the Endangered

Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended, and to increase public understanding and provide as

much certainty as possible regarding the prohibitions that will apply under section 9. By

identifying activities likely or not likely to result in violation of section 9 at the time a

species is listed, the Services intend to increase public awareness of the effect of the listing on

proposed and ongoing activities within a species' range.



EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 1994.



FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jamie Rappaport Clark, Chief, Division of

Endangered Species, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, ARLSQ 452, 18th 

and C Streets NW., Washington, DC 20240 (telephone 703/358-2171), or 

Russell Bellmer, Chief, Endangered Species Division, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1335

East-West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 (telephone 301/713-2322).



SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:



Background



    Section 9 of the Act prohibits certain activities that directly or indirectly affect endangered

species. These prohibitions apply to all individuals, organizations, and agencies subject to United

States jurisdiction. Section 4(d) of the Act allows the promulgation of regulations that apply any

or all of the prohibitions of section 9 to threatened species. Under the Act and regulations, it is

illegal for any person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to take (includes harass,

harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect; or to attempt any of these),

import or export, ship in interstate or foreign commerce in the course of commercial activity, or

sell or offer for sale in interstate or foreign commerce any endangered fish or wildlife species and

most threatened fish and wildlife species. It is also illegal to possess, sell, deliver, carry,

transport, or ship any such wildlife that has been taken illegally.   With respect to endangered

plants, analogous prohibitions make it illegal for any person subject to the jurisdiction of the

United States to import or export, transport in interstate or foreign commerce in the course of a

commercial activity, sell or offer for sale in interstate or foreign commerce, or to remove and

reduce to possession any such plant species from areas under Federal jurisdiction. In addition, for

endangered plants, the Act prohibits malicious damage or destruction of any such species on any

area under Federal jurisdiction, and the removal, cutting, digging up, or damaging or destroying

of any such species on any other area in knowing violation of any State law or regulation, or in

the course of any violation of a State criminal trespass law.



Policy



    It is the policy of the Services to identify, to the extent known at the time a species is listed,

specific activities that will not be considered likely to result in violation of section 9. To the

extent possible, activities that will be considered likely to result in violation also will be

identified in as specific a manner as possible. For those activities whose likelihood of violation is

uncertain, a contact will be identified in the final listing document to assist the public in

determining whether a particular activity would constitute a prohibited act under section 9.



Scope of Policy



    This policy applies for all species of fish and wildlife and plants, as defined under the Act,

listed after October 1, 1994.



Authority



    The authority for this policy is the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C.

1531-1544).



    Dated: June 27, 1994.

Mollie H. Beattie,

Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior.



    Dated: June 24, 1994.  

Rolland A. Schmitten,

Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service.



[FR Doc. 94-16023 Filed 6-30-94; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-55-P