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DOC/NOAA RIN: 0648-BB82 Publication ID: Spring 2015 
Title: Draft Policy Regarding Implementation of Section 4(b)(2) of the Endangered Species Act 
Abstract: When the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) designates critical habitat, it may exclude areas from the designation if the benefits of exclusion outweigh the benefits of specifying such an area as critical habitat, unless the failure to designate that area would result in the extinction of the species. This draft policy explains how NMFS considers partnerships and conservation plans, habitat conservation plans, tribal lands, military lands, and Federal lands in the exclusion process. The policy is meant to complement the Final Rule to Revise Regulations for Conducting Impact Analyses for Critical Habitat Designations and is intended to clarify expectations regarding critical habitat and provide for a credible, predictable, and simplified critical habitat exclusion process. 
Agency: Department of Commerce(DOC)  Priority: Other Significant 
RIN Status: Previously published in the Unified Agenda Agenda Stage of Rulemaking: Final Rule Stage 
Major: No  Unfunded Mandates: No 
CFR Citation: CFR     (To search for a specific CFR, visit the Code of Federal Regulations.)
Legal Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.   
Legal Deadline:  None
Timetable:
Action Date FR Cite
Other - Proposed Policy  05/12/2014  79 FR 27051   
NPRM Comment Period Extended  06/26/2014  79 FR 36330   
Final Action  07/00/2015 
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: No  Government Levels Affected: None 
Small Entities Affected: No  Federalism: No 
Included in the Regulatory Plan: No 
RIN Data Printed in the FR: No 
Agency Contact:
Donna Wieting
Director, Office of Protected Resources
Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East-West Highway,
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Phone:301 427-8400