Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Critical Habitat for Five Plant Species From the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Hawaii

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), designate critical habitat pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), for five of six plant species known historically from the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The five species are Amaranthus brownii, Mariscus pennatiformis, Pritchardia remota, Schiedea verticillata, and Sesbania tomentosa. A total of approximately 493 hectares (1,219 acres) of land on Nihoa, Necker, and Laysan Islands fall within the boundaries of the seven critical habitat units designated for the five species. This critical habitat designation requires the Service to consult under section 7 of the Act with regard to actions carried out, funded, or authorized by a Federal agency. Section 4 of the Act requires us to consider economic and other relevant impacts when specifying any particular area as critical habitat. We solicited data and comments from the public on all aspects of the proposed rule, including data on economic and other impacts of the designation.