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<p>Goodish news on the petition to suspend/revoke the CITES
validation requirement. They are going to proceed with a CITES
rulemaking after all and will (as before) consider our
petition in that context.</p>
<p>Did this come about as a result of the letters to Sec. Zinke
and OMB OIRA Director Naomi Rao? Maybe. Who knows? Certainly
the temporal linkage suggests that is the case.</p>
<p>Ellen<br>
</p>
<br>
<p>Thank
you for your letter to the Secretary of the Interior of August
11, 2017, on behalf of the American Society of Mammalogists,
the Ornithological Council, and the Society for the
Preservation of Natural History Collections regarding a "Petition
for Rulemaking"related to the validation of export permits for
specimens for scientific research that
arc listed under the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES).</p>
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<p>The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has reviewed your
concerns and takes the issue you raise seriously. Iam pleased
to inform you that the Service is in the process of initiating
a formal rulemaking process for revisions and updates to our
CITES regulations at 50 CFR Part 23. The regulations you cite
[Sections 23.23 (c) (21), 23.26 (c) (18) and 23.27 (c)] will
be considered
in this process.</p>
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<p>Iencourage the American Society of Mammalogists, the
Ornithological Council, and the Society for the Preservation
of Natural History Collections to submit any additional
comments during the public comment period once the proposed
rule is published
in the Federal
Register. Please be assured that the specific issues raised in
your August 1, 2017, letter
will be considered in the forthcoming rulemaking process.</p>
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<p>Thank you for your interest in requirements for trade under
CITES. Ifyou have additional questions, please contact Mr.Craig
Hoover, Chief, Division of Management <a
href="mailto:Craig_Hoover@fws.gov">Authorit</a><a
href="mailto:Craig_Hoover@fws.gov">y</a><a
href="mailto:Craig_Hoover@fws.gov">:</a><a
href="mailto:Craig_Hoover@fws.gov">Craig_Hoover@fws</a><a
href="mailto:Craig_Hoover@fws.gov">.</a><a
href="mailto:Craig_Hoover@fws.gov">gov</a><a
href="mailto:Craig_Hoover@fws.gov"> </a>or (703) 358-2162.</p>
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