In 2018, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) received a petition for rulemaking, which asks the Service to revise the existing rules pertaining to the religious use of federally protected bird feathers. The Service published the petition in the Federal Register for public comment pursuant to the terms of a settlement agreement entered into in 2016 by the United States with McAllen Grace Brethren Church et al. Today's action extends the comment period for 15 days.

On July 26, 2018, the Service received a petition for rulemaking from Pastor Robert Soto, the lead plaintiff in McAllen Grace Brethren Church v. Jewell, No. 7:07-cv-060 (S.D. Tex. June 3, 2016) (hereinafter “McAllen”), and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, asking the Service to revise its existing rules pertaining to the religious use of federally protected bird feathers and parts for Native Americans. The petitioners submitted the petition pursuant to paragraph 7 of the June 10, 2016, settlement agreement between the McAllen Plaintiffs and the United States, which states that the Secretary of the Interior will publish the petition for public comment and make a decision on the petition within 2 years of receipt.

Accordingly, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published the petition in the Federal Register on April 30, 2019 (84 FR 18230) and opened a comment period with a deadline of July 1, 2019. During the comment period, we received a request to extend the comment period. With this notice, we are extending the deadline for submission of comments, as requested.