Department of the Interior September 17, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability of the record of decision (ROD) for the final environmental impact statement (Final EIS) for experimental removal of barred owls to benefit threatened northern spotted owls. We completed a thorough analysis of the environmental, social, and economic considerations and presented it in our Final EIS, which we released to the public on July 24, 2013.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), determine the Neosho mucket, a freshwater mussel, as endangered, and the rabbitsfoot, a freshwater mussel, as threatened, under the Endangered Species Act. The Neosho mucket occurs in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The rabbitsfoot occurs in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and West Virginia. This final rule implements the protections provided by the Act for these species. We will issue a final determination on the designation of critical habitat for these species in the near future.