Department of the Interior March 23, 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received applications for permits to conduct activities intended to enhance the propagation or survival of endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment on these applications. Before issuing any of the requested permits, we will take into consideration any information that we receive during the public comment period.

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt of an application from Luxer Development, LLC (applicant) for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The applicant requests the ITP to take the federally threatened sand skink (Plestiodon reynoldsi) and the federally threatened blue-tailed mole- skink (Eumeces egregius lividus) incidental to the construction of a residential development in Polk County, Florida. We request public comment on the application, which includes the applicant's proposed habitat conservation plan (HCP), and on the Service's preliminary determination that the proposed permitting action may be eligible for a categorical exclusion pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality's National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations, the Department of the Interior's (DOI) NEPA regulations, and the DOI Departmental Manual. To make this preliminary determination, we prepared a draft environmental action statement and low-effect screening form, both of which are also available for public review. We invite comment from the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, have received applications for permits, permit renewals, and/or permit amendments to conduct activities intended to enhance the propagation or survival of endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment on these applications. Before issuing any of the requested permits, we will take into consideration any information that we receive during the public comment period.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are initiating 5-year status reviews for 133 species in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, California, Nevada, Hawaii, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Two of these species also occur outside of United States jurisdiction in Canada and Palau. A 5-year status review is based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review; therefore, we are requesting submission of any new information on these species that has become available since the last reviews.

As part of the rulemaking process for the 2023-2024 season, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (hereinafter, Service or we) proposes a revised process for establishing special regulations for certain Tribes on Federal Indian reservations, off-reservation trust lands, and ceded lands for migratory bird hunting seasons. We are proposing no longer to require that Tribes annually submit a proposal to the Service for our review and approval and no longer to publish in the Federal Register the annual Tribal migratory bird hunting regulations, and instead to adopt as regulations elements of our current guidelines for establishing special migratory game bird hunting regulations on Federal Indian reservations (including off-reservation trust lands) and ceded lands. The Service recognizes the reserved hunting rights and management authority of Indian Tribes. Since the 1985-86 hunting season, we have successfully employed guidelines to establish special migratory game bird hunting regulations on Federal Indian reservations and ceded lands. We conclude that Tribal migratory bird harvest has been small with negligible impact to bird population status. We anticipate that Tribal hunting of migratory birds will continue to have similar negligible impacts to bird populations in the future. By proposing these regulations, the Service seeks to strengthen Tribal sovereignty and to reduce administrative burdens on both the Tribes and the Service while continuing to sustain healthy migratory game bird populations for future generations.