Fish and Wildlife Service October 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the reopening of the comment period on our October 4, 2016, proposed rule to list the western glacier stonefly (Zapada glacier) and the meltwater lednian stonefly (Lednia tumana) as threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We are reopening the comment period because we have received additional information about the range of the western glacier stonefly and reopening the comment period will provide the public an opportunity to comment on the additional range information. In August 2016, we received new information on the western glacier stonefly, indicating a larger range than previously known. In March 2017, we again received additional information (separate from the information received in August 2016) regarding the western glacier stonefly range, also indicating a larger range than previously known. We invite the public to comment on this additional information.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are removing the textual descriptions of critical habitat boundaries from those designations for plants on the Hawaiian Islands of Kauai, Niihau, and Hawaii for which the maps have been determined to be sufficient to stand as the official delineation of critical habitat. For these entries, the boundaries of critical habitat as mapped or otherwise described will be the official delineation of the designation. The coordinates and/or plot points that we are removing from the Code of Federal Regulations will be available to the public at the lead field office of the Service responsible for the designation and online at the Federal eRulemaking Portal. This action does not increase, decrease, or otherwise change the boundaries of any critical habitat designation. We are taking this action in accordance with our May 1, 2012, revision of the regulations related to publishing textual descriptions of critical habitat boundaries in the Code of Federal Regulations and as part of our response to Executive Order 13563 (January 18, 2011) directing Federal agencies to review their existing regulations and then to modify or streamline them in accordance with what they learned.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered and threatened species. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act prohibits activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is acquired that allows such activities.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on an application for a permit to conduct activities intended to enhance the propagation or survival of endangered species. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) prohibits certain activities that constitute take of listed species unless a Federal permit is issued that allows such activity. The ESA also requires that we invite public comment before issuing these permits.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received an application from Protek Investments, LLC for an incidental take permit under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. The permit would authorize take of the federally endangered California tiger salamander (Santa Barbara distinct population segment), incidental to otherwise lawful activities associated with the La Purisima Golf Course Solar Array Project draft low-effect habitat conservation plan. We invite public comment.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on the following applications to conduct certain activities with endangered and threatened species. With some exceptions, the Endangered Species Act prohibits activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is acquired that allows such activities.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have received an application from Mr. Robert Campbell for an incidental take permit under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. The permit would authorize take of the federally endangered California tiger salamander (Santa Barbara distinct population segment), incidental to otherwise lawful activities associated with the Campbell Home Ranch draft low-effect habitat conservation plan. We invite public comment.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) are proposing to renew an information collection.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), determine endangered species status under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended, for Dalea carthagenensis var. floridana (Florida prairie-clover), and threatened species status for Sideroxylon reclinatum ssp. austrofloridense (Everglades bully), Digitaria pauciflora (Florida pineland crabgrass), and Chamaesyce deltoidea ssp. pinetorum (pineland sandmat). All four plant species are endemic to south Florida. This rule adds these species to the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Plants.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), make available the draft Environmental Assessment (dEA) for the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) draft Habitat Conservation Plan (dHCP) for construction of two water pipelines (Micron and Water Resources Integration Program (WRIP)) in Bexar County, Texas. SAWS (applicant) has applied to the Service for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce 12- month findings on petitions to list 25 species as endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). After a thorough review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing 14 Nevada springsnail species, Barbour's map turtle, Bicknell's thrush, Big Blue Springs cave crayfish, the Oregon CascadesCalifornia population and Black Hills population of the black-backed woodpecker, the eastern population of the boreal toad, the Northern Rocky Mountains population of the fisher, Florida Keys mole skink, Great Sand Dunes tiger beetle, Kirtland's snake, Pacific walrus, and San Felipe gambusia is not warranted at this time. However, we ask the public to submit to us at any time any new information that becomes available concerning the stressors to any of the species listed above or their habitats.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 12-month finding on a petition to list three species, the holiday darter (Etheostoma brevirostrum), the trispot darter (Etheostoma trisella), and the bridled darter (Percina kusha), all freshwater fish native to Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee, as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). After review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the trispot darter is warranted. Accordingly, we propose to list the trispot darter as a threatened species under the Act. If we finalize this rule as proposed, it would add the trispot darter to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and extend the Act's protections to the species. After review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we also find that listing the holiday and bridled darters is not warranted.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) intends to initiate a rulemaking process that will consider changes to public use regulations that are applicable to Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and that were promulgated on May 5, 2016.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are proposing to revise an existing information collection.