Fish and Wildlife Service October 7, 2019 – 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 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to remove the plant Howellia aquatilis (water howellia) from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Plants. The best available scientific and commercial data indicate that threats to water howellia identified at the time of listing in 1994 are not as significant as originally anticipated and are being adequately managed. Therefore, the species no longer meets the definition of an endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). This determination is based on a thorough review of all available information, which indicates that this species' population and distribution are much greater than was known at the time of listing in 1994 and that threats to this species have been sufficiently minimized. We are seeking information and comments from the public regarding this proposed rule and the draft post-delisting monitoring (PDM) plan for water howellia.

In accordance with the Endangered Species Act, as amended, and the National Environmental Policy Act, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability of the final environmental impact statement and draft record of decision analyzing the impacts of issuance of an incidental take permit (ITP) for implementation of the MidAmerican Energy Company's Final Habitat Conservation Plan MidAmerican Energy Company Iowa Wind Energy Project Portfolio (HCP). Our decision is to issue a 30-year ITP for implementation of the HCP, which authorizes incidental take of the federally endangered Indiana bat, federally threatened northern long-eared bat, federally protected bald eagle, the little brown bat, and tricolored bat under the Endangered Species Act.