Fish and Wildlife Service October 29, 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to remove the Chipola slabshell (Elliptio chipolaensis) and fat threeridge (Amblema neislerii), both freshwater mussels, from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife due to recovery. These species occur in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Our review of the best available scientific and commercial data indicates that the threats to the Chipola slabshell and fat threeridge have been eliminated or reduced to the point that both species have recovered and no longer meet the definition of an endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). Accordingly, we propose to delist the Chipola slabshell and the fat threeridge. If we finalize this rule as proposed, the prohibitions and conservation measures provided by the Act, particularly through sections 4 and 7 for the Chipola slabshell and sections 7 and 9 for the fat threeridge, would no longer apply to these species. This proposed rule also serves as the completed status review initiated under section 4(c)(2) of the Act.

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 without change.