Fish and Wildlife Service – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are extending the comment period on our July 3, 2023, proposed rule to list the dunes sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus arenicolus), a species found only in southeastern New Mexico and west Texas, as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We are extending the proposed rule's comment period for 30 days to give all interested parties an additional opportunity to comment on the proposed rule. Comments previously submitted need not be resubmitted as they are already incorporated into the public record and will be fully considered in the final rule.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on an application to conduct certain activities with a foreign species that is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such activities. The ESA also requires that we invite public comment before issuing permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the ESA with respect to any endangered species.

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 ESA. 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, published a notice in the Federal Register of August 17, 2023, initiating 5-year status reviews of 47 species in California, Nevada, and Oregon under the Endangered Species Act. We inadvertently included one species in error. We are correcting the notice to remove that species.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) gives notice of a virtual meeting of the Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council (HWCC), in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), list the sand dune phacelia (Phacelia argentea), a plant species from coastal southern Oregon and northern California, as a threatened species with a rule issued under section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We also designate critical habitat for the species under the Act. In total, approximately 180.8 acres (73.2 hectares) within 13 units in Coos and Curry Counties in Oregon, and Del Norte County in California, fall within the boundaries of the critical habitat designation. This rule extends the protections of the Act to this species and its designated critical habitat.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the toothless blindcat (Trogloglanis pattersoni) and widemouth blindcat (Satan eurystomus), two cavefish species from the Edwards Aquifer in Bexar County, Texas, as endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). This determination also serves as our 12-month finding on a petition to list the toothless blindcat and widemouth blindcat. After a review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing both species is warranted. If we finalize this rule as proposed, it would extend the Act's protections to these species. We have determined that designation of critical habitat is not prudent.

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 species under the Endangered Species Act. We invite the public and local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to comment on these applications. Before issuing 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), determine endangered species status under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended, for the magnificent ramshorn (Planorbella magnifica), a freshwater snail species from southeastern North Carolina. We also designate critical habitat for the species. In total, approximately 739 acres (299 hectares) in two ponds in Brunswick County, North Carolina, fall within the boundaries of the critical habitat designation. This rule applies the protections of the Act to this species and its designated critical habitat.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are initiating 5-year status reviews of 47 species in California, Nevada, and Oregon under the Endangered Species Act. A 5-year 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.

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

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the Texas kangaroo rat (Dipodomys elator), a rodent from north- central Texas, as an endangered species and designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). This determination also serves as our 12-month finding on a petition to list the Texas kangaroo rat. After a review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the species is warranted. Accordingly, we propose to list the Texas kangaroo rat as an endangered species under the Act. If we finalize this rule as proposed, it would add this species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and extend the Act's protections to this species and its critical habitat. We also propose to designate critical habitat for the Texas kangaroo rat under the Act. In total, approximately 597,069 acres (241,625 hectares) in Childress, Cottle, Hardeman, Wichita, and Wilbarger Counties, Texas, fall within the boundaries of the proposed critical habitat designation. We also announce the availability of a draft economic analysis (DEA) of the proposed designation of critical habitat for Texas kangaroo rat.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on applications to conduct certain activities with foreign species that are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such activities. The ESA also requires that we invite public comment before issuing permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the ESA with respect to any endangered species.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service or USFWS), propose to remove the Apache trout (Oncorhynchus apache), a fish native to Arizona, from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife due to recovery. Our review of the best available scientific and commercial data indicates that the threats to the species have been eliminated or reduced to the point that the species no longer meets the definition of a threatened species or an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). If we finalize this rule as proposed, the prohibitions and conservation measures provided by the Act, particularly through section 7 and our regulations would no longer apply to the Apache trout. We request information and comments from the public regarding this proposed rule for the Apache trout.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, on February 28, 2023, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, published a notice announcing that we are proposing to renew an existing information collection (IC) without change. The notice opened a public comment period, which closed on May 1, 2023. We subsequently identified proposed changes to the IC that were not included in the original notice; therefore, we are now republishing the notice in full, including the proposed changes, and reopening the comment period.

We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt of an application from Helen Crittenden et al. (Helen Crittenden, Alexander van den Berg, and Nancy van den Berg; applicants) for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The applicants request the ITP to take the federally listed sand skink incidental to the construction of a residential development in Lake County, Florida. We request public comment on the application, which includes the applicants' 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 Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt of an application from CenterPoint Integrated Solutions, LLC (applicant) for an incidental take permit (ITP) under the Endangered Species Act. The applicant requests the ITP to take the federally threatened Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) incidental to the construction and operation of a commercial development in Brevard 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.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), U.S. Department of the Interior, intends to prepare an updated Bison and Elk Management Plan (BEMP) and environmental impact statement (EIS) for the National Elk Refuge (NER). The BEMP describes the Service's proposal for the management of the Jackson bison and elk populations within their respective jurisdictions with the goal of ensuring sustainable and healthy herds; an EIS will be prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of the BEMP. We invite input from other Federal and State agencies, Tribes, nongovernmental organizations, private sector businesses, and members of the public on the scope of the EIS, alternatives to our proposed approaches for the management of bison and elk on the NER, and the pertinent issues that we should address in the EIS.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite the public to comment on applications to conduct certain activities with foreign species that are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). With some exceptions, the ESA prohibits activities with listed species unless Federal authorization is issued that allows such activities. The ESA also requires that we invite public comment before issuing permits for any activity otherwise prohibited by the ESA with respect to any endangered species.

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.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce findings that two species are not warranted for listing 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 it is not warranted at this time to list the Illinois chorus frog (Pseudacris illinoensis) and Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula). However, we ask the public to submit to us at any time any new information relevant to the status of any of the species mentioned above or their habitats.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list two mussel species, the Salina mucket (Potamilus metnecktayi) and Mexican fawnsfoot (Truncilla cognata) (which we collectively refer to as the Rio Grande mussels in this document), as endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). This determination also serves as our 12-month findings on petitions to list the Salina mucket and Mexican fawnsfoot. After a review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the Salina mucket and Mexican fawnsfoot is warranted. We also propose to designate critical habitat for the Salina mucket and Mexican fawnsfoot under the Act. For Salina mucket, approximately 200 river miles (rmi) (321 river kilometers (rkm)) in Brewster, Terrell, and Val Verde Counties, Texas, fall within the boundaries of the proposed critical habitat designation. For Mexican fawnsfoot, approximately 185 rmi (299 rkm) in Maverick, Webb, and Zapata Counties, Texas, fall within the boundaries of the proposed critical habitat designation. We announce the availability of a draft economic analysis of the proposed designation of critical habitat for the Salina mucket and Mexican fawnsfoot. If we finalize this rule as proposed, it would add these species to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and extend the Act's protections to the species and their designated critical habitats.

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 ESA. 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), are revising our proposed rule that would streamline our process for permitting of rights-of-way across National Wildlife Refuge System lands and other Service-administered lands. By aligning Service processes more closely with those of other Department of the Interior (DOI) bureaus, to the extent practicable and consistent with applicable law, we will reduce the amount of time the Service requires to process applications for rights-of-way across Service-managed lands. We originally proposed revisions that included requiring a preapplication meeting and use of a standard application, allowing electronic submission of applications, and providing the Service with additional flexibility, as appropriate, to determine the fair market value or fair market rental value of rights-of-way across Service-managed lands. We now further propose new permit terms and conditions and other regulatory changes. The Service seeks comments on this revised proposed rule.

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), remove the golden paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta) from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Plants as it no longer meets the definition of an endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The golden paintbrush is a flowering plant native to southwestern British Columbia, western Washington, and western Oregon. Our review of the best available scientific and commercial data indicates threats to the golden paintbrush have been eliminated or reduced to the point that the species no longer meets the definition of an endangered or threatened species under the Act.