Search Results for keywords:"Endangered Species Act"

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has issued regulations to allow the U.S. Navy to take marine mammals in the Hawaii-Southern California Training and Testing Study Area. This modification permits additional takes of large whales due to vessel strikes. These regulations, effective from January 2025 to December 2025, mandate specific mitigation measures, like whale sighting notifications and limits on sonar use, to minimize impacts on marine mammals. The regulations were made after a thorough analysis and discussions with the Navy regarding potential impacts on marine mammal species, ensuring the activities have the least practicable adverse impact on these animals.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued a final rule listing three butterflies from Brazil—the Fluminense swallowtail, Harris' mimic swallowtail, and Hahnel's Amazonian swallowtail—as endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. This move aims to extend legal protections to these butterflies, mainly due to threats like habitat loss and degradation, capture, and insufficient existing regulatory mechanisms to address these issues. These butterflies are facing extinction risks because their populations have been reduced and isolated in their natural habitats, which are undergoing severe urbanization and deforestation. The agency has highlighted both the challenges these species face and the legal measures in place to protect them.

The Fish and Wildlife Service received an application from ADH Rollins Court, LLC for an incidental take permit (ITP) that would allow the company to affect the sand skink and blue-tailed mole skink during the construction of a residential development in Polk County, Florida. The Service seeks public comments on the application, which includes a habitat conservation plan, and has made a preliminary decision that the project may qualify for a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) due to its minor impact. To compensate for the impact, the applicant plans to purchase conservation credits. The public has until February 13, 2025, to submit comments on the proposed project and plan.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes to classify the Suckley's cuckoo bumble bee as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. This decision is based on a significant decline in the bee's population due to factors like habitat loss, pesticides, pathogens, and climate change, which also affect its host species. The proposed listing aims to provide federal protections for the bee, although specific critical habitat designation is not yet possible due to insufficient data. Public comments on the proposal will be accepted until February 18, 2025.

The Executive Order 14225, titled "Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production," aims to boost domestic timber production by reducing regulatory barriers. It directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to update guidance and implement strategies for more efficient timber production and forest management. This involves streamlining processes under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), eliminating unnecessary permitting delays, and considering categorical exclusions to simplify environmental assessments. The Order also emphasizes coordination among agencies to identify and address obstacles to domestic timber production.

The Department of Commerce has submitted an information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This request, made by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, involves extending a current information collection concerning conservation efforts under the Endangered Species Act. The initiative includes creating conservation plans or agreements, monitoring their effectiveness, and producing annual reports. Public comments on this proposal are invited for 30 days following the notice's publication date.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing the Clear Lake hitch, a type of fish found only in California's Clear Lake watershed, as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. This decision comes after reviewing scientific data showing threats such as habitat loss, predation, and climate change impacts. The proposal includes protective measures to help conserve the species, such as controlling illegal pesticide use and managing habitats. The agency is accepting public comments on this proposed rule until March 17, 2025.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed a rule to list several Caribbean skink species as endangered or threatened. The Puerto Rican skink, Lesser Virgin Islands skink, and Virgin Islands bronze skink are proposed as endangered, while the Culebra skink is proposed as threatened. The proposal also includes designating critical habitats for these species to aid in their conservation. Public comments on the proposal will be accepted until February 18, 2025.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has decided to remove the Interior least tern from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife due to its recovery. This decision comes after a detailed review showing that the species has increased in population and no longer faces significant threats that would qualify it as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Effective February 12, 2021, the Interior least tern is no longer protected under the Act, although it will still be covered by other regulations, such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The Service will continue to monitor the species for at least five years to ensure it remains stable and prevent it from becoming endangered once more.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced the availability of a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for public comment. This assessment focuses on a summer steelhead hatchery program and a trap and haul program in the Skykomish River Basin, Washington. The programs are designed to help with the survival and recovery of threatened salmon and steelhead species. Comments on the draft EA are being accepted until March 8, 2021.