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FWS and the National Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (the Services) plan to finalize a policy on exclusions from critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act. This policy provides the Services' position on how we consider partnerships and conservation plans, habitat conservation plans, tribal lands, military lands, and Federal lands in the exclusion process. This policy is meant to complement the amendments to our regulations on designation of critical habitat, and is intended to clarify expectations regarding critical habitat and provide for a credible, predictable, and simplified critical habitat exclusion process.