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DOI/FWS RIN: 1018-BF17 Publication ID: Spring 2020 
Title: ●Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Regulations for Interagency Cooperation 
Abstract:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will propose to amend the regulations implementing section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA). In 2019, FWS and NMFS finalized revisions to 50 CFR part 402, which pertains to interagency cooperation under the ESA. Among other things, the 2019 final rule amended 50 CFR 402.16 to address issues arising under the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Cottonwood Environmental Law Center v. U.S. Forest Service, 789 F.3d 1075 (9th Cir. 2015), cert. denied, 137 S. Ct. 293 (2016). The final rule clarified that initiation of consultation shall not be required for land management plans prepared pursuant to 43 U.S.C. 1712 or 16 U.S.C. 1604, upon listing of a new species or designation of new critical habitat, in certain specific circumstances, provided that any authorized actions that may affect the newly listed species or designated critical habitat will be addressed through a separate action-specific consultation. Now, the FWS and NMFS will propose to create a similar exception for reinitiation of consultation on the basis of new information (see 50 CFR 402.16(a)(2)). 

 
Agency: Department of the Interior(DOI)  Priority: Other Significant 
RIN Status: First time published in the Unified Agenda Agenda Stage of Rulemaking: Proposed Rule Stage 
Major: No  Unfunded Mandates: No 
EO 13771 Designation: Deregulatory 
CFR Citation: 50 CFR 402   
Legal Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.   
Legal Deadline:  None
Timetable:
Action Date FR Cite
NPRM  12/00/2020 
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis Required: No  Government Levels Affected: Federal 
Federalism: No 
Included in the Regulatory Plan: No 
RIN Data Printed in the FR: No 
Related RINs: Related to 0648-BJ77 
Agency Contact:
Craig Aubrey
Chief, Division of Environmental Review, Ecological Services Program
Department of the Interior
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: ES,
Falls Church, VA 22041
Phone:703 358-2442
Fax:703 358-1800
Email: craig_aubrey@fws.gov