Revisions to the Regulations for Petitions, 50 CFR 424.14

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), specifies the process by which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service (we, Services) make decisions on listing, delisting, changing the status of a listed species or revising critical habitat. Any interested person may submit a written petition to the Services requesting to add a species to the Lists of Endangered or Threatened Wildlife and Plants (Lists), remove a species from the Lists, change the listed status of a species, or revise the boundary of an area designated as critical habitat. The petition process is a central feature of the Act (Act; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and serves a beneficial public purpose. A petition may direct the attention of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service to make necessary revisions to critical habitat designations. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service (we, Services) are jointly finalizing changes to the regulations at 50 CFR 424.14 concerning petitions to improve the content and specificity of petitions and to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the petitions process to support species conservation. Our revisions to § 424.14 will clarify and enhance the procedures by which the Services will evaluate petitions under section 4(b)(3) of the Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(b)(3). We are revising the regulations pertaining to the petition process to provide greater clarity to the public on the petition-submission process, which will assist petitioners in providing complete petitions. These revisions will also maximize the efficiency with which the Services process petitions, making the best use of available resources. These changes will improve the quality of petitions through expanded content requirements and guidelines, and, in so doing, better focus the Services’ energies on petitions that merit further analysis. The final rule requires that the petitioner (1) prepare petitions in accordance with § 424.14 and (2) notify applicable States that a petition is being submitted to one of the Services.

The latest form for Revisions to the Regulations for Petitions, 50 CFR 424.14 expires 2021-01-31 and can be found here.

Prepare Petition and Submit to WS/NMFS (indiv)

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