Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Regulations Pertaining to Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 [Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2025-0029; FXES11130900000-267-FF09E23000] RIN 1018-BI74 AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS or the Service), revise our regulations concerning protections of threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (Act). We are removing the “blanket rule” option for protecting newly listed threatened species pursuant to section 4(d) of the Act. DATES: This rule is effective August 20, 2026. ADDRESSES: Public comments and materials received, as well as supporting documentation used in the preparation of this final regulation, are available at https://www.regulations.gov at Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2025-0029. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Tirpak, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Conservation and Classification; 703-358-2163; john_tirpak@fws.gov . Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services offered within their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (hereafter referred to as the Act or ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq. ), states that the purposes of the …