Government Declares Victory Over Endangered Orchid, Sets It Free
Published Date: 1/7/2025
Proposed Rule
Summary
Great news! The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to take Ute ladies'-tresses off the endangered list because its threats have mostly disappeared. If this happens, special protections will end, but a monitoring plan will keep an eye on the plant’s health. You’ve got until March 10, 2025, to share your thoughts or ask for a public hearing by February 21.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Proposed Delisting Ends ESA Protections
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes to remove Ute ladies'-tresses from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Plants because it says the species has recovered. If this rule is finalized, the prohibitions and conservation measures in the Endangered Species Act—particularly sections 7 and 9—would no longer apply to Ute ladies'-tresses. The species occurs in eight U.S. States (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming), and about 47 percent of its U.S. range is on private land.
Post-Delisting Monitoring Plan Open For Comment
The Service released a draft post-delisting monitoring (PDM) plan for Ute ladies'-tresses and requests public information and comments. You can submit comments on the proposed delisting and the draft PDM plan through March 10, 2025, and requests for public hearings must be received by February 21, 2025. Supporting documents (SSA, draft recovery plan, draft PDM) are available on regulations.gov under Docket No. FWS-R6-ES-2024-0115.
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