7038 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 12 / Tuesday, January 21, 2025 / Proposed Rules 

conclusions stated in its human health 

risk assessment conducted during the 

registration review of the product’s 

principal active ingredients.’’ 

A copy of the petition is available in 

the docket. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 136 et seq. 

Dated: December 23, 2024. 

Edward Messina, 

Director, Office of Pesticide Programs. 

[FR Doc. 2025–00251 Filed 1–17–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

50 CFR Part 17 

[FXES1111090FEDR–256–FF09E21000] 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 

and Plants; 90-Day Findings for Eight 

Species 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notification of petition findings 

and initiation of status reviews. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (Service), announce 90- 

day findings on seven petitions to add 

species to, and one petition to remove 

a species from, the Lists of Endangered 

and Threatened Wildlife and Plants 

under the Endangered Species Act of 

1973, as amended (Act). Based on our 

review, we find that the petitions to list 

the Amargosa toad (Anaxyrus nelsoni), 

Carson Valley monkeyflower 

(Erythranthe carsonensis), large marble 

butterfly (Euchloe ausonides) (including 

the large marble butterfly type 

subspecies (Euchloe ausonides 

ausonides)), Mohave ground squirrel 

(Xerospermophilus mohavensis), 

Morrison bumble bee (Bombus 

morrisoni), Oasis Valley population of 

Amargosa speckled dace (Rhinichthys 

nevadensis nevadensis; hereafter 

referred to as ‘‘Oasis Valley speckled 

dace’’), Tennessee bottlebrush crayfish 

(Barbicambarus simmonsi), and one 

petition to delist the golden-cheeked 

warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) present 

substantial scientific or commercial 

information indicating that the 

petitioned actions may be warranted. 

Therefore, with the publication of this 

document, we announce that we are 

initiating status reviews of these species 

to determine whether the petitioned 

actions are warranted. To ensure that 

the status reviews are comprehensive, 

we request scientific and commercial 

data and other information regarding the 

species and factors that may affect their 

status. Based on the status reviews, we 

will issue 12-month petition findings, 

which will address whether or not the 

petitioned actions are warranted, in 

accordance with the Act. 

DATES: WThese findings were made on 

January 21, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: Supporting documents: 

Summaries of the basis for the petition 

findings contained in this document are 

available on https://

www.regulations.gov under the 

appropriate docket number (see table 1 

under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION). In 

addition, this supporting information is 

available by contacting the appropriate 

person, as specified in FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT. 

Status reviews: If you have new 

scientific or commercial data or other 

information concerning the status of, or 

threats to, the Amargosa toad, Carson 

Valley monkeyflower, golden-cheeked 

warbler, large marble butterfly 

(including the large marble butterfly 

type subspecies), Mohave ground 

squirrel, Morrison bumble bee, Oasis 

Valley speckled dace, and Tennessee 

bottlebrush crayfish, or their habitats, 

please provide those data or information 

by one of the following methods listed 

below. 

(1) Electronically: Go to the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal: https://

www.regulations.gov. In the Search box, 

enter the appropriate docket number 

(see table 1 under SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION). Then, click on the 

‘‘Search’’ button. After finding the 

correct document, you may submit 

information by clicking on ‘‘Comment.’’ 

If your information will fit in the 

provided comment box, please use this 

feature of https://www.regulations.gov, 

as it is most compatible with our 

information review procedures. If you 

attach your information as a separate 

document, our preferred file format is 

Microsoft Word. If you attach multiple 

comments (such as form letters), our 

preferred format is a spreadsheet in 

Microsoft Excel. 

(2) By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail 

to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: 

[Insert appropriate docket number; see 

table 1 under SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION], U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 Leesburg 

Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041–3803. 

We request that you send information 

only by the methods described above. 

We will post all information we receive 

on https://www.regulations.gov. This 

generally means that we will post any 

personal information you provide us 

(see Information Submitted for a Status 

Review, below). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Species common name Contact person 

Amargosa toad and Oasis Valley 

speckled dace.

Glen Knowles, Field Supervisor, Southern Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office, 702–515–5244, 

glen_knowles@fws.gov. 

Carson Valley monkeyflower .......... Kristin Jule, Field Supervisor, Reno Fish and Wildlife Office, 775–861–6337, kristin_jule@fws.gov. 

Golden-cheeked warbler ................. Michael Warriner, Supervisory Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Austin Ecological Services Field Office, 512– 

937–7371, michael_warriner@fws.gov. 

Large marble butterfly (including 

the large marble type subspecies).

Michael Fris, Field Supervisor, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 916–425–0099, michael_fris@fws.gov. 

Mohave ground squirrel .................. Scott Sobiech, Field Supervisor, Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office, 760–431–9440, scott_sobiech@fws.gov. 

Morrison bumble bee ...................... Shawn Sartorius, Field Supervisor, New Mexico Ecological Services Field Office, 505–761–4781, 

shawn_sartorius@fws.gov. 

Tennessee bottlebrush crayfish ...... Bill Pearson, Field Supervisor, Alabama Ecological Services Field Office, 251–441–5870, bill_pearson@

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-ofcontact in the United States. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 


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Information Submitted for a Status 

Review 

You may submit your comments and 

materials concerning the status of, or 

threats to, the Amargosa toad, Carson 

Valley monkeyflower, golden-cheeked 

warbler, large marble butterfly 

(including the large marble butterfly 

type subspecies), Mohave ground 

squirrel, Morrison bumble bee, Oasis 

Valley speckled dace, and Tennessee 

bottlebrush crayfish, or their habitats, by 

one of the methods listed in ADDRESSES. 

We request that you send comments 

only by the methods described in 

ADDRESSES. Please include sufficient 

information with your submission (such 

as scientific journal articles or other 

publications) to allow us to verify any 

scientific or commercial information 

you include. 

If you submit information via https:// 

www.regulations.gov, your entire 

submission—including any personal 

identifying information—will be posted 

on the website. If your submission is 

made via a hardcopy that includes 

personal identifying information, you 

may request at the top of your document 

that we withhold this information from 

public review. However, we cannot 

guarantee that we will be able to do so. 

We will post all hardcopy submissions 

on https://www.regulations.gov. 

Comments and materials we receive, 

as well as supporting documentation we 

used in preparing these findings, will be 

available for public inspection on 

https://www.regulations.gov. 

Background 

Section 4 of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1533) 

and its implementing regulations in title 

50 of the Code of Federal Regulations 

(50 CFR part 424) set forth the 

procedures for adding species to, 

removing species from, or reclassifying 

species on the Federal Lists of 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 

and Plants (Lists or List) in 50 CFR part 

17. Section 4(b)(3)(A) of the Act requires 

that we make a finding on whether a 

petition to add a species to the List (i.e., 

‘‘list’’ a species), remove a species from 

the List (i.e., ‘‘delist’’ a species), or 

change a listed species’ status from 

endangered to threatened or from 

threatened to endangered (i.e., 

‘‘reclassify’’ a species) presents 

substantial scientific or commercial 

information indicating that the 

petitioned action may be warranted. To 

the maximum extent practicable, we are 

to make this finding within 90 days of 

our receipt of the petition and publish 

the finding promptly in the Federal 

Register. 

In 2016, the Service and the National 

Marine Fisheries Service of the 

Department of Commerce revised the 

regulations that outline the procedures 

for evaluating petitions (81 FR 66462; 

September 27, 2016). These regulations 

at 50 CFR 424.14 were effective October 

27, 2016. These current regulations 

establish that substantial scientific or 

commercial information with regard to 

a 90-day petition finding refers to 

credible scientific or commercial 

information in support of the petition’s 

claims such that a reasonable person 

conducting an impartial scientific 

review would conclude that the action 

proposed in the petition may be 

warranted (50 CFR 424.14(h)(1)(i)). A 

positive 90-day petition finding does 

not indicate that the petitioned action is 

warranted; the finding indicates only 

that the petitioned action may be 

warranted and that a full review should 

occur. When evaluating the seven 

petitions (received after September 27, 

2016) to add species to the Lists of 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 

and Plants, we applied the current 

regulations at 50 CFR 424.14. 

We received the petition to delist the 

golden-cheeked warbler prior to the 

effective date of the current regulations. 

Therefore, we evaluated the goldencheeked warbler petition under the 50 

CFR 424.14 requirements that were in 

effect prior to October 27, 2016, as those 

requirements applied when the petition 

was received. The regulations in effect 

prior to October 27, 2016, establish that 

the standard for substantial scientific or 

commercial information with regard to 

a 90-day petition finding is ‘‘that 

amount of information that would lead 

a reasonable person to believe that the 

measure proposed in the petition may 

be warranted’’ (former 50 CFR 

424.14(b)). 

A species may be determined to be an 

endangered species or a threatened 

species because of one or more of the 

five factors described in section 4(a)(1) 

of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1533(a)(1)). The 

five factors are: 

(a) The present or threatened 

destruction, modification, or 

curtailment of its habitat or range 

(Factor A); 

(b) Overutilization for commercial, 

recreational, scientific, or educational 

purposes (Factor B); 

(c) Disease or predation (Factor C); 

(d) The inadequacy of existing 

regulatory mechanisms (Factor D); and 

(e) Other natural or manmade factors 

affecting its continued existence (Factor 

E). 

These factors represent broad categories 

of natural or human-caused actions or 

conditions that could have an effect on 

a species’ continued existence. In 

evaluating these actions and conditions, 

we look for those that may have a 

negative effect on individuals of the 

species, as well as other actions or 

conditions that may ameliorate any 

negative effects or may have positive 

effects. 

We use the term ‘‘threat’’ to refer in 

general to actions or conditions that are 

known to, or are reasonably likely to, 

affect individuals of a species 

negatively. The term ‘‘threat’’ includes 

actions or conditions that have a direct 

impact on individuals (direct impacts), 

as well as those that affect individuals 

through alteration of their habitat or 

required resources (stressors). The term 

‘‘threat’’ may encompass—either 

together or separately—the source of the 

action or condition, or the action or 

condition itself. However, the mere 

identification of any threat(s) may not 

be sufficient to compel a finding that the 

information in the petition is substantial 

information indicating that the 

petitioned action may be warranted. The 

information presented in the petition 

must include evidence sufficient to 

suggest that these threats may be 

affecting the species to the point that the 

species may meet the definition of an 

endangered species or threatened 

species under the Act. 

If we find that a petition presents 

such information, our subsequent status 

review will evaluate all identified 

threats by considering the individual-, 

population-, and species-level effects 

and the expected response by the 

species. We will evaluate individual 

threats and their expected effects on the 

species, then analyze the cumulative 

effect of the threats on the species as a 

whole. We also consider the cumulative 

effect of the threats in light of those 

actions and conditions that are expected 

to have positive effects on the species— 

such as any existing regulatory 

mechanisms or conservation efforts that 

may ameliorate threats. It is only after 

conducting this cumulative analysis of 

threats and the actions that may 

ameliorate them, and the expected effect 

on the species now and in the 

foreseeable future, that we can 

determine whether the species meets 

the definition of an endangered species 

or threatened species under the Act. 

If we find that a petition presents 

substantial scientific or commercial 

information indicating that the 

petitioned action may be warranted, the 

Act requires that we promptly 

commence a review of the status of the 

species, and we will subsequently 

complete a status review in accordance 

with our prioritization methodology for 


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12-month findings (81 FR 49248; July 

27, 2016). 

We note that designating critical 

habitat is not a petitionable action under 

the Act. Petitions to designate critical 

habitat (for species without existing 

critical habitat) are reviewed under the 

Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 

551 et seq.) and are not addressed in 

these findings (see 50 CFR 424.14(j)). To 

the maximum extent prudent and 

determinable, any proposed critical 

habitat will be addressed concurrently 

with a proposed rule to list a species, if 

applicable. 

Summaries of Petition Findings 

The petition findings contained in 

this document are listed in the tables 

below, and the basis for each finding, 

along with supporting information, is 

available on https://

www.regulations.gov under the 

appropriate docket number. 

TABLE 1—STATUS REVIEWS

Common name Docket No. URL to docket on https://www.regulations.gov 

Amargosa toad ................................ FWS–R8–ES–2024–0176 ............. https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FWS-R8-ES-2024-0176. 

Carson Valley monkeyflower .......... FWS–R8–ES–2024–0100 ............. https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FWS-R8-ES-2024-0100. 

Golden-cheeked warbler ................. FWS–R2–ES–2024–0179 ............. https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FWS-R2-ES-2024-0179. 

Large marble butterfly (including 

the large marble type subspecies).

FWS–R8–ES–2024–0097 ............. https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FWS-R8-ES-2024-0097. 

Mohave ground squirrel .................. FWS–R8–ES–2024–0098 ............. https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FWS-R8-ES-2024-0098. 

Morrison bumble bee ...................... FWS–R2–ES–2024–0099 ............. https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FWS-R2-ES-2024-0099. 

Oasis Valley speckled dace ............ FWS–R8–ES–2024–0177 ............. https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FWS-R8-ES-2024-0177. 

Tennessee bottlebrush crayfish ...... FWS–R4–ES–2024–0101 ............. https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FWS-R4-ES-2024-0101. 

Evaluation of a Petition To List 

Amargosa Toad 

Species and Range 

Amargosa toad (Anaxyrus nelsoni); 

Nye County, Nevada. 

Petition History 

On May 29, 2024, we received a 

petition from the Center for Biological 

Diversity (CBD), requesting that the 

Amargosa toad (Anaxyrus nelsoni) be 

listed as a threatened species or an 

endangered species and critical habitat 

be designated for this species under the 

Act. The petitioner also asked that we 

consider using the emergency 

provisions of the Act to list the species. 

The petition clearly identified itself as 

such and included the requisite 

identification information for the 

petitioner, required at 50 CFR 424.14(c). 

Listing a species on an emergency basis 

is not a petitionable action under the 

Act, and the question of when to list on 

an emergency basis is left to the 

discretion of the Service. If the Service 

determines that the standard for 

emergency listing in section 4(b)(7) of 

the Act is met, the Service may exercise 

that discretion to take an emergency 

listing action at any time. At this time, 

the Service has not determined that the 

standard for emergency listing has been 

met. Therefore, we are considering the 

May 29, 2024, petition as a petition to 

list the Amargosa toad. This finding 

addresses the petition. 

Finding 

We reviewed the petition, sources 

cited in the petition, and other readily 

available information (within the 

constraints of the Act and 50 CFR 

424.14(h)(1)). We considered the 

credible information that the petition 

provided regarding effects of the threats 

that fall within factors under the Act’s 

section 4(a)(1) as potentially 

ameliorated or exacerbated by any 

existing regulatory mechanisms or 

conservation efforts. Based on our 

review of the petition and readily 

available information regarding gold 

mining (Factor A), we find that the 

petition presents substantial scientific 

or commercial information indicating 

that listing the Amargosa toad as an 

endangered species or a threatened 

species may be warranted. 

The petitioners also presented 

information suggesting solar energy 

development, wild burros, livestock 

grazing, off-road vehicles, road 

maintenance and runoff, invasive 

plants, water abstraction and diversion, 

chytridiomycosis, predation by bullfrogs 

and nonnative crayfish, hybridization 

with Woodhouse’s toad (Anaxyrus 

woodhousii), climate change, and 

stochastic events may be threats to the 

Amargosa toad. We will fully evaluate 

these potential threats during our 12- 

month status review, pursuant to the 

Act’s requirement to review the best 

scientific and commercial information 

available when making that finding. 

The basis for our finding on this 

petition and other information regarding 

our review of the petition can be found 

as an appendix at https://

www.regulations.gov under Docket No. 

FWS–R8–ES–2024–0176 under the 

Supporting Documents section. 

Evaluation of a Petition To List the 

Carson Valley Monkeyflower 

Species and Range 

Carson Valley monkeyflower 

(Erythranthe carsonensis); Carson City, 

Douglas, Lyon, and Washoe Counties, 

Nevada; Alpine County, California. 

Petition History 

On January 8, 2024, we received a 

petition from CBD requesting that the 

Carson Valley monkeyflower 

(Erythranthe carsonensis) be listed as a 

threatened species and critical habitat 

be designated for this species under the 

Act. The petition clearly identified itself 

as such and included the requisite 

identification information for the 

petitioner, required at 50 CFR 424.14(c). 

This finding addresses the petition. 

Finding 

We reviewed the petition, sources 

cited in the petition, and other readily 

available information (within the 

constraints of the Act and 50 CFR 

424.14(h)(1)). We considered the 

credible information that the petition 

provided regarding effects of the threats 

that fall within factors under the Act’s 

section 4(a)(1) as potentially 

ameliorated or exacerbated by any 

existing regulatory mechanisms or 

conservation efforts. Based on our 

review of the petition and readily 

available information regarding habitat 

loss associated with commercial, 

residential, and industrial development 

(Factor A), we find that the petition 

presents substantial scientific or 

commercial information indicating that 

listing the Carson Valley monkeyflower 


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as an endangered species or a 

threatened species may be warranted. 

The petitioners also presented 

information suggesting road 

development and maintenance, offhighway vehicle use, other recreational 

use, mineral exploration and 

development, trash dumping, utility 

corridor development and maintenance, 

animal grazing and trampling, fire and 

fire suppression activities, flooding, and 

stormwater management may be threats 

to the Carson Valley monkeyflower. We 

will fully evaluate these potential 

threats during our 12-month status 

review, pursuant to the Act’s 

requirement to review the best scientific 

and commercial information available 

when making that finding. 

The basis for our finding on this 

petition and other information regarding 

our review of the petition can be found 

as an appendix at https://

www.regulations.gov under Docket No. 

FWS–R8–ES–2024–0100 under the 

Supporting Documents section. 

Evaluation of a Petition To Delist the 

Golden-Cheeked Warbler 

Species and Range 

Golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga 

chrysoparia); Texas, United States; 

Chiapas, Mexico; and Central America 

(Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and 

El Salvador). 

Petition History 

On June 30, 2015, we received a 

petition dated June 29, 2015, from 

Nancie G. Marzulla (Marzulla Law, 

LLC—Washington, DC) and Robert 

Henneke (Texas Public Policy 

Foundation—Austin, TX) requesting 

that the golden-cheeked warbler 

(Setophaga chrysoparia) be delisted 

under the Act due to recovery or error 

in information. The petition clearly 

identified itself as a petition and 

included the requisite identification 

information for the petitioner, as 

required by the former 50 CFR 

424.14(a). No information is presented 

that would suggest that the species was 

originally listed due to an error in 

information. The golden-cheeked 

warbler is a taxonomically unique 

species and was shown to be in danger 

of extinction at the time of the listing. 

On December 11, 2015, we received 

supplemental information from the 

petitioners that included additional 

published studies and an unpublished 

report. The studies and report, as well 

as other studies known to the Service 

and in our files at the time the 

supplement was received, were 

considered, as appropriate. On June 3, 

2016, we published in the Federal 

Register (81 FR 35698) our finding that 

the petition did not provide substantial 

scientific or commercial information 

indicating that the petition action (i.e., 

delisting) may be warranted. The 

General Land Office of Texas (GLO) 

challenged this negative 90-day finding 

on the petition to delist. The District 

Court found in favor of the Service. The 

GLO appealed the decision, and the 

Circuit Court vacated the 90-day finding 

and remanded it to the Service. On July 

27, 2021, the Service published another 

90-day finding in the Federal Register 

(86 FR 40186) that the petition did not 

present substantial scientific or 

commercial information indicating that 

the petitioned action was warranted. 

The GLO filed suit against the Service 

on January 12, 2022, challenging the 

new 90-day finding. On September 5, 

2024, the District Court vacated and 

remanded the July 27, 2021, 90-day 

finding to the Service. This finding 

addresses the petition as remanded by 

the District Court. 

Finding 

We reviewed the petition, sources 

cited in the petition, supplemental 

information provided, and other readily 

available information (within the 

constraints of the Act and former 50 

CFR 424.14(b)). We considered the 

information that the petition provided 

regarding effects of the threats that fall 

within factors under section 4(a)(1) as 

potentially ameliorated or exacerbated 

by any existing regulatory mechanisms 

or conservation efforts. The petitioner 

provided substantial information 

indicating that greater amounts of 

golden-cheeked warbler habitat occur 

across the species range, the species is 

capable of utilizing smaller habitat 

patches, and warblers are more 

abundant than previously thought 

(Factor A). Additionally, oak wilt may 

not be as significant of a stressor to 

warbler habitat (Factor E). Based on our 

review of the petition, sources cited in 

the petition, and other readily available 

information, we find that the petition 

presents substantial scientific or 

commercial information indicating that 

delisting the golden-cheeked warbler 

may be warranted. We will fully 

evaluate these potential threats during 

our 12-month status review, pursuant to 

the Act’s requirements to review the 

best scientific and commercial data 

available when making that finding. 

The basis for our finding on this 

petition and other information regarding 

our review of the petition can be found 

as an appendix at https://

www.regulations.gov under Docket No. 

FWS–R2–ES–2024–0179 under the 

Supporting Documents section. 

Evaluation of a Petition To List the 

Large Marble Butterfly and the Large 

Marble Type Subspecies 

Species and Range 

Large marble butterfly (Euchloe 

ausonides); Alaska, California, 

Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, 

Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North 

Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, 

Washington, and Wyoming, United 

States; Yukon Territory, British 

Columbia, Northwest Territories, 

Nunavut, Alberta, Saskatchewan, 

Manitoba, and Ontario, Canada. 

Large marble butterfly type subspecies 

(Euchloe ausonides ausonides); central 

western California. 

Petition History 

On October 3, 2023, we received a 

petition from the Xerces Society for 

Invertebrate Conservation, requesting 

that the large marble butterfly be listed 

as a threatened species and the large 

marble type subspecies be listed as an 

endangered species under the Act. The 

petition clearly identified itself as such 

and included the requisite identification 

information for the petitioner, required 

at 50 CFR 424.14(c). This finding 

addresses the petition. 

Finding 

We reviewed the petition, sources 

cited in the petition, and other readily 

available information (within the 

constraints of the Act and 50 CFR 

424.14(h)(1)). We considered the 

credible information that the petition 

provided regarding effects of the threats 

that fall within factors under the Act’s 

section 4(a)(1) as potentially 

ameliorated or exacerbated by any 

existing regulatory mechanisms or 

conservation efforts. Based on our 

review of the petition and readily 

available information regarding habitat 

loss and degradation from urbanization 

(Factor A), we find that the petition 

presents substantial scientific or 

commercial information indicating that 

listing the large marble butterfly as a 

threatened species and that listing the 

large marble butterfly type subspecies as 

an endangered species may be 

warranted. 

The petitioners also presented 

information suggesting that habitat 

conversion to agriculture, livestock 

grazing, herbicide impacts to nectar and 

host plants, changes in wildfire regimes, 

predation by nonnative predators and 

parasitoids, pesticide use, climate 

change, and loss of genetic diversity 

may be threats to the large marble 

butterfly and the E. a. ausonides 

subspecies. We will fully evaluate these 

potential threats during our 12-month 


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status review, pursuant to the Act’s 

requirement to review the best scientific 

and commercial information available 

when making that finding. 

The basis for our finding on this 

petition and other information regarding 

our review of the petition can be found 

as an appendix at https://

www.regulations.gov under Docket No. 

FWS–R8–ES–2024–0097 under the 

Supporting Documents section. 

Evaluation of a Petition To List the 

Mohave Ground Squirrel 

Species and Range 

Mohave ground squirrel 

(Xerospermophilus mohavensis); 

southwestern Inyo, eastern Kern, 

northeastern Los Angeles, and 

northwestern San Bernardino counties, 

California. 

Petition History 

On December 13, 2023, we received a 

petition from Defenders of Wildlife, 

Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee, 

Inc., Mohave Ground Squirrel 

Conservation Council, and Dr. Philip 

Leitner, requesting that the Mohave 

ground squirrel be listed as a threatened 

species and that critical habitat be 

designated under the Act. The petition 

clearly identified itself as such and 

included the requisite identification 

information for the petitioner, required 

at 50 CFR 424.14(c). This finding 

addresses the petition. 

Finding 

We reviewed the petition, sources 

cited in the petition, and other readily 

available information (within the 

constraints of the Act and 50 CFR 

424.14(h)(1)). We considered the 

credible information that the petition 

provided regarding effects of the threats 

that fall within factors under the Act’s 

section 4(a)(1) as potentially 

ameliorated or exacerbated by any 

existing regulatory mechanisms or 

conservation efforts. Based on our 

review of the petition and readily 

available information regarding habitat 

loss, degradation, and fragmentation 

(Factor A), we find that the petition 

presents substantial scientific or 

commercial information indicating that 

listing the Mohave ground squirrel as an 

endangered or a threatened species may 

be warranted. The petitioners also 

presented information suggesting 

commercial filming activities, 

hybridization, competition, and climate 

change may be threats to the Mohave 

ground squirrel. We will fully evaluate 

these potential threats during our 12- 

month status review, pursuant to the 

Act’s requirement to consider the best 

scientific and commercial information 

available when making that finding. 

The basis for our finding on this 

petition and other information regarding 

our review of the petition can be found 

as an appendix at https://

www.regulations.gov under Docket No. 

FWS–R8–ES–2024–0098 under the 

Supporting Documents section. 

Evaluation of a Petition To List Morrison 

Bumble Bee 

Species and Range 

Morrison bumble bee (Bombus 

morrisoni); eastern Sierra Nevada 

Mountain range, through northeastern 

Arizona and northern New Mexico, 

north to Colorado and Rocky Mountains 

in the east, and portions of Idaho and 

Washington. 

Petition History 

On November 16, 2023, we received 

a petition from the Xerces Society 

requesting that the Morrison bumble bee 

(Bombus morrisoni) be listed as either a 

threatened species or endangered 

species under the Act. The petition 

clearly identified itself as such and 

included the requisite identification 

information for the petitioner, required 

at 50 CFR 424.14(c). This finding 

addresses the petition. 

Finding 

We reviewed the petition, sources 

cited in the petition, and other readily 

available information (within the 

constraints of the Act and 50 CFR 

424.14(h)(1)). We considered the 

credible information that the petition 

provided regarding the effects of the 

threats that fall within factors under the 

Act’s section 4(a)(1) as may be 

ameliorated or exacerbated by existing 

regulatory mechanisms or conservation 

efforts. Based on our review of the 

petition and sources cited in the 

petition regarding pesticides (Factor E), 

livestock overgrazing (Factor A), urban 

development (Factor A), agricultural 

intensification (Factor A), pathogens 

and parasites (Factor C), and global 

climate change (Factor E), we find that 

the petition presents substantial 

scientific or commercial information 

indicating that listing the Morrison 

bumble bee as an endangered or 

threatened species may be warranted. 

The petitioners also present 

information suggesting the following 

may be threats to the Morrison bumble 

bee: energy development and mining; 

overutilization for commercial, 

recreational scientific or educational 

purposes; pathogen spillover; the effects 

of small, isolated populations; and 

competition with commercial 

honeybees. The petition also suggests 

that despite the existing regulatory 

mechanisms, potential threats continue 

to negatively affect the species. We will 

fully evaluate these potential threats 

during our status review, pursuant to 

the Act’s requirement to review the best 

scientific and commercial information 

available when making our 12-month 

finding. 

The basis for our finding on this 

petition and other information regarding 

our review of the petition can be found 

as an appendix at https://

www.regulations.gov under Docket No. 

FWS–R2–ES–2024–0099 under the 

Supporting Documents section. 

Evaluation of a Petition To List the 

Oasis Valley Speckled Dace 

Species and Range 

Amargosa speckled dace [Oasis Valley 

distinct population segment] 

(Rhinichthys nevadensis nevadensis) 

(=Oasis Valley speckled dace)— 

provisional determination; Nye County, 

Nevada. 

Petition History 

On July 2, 2024, we received a 

petition from CBD, requesting that the 

Oasis Valley speckled dace distinct 

population segment of Amargosa 

speckled dace be listed as a threatened 

species or an endangered species and 

critical habitat be designated for this 

species under the Act. Based on our 

review of the petition, sources cited in 

the petition, and other readily available 

information, we find that the petition 

presents substantial information that the 

Oasis Valley population may be discrete 

based on marked separation from other 

populations of the taxon as a 

consequence of physical separation and 

evidenced by genetic differences. This 

suggests that the petitioned population 

segment differs markedly from other 

populations of Amargosa speckled dace 

in its genetic characteristics. As such, 

the petitioned population segment may 

be significant per criterion 4 of our DPS 

policy due to evidence that the 

population segment differs markedly 

from other populations of the species in 

its genetic characteristics (61 FR 4725). 

Therefore, we find that the petition 

provides substantial scientific or 

commercial information indicating that 

the petitioned entity may qualify as a 

DPS and, therefore, that it may be a 

listable entity under the Act. For the 

purposes of this 90-day finding 

evaluation, we will use the generally 

recognized common name—Oasis 

Valley speckled dace—to refer to the 

Oasis Valley population of Amargosa 

speckled dace that occurs in the 


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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 12 / Tuesday, January 21, 2025 / Proposed Rules 7043 

watershed of the Amargosa River in 

Oasis Valley, Nevada. 

The petitioner also asked that we 

consider using the emergency 

provisions of the Act to list the species. 

The petition clearly identified itself as 

such and included the requisite 

identification information for the 

petitioner, required at 50 CFR 424.14(c). 

Listing a species on an emergency basis 

is not a petitionable action under the 

Act, and the question of when to list on 

an emergency basis is left to the 

discretion of the Service. If the Service 

determines that the standard for 

emergency listing in section 4(b)(7) of 

the Act is met, the Service may exercise 

that discretion to take an emergency 

listing action at any time. Therefore, we 

are considering the July 2, 2024, petition 

as a petition to list the Oasis Valley 

speckled dace. This finding addresses 

the petition. 

Finding 

We reviewed the petition, sources 

cited in the petition, and other readily 

available information (within the 

constraints of the Act and 50 CFR 

424.14(h)(1)). We considered the 

credible information that the petition 

provided regarding effects of the threats 

that fall within factors under the Act’s 

section 4(a)(1) as potentially 

ameliorated or exacerbated by any 

existing regulatory mechanisms or 

conservation efforts. Based on our 

review of the petition and readily 

available information] regarding gold 

mining (Factor A), we find that the 

petition presents substantial scientific 

or commercial information indicating 

that listing the Oasis Valley speckled 

dace as an endangered species or a 

threatened species may be warranted. 

The petitioners also presented 

information suggesting solar energy 

development, water diversions, 

livestock grazing, wild burros, invasive 

species, climate change, and the effects 

of isolated populations may be threats to 

the Oasis Valley speckled dace We will 

fully evaluate these potential threats 

during our 12-month status review, 

pursuant to the Act’s requirement to 

review the best scientific and 

commercial information available when 

making that finding. 

The basis for our finding on this 

petition and other information regarding 

our review of the petition can be found 

as an appendix at https://

www.regulations.gov under Docket No. 

FWS–R8–ES–2024–0177 under the 

Supporting Documents section. 

Evaluation of a Petition To List 

Tennessee Bottlebrush Crayfish 

Species and Range 

Tennessee bottlebrush crayfish 

(Barbicambarus simmonsi); Lawrence 

County, Tennessee, and Lauderdale 

County, Alabama. 

Petition History 

On June 16, 2023, we received a 

petition from CBD, requesting that the 

Tennessee bottlebrush crayfish 

(Barbicambarus simmonsi) be listed as a 

threatened or endangered species and 

critical habitat be designated for this 

species under the Act. The petition 

clearly identified itself as such and 

included the requisite identification 

information for the petitioner, required 

at 50 CFR 424.14(c). This finding 

addresses the petition. 

Finding 

We reviewed the petition, sources 

cited in the petition, and other readily 

available information (within the 

constraints of the Act and 50 CFR 

424.14(h)(1)). We considered the 

credible information that the petition 

provided regarding effects of the threats 

that fall within factors under the Act’s 

section 4(a)(1) as potentially 

ameliorated or exacerbated by any 

existing regulatory mechanisms or 

conservation efforts. Based on our 

review of the petition and readily 

available information regarding habitat 

destruction and alteration from the 

effects of dams and land use practices 

including agriculture, silviculture, 

urban runoff, and wastewater treatment 

facilities (Factor A), we find that the 

petition presents substantial scientific 

or commercial information indicating 

that listing the Tennessee bottlebrush 

crayfish as an endangered species or a 

threatened species may be warranted. 

The petitioners also presented 

information suggesting overutilization 

or collection and impacts of climate 

change may be threats to the Tennessee 

bottlebrush crayfish. The petitioners 

also provided information that, despite 

the existing regulatory mechanisms, 

these potential threats are still affecting 

the species. We will fully evaluate these 

potential threats during our 12-month 

status review, pursuant to the Act’s 

requirement to review the best scientific 

and commercial information available 

when making that finding. 

The basis for our finding on this 

petition and other information regarding 

our review of the petition can be found 

at https://www.regulations.gov under 

Docket No. FWS–R4–ES–2024–0101 

under the Supporting Documents 

section. 

Conclusion 

On the basis of our evaluation of the 

information presented in the petitions 

under section 4(b)(3)(A) of the Act, we 

have determined that the petitions 

summarized above for the Amargosa 

toad, Carson Valley monkeyflower, 

golden-cheeked warbler, large marble 

butterfly (including the large marble 

butterfly type subspecies), Mohave 

ground squirrel, Morrison bumble bee, 

Oasis Valley speckled dace, and 

Tennessee bottlebrush crayfish present 

substantial scientific or commercial 

information indicating that the 

petitioned actions may be warranted. 

We are, therefore, initiating status 

reviews of these species to determine 

whether the actions are warranted under 

the Act. At the conclusion of the status 

reviews, we will issue findings, in 

accordance with section 4(b)(3)(B) of the 

Act, as to whether the petitioned actions 

are not warranted, warranted, or 

warranted but precluded by pending 

proposals to determine whether any 

species is an endangered species or a 

threatened species. 

Authors 

The primary authors of this document 

are staff members of the Ecological 

Services Program, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service. 

Authority 

The authority for these actions is the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). 

Martha Williams, 

Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

[FR Doc. 2025–01118 Filed 1–17–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

50 CFR Part 17 

[Docket No. FWS–R2–ES–2024–0083; 

FXES1111090FEDR–256–FF09E21000] 

RIN 1018–BG16 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 

and Plants; Endangered Species 

Status for Big Red Sage 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Proposed rule. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service (Service), propose to 

list the big red sage (Salvia 

pentstemonoides), a plant species from 

central Texas, as an endangered species 

under the Endangered Species Act of 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PROPOSALS1