Thirty-five conservation groups, including ABRA and several of its members, filed comments with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on December 3 in response to the agency’s Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding incidental take regulations under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA).
Endangered species regulatory changes close to happening
The significant revisions made to the Endangered Species Act regulations by the Trump Administration in December 2020 are close to being reversed by the Biden Administration. The U.S. Department of Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) developed last summer proposed regulations to undue the Trump changes that had relaxed protection criteria for critical habitats of endangered species.
Ivory-billed woodpecker officially declared extinct, along with 22 other species
- – The Washington Post – 9/29/21
Fish and Wildlife Service Issues New Biological Opinion for MVP
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued September 4 a new Biological Opinion (BiOp) and Incidental Take Statement (ITC) for the Mountain Valley Pipeline. An earlier BiOp and ITC had been subject to legal challenges in 2019. The process of writing a new BiOp and ITC has been proceeding for an extended period.
Comments Filed Opposing Endangered Species Act Modification
Sixty-Four conservation organizations, including ABRA and several of its members, filed comments on September 3 with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service in response to a proposal by the two agencies to define “habitat” in the regulations governing the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Mountain Valley Pipeline construction won’t jeopardize protected species, federal review says
- – The Roanoke Times – 9/4/20
FERC-agencies fight stalls major gas export project
- – E&E News – 8/19/20
New Biological Assessment Filed With FERC, But Not Made Public
Dominion Energy Transmission, Inc. filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on June 22 a new Biological Assessment (BA) for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP), but designated the information as “privileged and confidential” and thus not available to the public.
ACP Survey Claims Are Contested as Outdated
Atlantic Coast Pipeline, LLC’s has contended to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that bat surveys it conducted in 2015 should be considered “current.” This contention was challenged in an April 2 letter to FERC by the Southern Environmental Law Center.
Outdated pipeline surveys need updates from Dominion
- – The Recorder – 4/9/20