Notice2026-11827
Agency Information Collection Activities; Policy Regarding Voluntary Prelisting Conservation Actions
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
June 12, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentFish and Wildlife Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are proposing to renew an information collection without change.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 113 (Friday, June 12, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 113 (Friday, June 12, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35698-35700]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-11827]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2026-1883; FXES111609C0000-267-FF09E41000; OMB
Control Number 1018-0177]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Policy Regarding
Voluntary Prelisting Conservation Actions
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are proposing to renew an
information collection without change.
DATES: Comments will be accepted on or before August 11, 2026. Comments
submitted electronically using the Federal eRulemaking Portal (see
ADDRESSES, below) must be received by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on the
closing date. To ensure your comment is received and considered, you
must submit it using one of the methods identified in the ADDRESSES
section of this document. Comments submitted through any method not
authorized in this document, or sent to an address not listed here,
will not be considered.
ADDRESSES:
Comment submission: All submissions must include the docket number
[FWS-HQ-ES-2026-1883] for this document. You must submit comments using
one of the following methods:
<bullet> Electronic submission: Federal eRulemaking Portal at:
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. In the Search box, enter FWS-HQ-ES-2026-
1883, which is the docket number for this action. Then click the Search
button. On the resulting page, you may submit a comment by clicking on
``Comment.'' Please ensure that you have found the correct document
before submitting your comments.
<bullet> U.S. mail: Service Information Collection Clearance
Officer, Attn: Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2026-1883, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, MS: PRB (JAO/3W), 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-
3803.
Comments submitted through any method not authorized in this
document, or sent to an address not listed here, will not be
considered. We will not accept comments via email, fax, or hand
delivery. We are not required to consider comments that are submitted
after the comment period ends or that are submitted via a method
outside of these instructions. Comments containing profanity,
vulgarity, threats, or other inappropriate content will not be
considered. We will post all comments at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Madonna Baucum, Service Information
Collection Clearance Officer, by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5e17303831011d3132321e38292d70393128"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ca83a4aca59589a5a6a68aacbdb9e4ada5bc">[email protected]</span></a>, or by
telephone at (703) 358-2503. Individuals who are hearing or speech
impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 for TTY
assistance. You may also view the information collection request (ICR)
at <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), we provide
the general public and other Federal agencies with an opportunity to
comment on new, proposed, revised, and continuing collections of
information. This helps us assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It
also helps the public understand our information collection
requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format.
As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent
burdens, we are soliciting comments from the public and other Federal
agencies on the proposed ICR described below. We are especially
interested in public comments addressing the following:
(1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including
whether or not the information will have practical utility;
(2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection
of information, including the validity of the methodology and
assumptions used;
(3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
(4) How might the agency minimize the burden of the collection of
information on those who are to respond, including through the use of
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological
collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g.,
permitting electronic submission of response.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
[[Page 35699]]
public record. Before including your address, phone number, email
address, or other personally identifiable information in your comment,
you should be aware that your entire comment--including your personally
identifiable information--may be publicly available at any time. While
you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personally identifiable
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
Abstract: The Service is charged with implementing the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The goal
of the Act is to provide a means to conserve the ecosystems upon which
listed species depend and a program for listed species conservation.
Through our Candidate Conservation program, we encourage the public to
take conservation actions for species prior to them being listed under
the Act. Doing so may result in precluding the need to list a species,
may result in listing a species as threatened instead of endangered,
or, if a species becomes listed, may provide the basis for its recovery
and eventual removal from the protections of the Act.
This policy provides incentives to landowners, government agencies,
and others to carry out voluntary conservation actions for unlisted
species. It allows the use of any benefits to the species from
voluntary conservation actions undertaken prior to listing under the
Act--by the person who undertook such actions or by third parties--to
mitigate or offset the detrimental effects of other actions undertaken
after listing. The policy requires participating States to track the
voluntary conservation actions and provide this information to us on an
annual basis. We require this information in order to provide the
entities that have taken the conservation actions with proper credit
that can later be used to mitigate for any detrimental actions they
take after the species is listed.
We plan to collect the following information:
<bullet> Description of the prelisting conservation action being
taken.
<bullet> Location of the action (does not include a specific
address).
<bullet> Name of the entity taking the action and their contact
information (email address only).
<bullet> Frequency of the action (ongoing for X years, or one-time
implementation) and an indication if the action is included in a State
Wildlife Action Plan.
<bullet> Any transfer to a third party of the mitigation or
compensatory measure rights.
Each State that chooses to participate will collect this
information from landowners, businesses and organizations, and Tribal,
Federal, and local governments that wish to receive credit for
voluntary prelisting conservation actions. States may collect this
information via an Access database, Excel spreadsheet, or other
database of their choosing and submit the information to the Fish and
Wildlife Service (via email) annually. States will use this information
to calculate the number of credits that the entity taking the
conservation action will receive and will keep track of the credits and
notify the entity of how much credit they have earned. The States will
report the number of credits to the Service, and we will determine how
many credits are needed by the entity to mitigate or offset the
detrimental effects of other actions they take after the species is
listed (assuming it is listed).
Title of Collection: Policy Regarding Voluntary Prelisting
Conservation Actions.
OMB Control Number: 1018-0177.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Respondents/Affected Public: State governments.
Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion for new submissions, ongoing
for recordkeeping requirements, and annually for reporting
requirements.
Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.
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Average
Annual number Average completion Estimated
Information collection of number of Annual number time per annual burden
requirement respondents responses of responses response hours *
each (hours)
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State-Developed Voluntary
Conservation Action Program....
1 1 1 320 320
Development of Conservation
Strategy.......................
1 1 1 200 200
Amendments to Conservation
Strategy.......................
1 1 1 16 16
Credit Agreement/Transfer of
Credits........................
3 1 3 80 240
Annual Reports..................
3 1 3 20 60
State Recordkeeping Requirements
3 1 3 240 720
State Reports--Voluntary
Prelisting Conservation Actions
Taken Under Program............
3 1 3 .25 1
Site-Level Agreements...........
1 1 1 100 100
Formal Agreements...............
1 1 1 4 4
Monitoring Reports..............
3 1 3 24 72
Site-Level Reports..............
3 1 3 24 72
Management Plans................
1 1 1 120 120
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Totals:..................... 24 .............. 24 .............. 1,925
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* Rounded.
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An agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required
to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number.
The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-11827 Filed 6-11-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P
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