Agency Information Collection Activities; Policy Regarding Voluntary Prelisting Conservation Actions

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Published Document: 2026-11827 (91 FR 35698)
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AGENCY:
Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION:
Notice of information collection; request for comment.
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:
Electronic submission:
Federal eRulemaking Portal at:
https://www.regulations.gov. 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.
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
https://www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Madonna Baucum, Service Information Collection Clearance Officer, by email at
Info_Coll@fws.gov,
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
http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501et 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
( printed 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. 1531et 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:
Description of the prelisting conservation action being taken.
Location of the action (does not include a specific address).
Name of the entity taking the action and their contact information (email address only).
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.
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.
( printed page 35700)
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. 3501et seq.).
Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.