The Fish and Wildlife Service is reclassifying the Tobusch fishhook cactus, Sclerocactus brevihamatus ssp. tobuschii (currently listed as Ancistrocactus tobuschii) from an endangered species to a threatened species, in a final rule. It is endemic to the Edwards Plateau of central Texas. The reclassification takes effect June 14.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is reclassifying the Kuenzler hedgehog cactus, Echinocereus fendleri var. kuenzleri, from an endangered species to a threatened species, in a final rule. The reclassification takes effect June 10.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is extending for one more year the temporary listing of beta-hydroxythiofentanyl in schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said. The synthetic opioid, first temporarily listed in 2016, will now remain listed in schedule I until May 12, 2019. DEA also issued a proposed rule to permanently list beta-hydroxythiofentanyl in schedule I, with comments due June 11. Substances may only be temporarily listed under the CSA for three years.

Agencies involved in wildlife trafficking enforcement should improve their use of rewards for tips that lead to fines or convictions, the Government Accountability Office said in a report issued May 8. The Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration should improve their tracking of rewards and guidance on reward amounts for information on Lacey Act and Endangered Species Act violations, and better advertise to the public the availability of rewards, GAO said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is listing the Taiwanese humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis taiwanensis) as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, it said in a final rule. Import and export restrictions set by the new listing take effect June 8.

The Drug Enforcement Administration permanently placed the synthetic opioids butyryl fentanyl and U-47700 into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, in a final order. These substances had already been temporarily listed in schedule I since 2016. The final order takes effect April 20.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is proposing to amend its procedures for setting and applying for production and procurement quotas for schedule I and II controlled substances. The agency’s proposed rule would update provisions on the information considered by DEA, in particular directing consideration of the extent of diversion of the controlled substance, when it sets and adjusts aggregate and individual production quotas. DEA would also be able to require additional information from applicants for manufacturing and production quotas that may help to detect or prevent diversion, including customer identities and the amounts of the controlled substance sold to each customer. The measures would help DEA address the ongoing opioid addiction crisis, DEA said. “It’s a common sense idea: the more a drug is diverted, the more its production should be limited,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a press release announcing the proposed rule. DEA hopes to have its final regulations in place for the 2019 quota process, the agency said in the proposal. Comments are due May 4.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is removing the lesser long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris curasoae yerbabuenae), a bat subspecies found in Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico, from the Endangered Species List, it said in a final rule. A "review of the best available scientific and commercial information" indicates that "the threats to this subspecies have been eliminated or reduced to the point that the subspecies has recovered," FWS said. The delisting takes effect May 18.

The Federal Communications Commission recently posted some guidance on the use of the Suppliers Declaration of Conformity by radio frequency device importers. The April 5 guidance from the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology details the SDoC procedures created last year when the agency ended Form 740 filing requirements (see 1711010011).

The Fish and Wildlife Service is removing the black-capped vireo (Vireo atricapilla, listed as Vireo atricapillus), a migratory songbird found in Oklahoma, Texas and Mexico, from the Endangered Species List, it said in a final rule. A "review of the best available scientific and commercial information" indicates that "the threats to this species have been reduced or managed to the point that the species has recovered," FWS said. The delisting takes effect May 16.