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.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is issuing a final rule listing the Louisiana pinesnake (Pituophis ruthveni), a reptile species from Louisiana and Texas, as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. New import and export restrictions set by the agency’s final rule take effect May 7.
The Fish and Wildlife Service issued a final rule listing the yellow lance (Elliptio lanceolata), a mussel species from Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina, as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. New import and export restrictions set by the agency’s final rule take effect May 3.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is proposing to add “bump stocks” to its definition for machine guns, it said in a proposed rule. The change would apply the restrictions on machine guns, including those applicable to importation and exportation, to bump stocks. Under the National Firearms Act, machine guns may only be imported for sale to federal and state government agencies. The proposed rule would amend the definition of machine guns in ATF’s regulations so that it “includes a device that allows semiautomatic firearms to shoot more than one shot with a single pull of the trigger by harnessing the recoil energy of the semiautomatic firearm to which it is affixed so that the trigger resets and continues firing without additional physical manipulation of the trigger by the shooter (commonly known as bump-stock-type devices).” Comments on the proposed rule are due June 27.
The International Trade Commission on March 23 issued Revision 2 to the 2018 Harmonized Tariff Schedule. The main reason for the update was to implement new Section 232 tariffs on aluminum and steel products (see 1803230060). The ITC also made technical corrections and changes related to recently imposed Section 201 safeguard duties on solar cells and residential washers. The changes, most of which took effect March 23, are as follows: