[Nhcoll-l] Endangered species status of American Burying Beetle

[Mark O'Brien]

It appears that there is a petition to remove the American Burying Beetle
 from the Endangered  species list as seen in a recent petition, all
related to the oil industry. American Stewards of Liberty is well-known for
trying to remove endangered species from listings. The petitioners all have
ties with the oil industry, and all are based in Texas.

Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
[4500030115]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 90-Day Findings on 29
Petitions
Evaluation of a Petition to Remove the American Burying Beetle from the
List of
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
Additional information regarding our review of this petition can be found
as an appendix
at https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.regulations.gov&d=AwIFaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=lBDFE88m98fac2Q4itLpAWGfmva41qDPpvdkayN0oLw&s=V2mSyRMp4pYJjtjeAT2bVCAEDkfaZuGoqgfsUSXwvsY&e=  under Docket No. FWS–R2–ES–2016–0011 under
the Supporting
Documents section.
Species and Range
American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus): Arkansas, Kansas,
Massachusetts,
Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Texas
16
Petition History
On August 18, 2015, we received a petition dated August 18, 2015, via
electronic mail
from American Stewards of Liberty, the Independent Petroleum Association of
America, the
Texas Public Policy Foundation, and Dr. Steven W. Carothers (petitioners)
requesting that the
American burying beetle be delisted under the Act due to error in
information such that the
existence or magnitude of threats to the species, or both, do not support a
conclusion that the
species is at risk of extinction now or in the foreseeable future. The
petition clearly identified
itself as a petition and included the requisite identification information
for the petitioner, as
required by 50 CFR 424.14(a). This finding addresses the petition.
Finding
Based on our review of the petition and sources cited in the petition, we
find that the
petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information
indicating that the petitioned
action (delisting) may be warranted for the American burying beetle
(Nicrophorus americanus),
based on a lack of threats under any of the five listing factors. However,
during our status
review, we will thoroughly evaluate all potential threats to the species,
including the extent to
which any protections or other conservation efforts have reduced those
threats. Thus, for this
species, the Service requests any information relevant to whether the
species falls within the
definition of either an endangered species under section 3(6) of the Act or
a threatened species
under section 3(20), including information on the five listing factors
under section 4(a)(1) and
any other factors identified in this finding (see Request for Information
for Status Reviews,
above)



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Mark F. O'Brien, Collection Manager

Insect Division, Museum of Zoology

The University of Michigan

1109 Geddes Avenue

Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1079

(734)-647-2199

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