The Fish and Wildlife Service is issuing a final rule listing the South Sierra and South Coast distinct population segments of the foothill yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii), a stream-dwelling amphibian from Oregon and California, as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, and the North Feather and Central Coast distinct population segments of the species as threatened. The listings for the North Feather and Central Coast groups include a 4(d) rule for this species that prohibits importation and exportation without a permit. New import and export restrictions set by the agency’s final rule take effect Sept. 28.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is issuing a final rule listing the sand dune phacelia (Phacelia argentea), a plant species from coastal southern Oregon and northern California, as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The listing includes a 4(d) rule for these species that prohibits importation and exportation without a permit. New import and export restrictions set by the agency’s final rule take effect Sept. 21.

CBP last week released a set of frequently asked questions involving Automated Export System message 97H, a recently introduced code that notifies filers that their shipment has been put on hold (see 2305240038 and 2305100062). One FAQ says CBP won’t use the message to hold all exports it plans to inspect, and instead the message will be used “at the discretion” of the officer based on the “type of merchandise” being shipped. Other FAQs cover how frequently filers should expect to see the message, what exporters should do after receiving the message, who needs to program for the message and more.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will on Sept. 18 launch an updated version of the Registered Aquaculture Export Facility (RAEF) inspection program, the agency said. On that date, the agency will begin using “RAEF 2.0 documents and processes,” and will “apply changes to currently enrolled facilities at their next regularly scheduled annual facility inspection and approval,” it said. APHIS will hold a series of training webinars on the new system in September, and will send an email in “the coming days” with a webinar schedule. APHIS also will launch a new website in September “dedicated to aquatic animal export resources ... including step-by-step guides on the RAEF 2.0 inspection program,” it said.

The Drug Enforcement Administration permanently placed the synthetic benzimidazol-opioid metonitazene on Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, it said in a final order released Aug. 17. The substance had already been temporarily listed in Schedule I since 2022 (see 2204110029). The final order is set to take effect Sept. 18.

The Census Bureau Aug. 10 launched a new response code in the Automated Export System to alert filers who try to submit a shipment controlled under U.S. Munitions List Category XXI without a valid determination number. The response code, 5C2, will serve as an “informational” error message for at least 90 days, then become a “fatal” error, according to an Aug. 10 CBP CSMS message, and AES will reject the filing.

Future outbound notifications in the Automated Commercial Environment for ocean, air, rail and in-bond's may be delayed two hours “for the foreseeable future,” CBP said in an Aug. 10 CSMS message. The agency said it’s “working on a fix to speed these notifications up and another CSMS will be issued when that has been implemented.”

The Census Bureau emailed tips last week on how to address the most frequent messages generated this month in the Automated Export System.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is removing the golden paintbrush (Castilleja levisecta), a flowering plant native to southwestern British Columbia, western Washington, and western Oregon, from the Endangered Species List, it said in a final rule released July 18. An FWS review indicated that “threats to the golden paintbrush have been eliminated or reduced to the point that the species no longer meets the definition of an endangered or threatened species," the agency said. The delisting takes effect Aug. 18.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is issuing a final rule listing the western fanshell (Cyprogenia aberti), a freshwater mussel species from Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, and the Ouachita fanshell (Cyprogenia cf. aberti), a freshwater mussel species from Arkansas and Louisiana, as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The listing includes a 4(d) rule for these species that prohibits importation and exportation without a permit. New import and export restrictions set by the agency’s final rule take effect July 27.