FWS revised its regulations concerning protections of endangered and threatened species under the ESA by reinstating the general application of the "blanket rule'' option for protecting newly listed threatened species pursuant to §4(d) of the Act, with the continued option to promulgate species-specific §4(d) rules, and extending to federally recognized tribes the exceptions to prohibitions for threatened species that the regulations currently provide to the employees or agents of FWS and other federal and state agencies to aid, salvage, or dispose of threatened species.

FWS and NMFS finalized revisions to portions of their regulations that implement §4 of the ESA, concerning procedures and criteria used for listing, reclassifying, and delisting species on the lists of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants and designating critical habitat.

FWS and NMFS finalized revisions to portions of their regulations that implement §7 of the ESA concerning interagency cooperation procedures.

FWS proposed to remove the Roanoke logperch from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife due to recovery. 

FWS revised the rule for the African elephant promulgated under §4(d) of the ESA in order to increase protection for the species, clarify the existing enhancement requirement, and incorporate a Party’s designation under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora National Legislation Project into various decisionmaking processes regarding imports.

FWS withdrew the September 7, 2021, proposed rule to list the pyramid pigtoe as a threatened species under the ESA. 

FWS proposed to list the pygmy three-toed sloth as a threatened species under the ESA, with a rule issued under §4(d) of the Act. 

FWS initiated five-year status reviews for 100 species in American Sāmoa, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington under the ESA.