NMFS proposed to designate specific areas in the marine environment, including nearshore areas along the coasts of Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, California, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, and Sargassum habitat in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean, as critical habitat for six distinct population segments of the green sea turtle under the ESA.

EPA entered into a proposed stipulated partial settlement agreement under the ESA in Center for Biological Diversity v. United States Environmental Protection Agency, No. 3:11-cv-0293 (N.D. Cal.), which would require the Agency to take steps by specified deadlines in connection with its alleged failure to comply with certain duties under the Act.

NMFS announced its intent to conduct five-year reviews for black abalone and white abalone and requested the submission of scientific and commercial data that has become available since the last review of the species.

FWS proposed to list the dunes sagebrush lizard as an endangered species under the ESA.

FWS revised the regulations concerning experimental populations of endangered and threatened species under the ESA, by removing language generally restricting the introduction of experimental populations to only the species' "historical range" to allow for the introduction of populations into habitat outside of their historical range for conservation purposes.

FWS removed the Okaloosa darter from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife due to recovery.

FWS determined threatened species status under the ESA for the western fanshell and the "Ouachita" fanshell, and designated critical habitat for both species.

NMFS announced its 90-day finding on a petition to list bull kelp as an endangered or threatened species under the ESA, finding that listing was not warranted.

FWS proposed to reinstate the general application of the “blanket rule” option for protecting newly listed threatened species pursuant to ESA §4(d), with the continued option to promulgate species-specific rules; extend to federally recognized tribes the exceptions to prohibitions for threatened species that the regulations currently provide to the employees or agents of the Service and other federal and state agencies to aid, salvage, or dispose of threatened species; and minor changes to clarify or correct the existing regulations for endangered and threatened species.

FWS and NMFS proposed to amend portions of their regulations that implement ESA §7 to further clarify and improve the interagency consultation processes, while continuing to provide for the conservation of listed species.