The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced the water howellia is flourishing and no longer needs protection under the Endangered Species Act. The FWS is now proposing to remove the aquatic plant from the list of endangered and threatened plants because threats to the species have been adequately managed.

Water howellia is found in wetlands and ponds across the Pacific Northwest in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California, and Montana. Land management plans adopted by federal and state agencies to strategically conserve the species and its habitat have led the Service to conclude it is unlikely to be endangered in the foreseeable future.

The proposed rule will publish in the Federal Register on October 7, 2019. The Service will accept comments regarding the proposal and the post-delisting monitoring plan for 60-days after publication. Interested parties can submit comments electronically at https://www.regulations.gov. In the search box, enter docket number FWS–R6–ES–2018–0045, and then click on the “Comment Now!” button.