Proposed Rule Change Delayed
Official posting in the Federal Register of the Proposed Rule Change announced by Interior Secretary Salazar in a press release last month has been delayed. This posting is expected to recommend inclusion of all 9 snakes listed in the recent USGS report on the Injurious Wildlife list of the Lacey Act. The press release reported that the Proposed Rule Change would be published in the Federal Register in early February. This process is running behind schedule. It was signed and left Interior's Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks Office on February 5th. From there it went to the Secretary's Office for final review. It has cleared the Secretary's Office and is ready for transmission to the Federal Register. As of this morning, that has not happened yet.
We will not know exactly what will be included in the Proposed Rule Change until it is actually published. USARK expects this process to move forward this week and it will likely be published in the Federal Register as early as Friday; or as late as next week. Please stay tuned for the most up to date information from USARK.
Proposed Rule Change is potentially the biggest threat the Reptile Nation has ever faced. Please stay vigilant and ready yourself for action!
