Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removal of Gila Chub From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife

Published

Sep 10, 2026

Effective

Jun 17, 2025

Comments close

Sep 25, 2026

Citation

91 FR 57531

Docket

FWS-R2-ES-2022-0001, FXES11130900000-267-FF09E22000

Agencies

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Fish and Wildlife Service

Proposed rule; reopening of comment period.

Summary

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is reopening the public comment period for its June 17 2025 proposal to remove the Gila chub (Gila intermedia) from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. The agency believes the species has recovered enough—thanks largely to habitat improvements and successful management actions—to no longer meet the criteria for protection under the Endangered Species Act. Removing the fish from the list would end the special federal protections and recovery requirements that currently apply to it. The proposal affects the Gila chub itself, landowners, water‑resource managers, and any other parties who work in the species’ range in Arizona and New Mexico. Because the rule would lift the species’ federal status, it could change how federal and state agencies handle water‑use permits, habitat projects, and related environmental reviews in those areas. The comment period, originally set to close months ago, has been extended and will now close on September 25 2026. All comments already submitted will be retained, and any new input received by that deadline will be considered as the USFWS prepares a final rule. After the deadline, the agency will review the feedback, finalize its decision, and publish the final rule, which will determine whether the Gila chub is officially delisted.

AI-generated summary — verify against the Federal Register text.

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