90-Day Finding on a Petition To List the Texas Kangaroo Rat as Endangered or Threatened

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a 90-day finding on a petition to list the Texas kangaroo rat, Dipodomys elator, as endangered or threatened and to designate critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. Based on our review, we find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing the Texas kangaroo rat may be warranted. Therefore, with the publication of this notice, we are initiating a status review to determine if listing the Texas kangaroo rat is warranted. To ensure the status review is comprehensive, we are requesting scientific and commercial data and other information regarding this species. Based on the status review, we will issue a 12-month finding on the petition, which will address whether the petitioned action is warranted, as provided in section 4(b)(3)(B) of the Act.