The Service is announcing a final rule that identifies Endangered Species Act protections for the northern-long eared bat. The final 4(d) rule, published in the Federal Register on January 14, 2016, identifies prohibitions that focus on protecting the bat’s sensitive life stages in areas affected by white-nose syndrome.
The Service listed the northern long-eared bat as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in April 2015 and established an interim 4(d) rule. At the same time we opened a 90-day public comment period on the interim rule to gather additional information as we worked to refine and finalize it.
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/mammals/nleb/
