Notice is hereby given in accordance with § 2.2-4007.01 of the Code of Virginia that the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services intends to consider amending 2VAC5-320, Regulations for the Enforcement of the Endangered Plant and Insect Species Act. The purpose of the proposed action is to amend the lists of endangered and threatened plant and insect species by (i) removing from the regulation a plant species that is no longer globally rare and (ii) adding to the endangered and threatened lists certain plant and insect species that are considered in danger of extinction or that are likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of their native range. This action seeks to protect endangered and threatened plant and insect species from take and destruction. The proposed amendments will also stimulate conservation programs to preserve and protect the affected species. This Notice of Intended Regulatory Action serves as the report of the findings of the regulatory review pursuant to § 2.2-4007.1 of the Code of Virginia.

The agency intends to hold a public hearing on the proposed action after publication in the Virginia Register.

Statutory Authority: §§ 3.2-1002 and 3.2-1005 of the Code of Virginia.

Public Comment Deadline: September 19, 2018.

Agency Contact: Debra Martin, Program Manager, Office of Plant Industry Services, Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23218, telephone (804) 786-3515, FAX (804) 371-7793, TTY (800) 828-1120, or email debra.martin@vdacs.virginia.gov.