Fiscal Year 2016 Endangered Species Act Annual Expenditure Report Data Call

IM 2017-031
Instruction Memorandum

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240-0036
http://www.blm.gov

January 12, 2017

 

In Reply Refer To:

6600 (230) P      

EMS TRANSMISSION 01/24/2017

Instruction Memorandum No. 2017-031

Expires:  09/30/2018

To:                  All Field Office Officials

From:              Assistant Director, Resources and Planning

Subject:          Fiscal Year 2016 Endangered Species Act Annual Expenditure Report Data Call                         DD: 02/10/2017 & 03/10/2017

Program Area:  Fish and Wildlife Conservation.

Purpose:  This Instruction Memorandum (IM) transmits the annual request for threatened and endangered (T&E) species expenditure data.

Policy/Action: This data call requires submission of expenditure and accomplishment data pertaining to species listed pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016.  All Bureau of Land Management (BLM) State Offices (SOs) must submit this information for 2016.  To capture all BLM investment in executing our mandate under the ESA, expenditures documented apply to all BLM monies spent on species listed under the ESA, irrespective of sub-activity (i.e. not limited to the Threatened and Endangered Species Program: 1150).  To assist in this BLM-wide query, expenditures that have been identified with WBS Code: LXSISECS0000 -Section 7 Consultation, must be incorporated into calculations.  Furthermore, to improve accuracy and transparency in ESA related expenditures, all future ESA Section 7 compliance related expenses must be identified with WBS Code LXSISECS0000 - Section 7 Consultation, and incorporated into the expenditure tabulation for the respective field office (FO), district office (DO), and SO.  The ESA compliance activities include: Biological assessment development, consultation process, project clearances/inventory, compliance monitoring associated with a biological opinion, and efforts associated with avoidance, minimization, and mitigation.

This data call utilizes the data management tool developed by the National Operations Center (NOC): The Special Status Species Tracking and Reporting (SSSTR) tool.  All states should review the user guide for data entry and users will be updated in the spreadsheet by December 19, 2016.  Tutorials will be offered by the NOC on an as needed basis. The user guide and user spreadsheet can be found at:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B0dIwjHm7V5tLU8yZlE3amx0eG8. 

The SSSTR will be pre-loaded with the most current information regarding listed species present in each state.  If a new species was listed in 2016, expenditures were disbursed, and the species is not reflected in the database, please contact John Wilson (johnwilson@blm.gov) at (303) 236-6330).  The SSSTR is enabled for entering T&E expenditure data at the FO, DO, and SO levels.  It is the prerogative of each SO to decide how data will be entered and by whom in their jurisdiction.  If data are entered by FOs and DOs, the data are then submitted to the SO for approval.  Once the SO reviews and approves the data, the data are automatically submitted to the Washington Office (WO) and NOC by the application.  After a quality control check by the NOC, the WO will transmit the expenditure data to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). 

Timeframe:  Databases are to be completed and submitted to the NOC and WO no later than March 10, 2017.  Please adhere to the following schedule and ensure your submissions are provided by these due dates:

  • December 19, 2016: The SSSTR is open; user guide to SOs, DOs and FOs found at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B0dIwjHm7V5tLU8yZlE3amx0eG8.
  • December 19, 2016: The NOC will offer training as needed.  A list of all participants from each state must be provided to the NOC before training is offered.
  • February 10, 2017: Local offices have entered their data and submitted them to state coordinators.
  • March 10, 2017: State coordinators have reviewed all statewide datasets and have submitted them to the WO.  The NOC will run a quality control check on the data.
  • March 31, 2017: The WO transmits data to USFWS.

Budget Impact: None.

Background: Pursuant to the ESA, each federal agency is required to annually report their endangered species expenditures to the FWS.  The BLM is required to annually report its accomplishments against the Department of the Interior’s performance measure PIM.2.2.1.0712.  The information needed to respond to these inquiries is not available through the BLM budget systems.  The NOC has developed a system to compile data necessary to meet these requirements.

Manual/Handbook Sections Affected:  None.

Coordination:  Instructions for completing the expenditure data call are contained in the database User Guide found at:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B0dIwjHm7V5tLU8yZlE3amx0eG8. Each SO is responsible for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of their report.

Contact:  If there are any questions regarding this IM, please contact Kim Tripp, National Threatened and Endangered Species Program Lead, at (202) 912-7237.

 

Signed by:                                                        Authenticated by:

Kristin Bail                                                      Robert M. Williams

Assistant Director                                           Division of IT Policy and Planning,WO-870

Resources and Planning

Fiscal Year

2017