Fiscal Year 2017 Endangered Species Act Annual Expenditure Report Data Call

IM 2018-033
Instruction Memorandum

United States Department of the Interior
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
Washington, D.C.  20240
http://www.blm.gov

January 17, 2018

 

In Reply Refer To:
6600 (230) P

EMS TRANSMISSION 2/20/2018
Instruction Memorandum No. 2018-033
Expires: 9/30/2019

To:              All Field Offices

From:         Assistant Director, Resources and Planning

Subject:      Fiscal Year 2017 Endangered Species Act Annual Expenditure Report Data Call,  DD: 03/15/2018 & 04/16/18

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) 2017. All Bureau of Land Management (BLM) State Offices (SO) must submit this information for 2017. 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: LXSISECSO000 - 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 LXSISECS0O00 - Section 7 Consultation, and incorporated into the expenditure tabulation for the respective field, district or state office.

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. This tool has been slightly modified for this fiscal year to provide better functionality from past years. All states must review the updated user guide for data entry and ensure that the user list is updated in the spreadsheet by February 15, 2018. Tutorials for using the SSSTR will be offered by the NOC. The schedule will be determined by February 15, 2018, and will be offered 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 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) regarding listed species presence in each state. If a new species was listed in 2017 but is not reflected in the database, and expenditures were disbursed, please contact John Wilson (johnwilson@blm.gov, 303-236-6330). The SSSTR tool is enabled for entering listed species expenditure data at the field office (FO), district office (DO), and SO level. 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 must be submitted to the SO for approval. Once the SO reviews and approves the data, the information is automatically submitted to the Washington Office (WO) and NOC within the application. After a quality control check by the NOC, the WO will then transmit the expenditure data to the USFWS.

Timeframe: Database entries are to be completed and submitted to the NOC and WO no later than April 16, 2018. Please adhere to the following schedule and ensure your submissions are provided by the due dates:

  • February 20, 2018: The SSSTR tool is open; new user guide available to state, district and field offices. The SSSTR User List can be found at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B0dIwjHm7V5tLU8yZlE3amx0eG8
  • February 20, 2018: The NOC will initiate training at specific times, to be determined, and on an as needed basis. A list of all participants from each sate must be provided to johnwilson@blm.gov at the NOC before training is offered.
  • March 15, 2018: Local offices have entered their data and submitted it to state coordinators. State coordinators can adjust this deadline to accommodate their field and state offices workload.
  • April 16, 2018: 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.
  • April 30, 2018: The WO transmits data to USFWS.

Budget Impact: None.

Background: Pursuant to the ESA, each federal agency is required annually to report their endangered species expenditures to the USFWS. The BLM is required annually to 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: Direction for completing the expenditure data call is 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 or by email at ktripp@blm.gov.

Signed by:
Kristin Bail
Assistant Director
Resources and Planning

Authenticated by:
Catherine Emmett
WO-870, IT Policy and Planning

 

 

Fiscal Year

2018