Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Critical Habitat for the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to designate critical habitat for the rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis), a bumble bee historically known to occur broadly across the eastern United States and portions of Canada, under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). In total, we are proposing the designation of approximately 1,635,746 acres (661,963 hectares) of occupied critical habitat in 14 units across 33 counties in 6 States. We also announce the availability of an economic analysis of the proposed designation of critical habitat for the rusty patched bumble bee.