Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Reclassification of Smooth Coneflower From Endangered To Threatened With a Section 4(d) Rule

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), reclassify smooth coneflower (Echinacea laevigata) from endangered to threatened ("downlist") under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), due to improvements in the species' overall status since the original listing in 1992. This action is based on a thorough review of the best available scientific and commercial information, which indicates that smooth coneflower is not currently in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range, but it is still likely to become so in the foreseeable future. We are also finalizing a rule under section 4(d) of the Act that provides for the conservation of smooth coneflower.