New regs for Tuesday: mailboxes and West Coast fisher

Tuesday’s edition of the Federal Register contains new rules from the Postal Service for mailbox designs and a delay from the Fish and Wildlife Service in listing the West Coast population of fisher as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Here’s a look at what’s to come.

Mailboxes: The Postal Service is considering a rule that would change the standards for how curbside mailboxes are designed.

The Postal Service said the current standard, which took effect in February 2001, are in several respects no longer ideal for the operational requirements of the Postal Service. The proposed design and performance requirements will apply to new versions of both locking and non-locking curbside mailboxes.

Under the proposed rule, the new design options would be able to accommodate the insertion or removal of a new minimum-sized mail item 7 inches high by 13 inches wide by 16 inches deep.

“We believe that instituting these mailbox design options would allow for improvement in the Postal Service’s capacity for this mode of delivery as vendors choose to produce these curbside mailboxes, and should the mailboxes come into widespread use,” the postal service said in its rulemaking.

The new design options would not impact mailboxes that are already approved for use under the former standards. The public has 60 days to comment.

Fisher: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is delaying its decision to list the West Coast population of Fisher as a threatened species. A fisher is a forest-dwelling mammal about the size of a house-cat that has a long body, short legs and a bushy tail.

FWS said it’s extending the deadline for its final determination by 6 months, reopening the public comment period on the proposed rule for an additional 30 days.

The agency will submit a final listing determination to the Federal Register on or before April 7, 2016.