Story at a glance
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced new rules surrounding endangered species.
- In line with the Endangered Species Act, the agency will overhaul how critical habitats and threatened species are defined.
- It will undergo a public comment period and Tribal consultation before finalization.
The Biden administration is working on strengthening the implementation and efforts of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), cutting rollbacks previously imposed by the Trump administration that reduced protections for threatened species.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced on Friday that alongside the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries they collaborated on new, stricter regulations in line with President Biden’s Executive Order 13990, which look to overhaul the Trump administration’s lax environmental policies.
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to working with diverse federal, Tribal, state and industry partners to not only protect and recover America’s imperiled wildlife but to ensure cornerstone laws like the Endangered Species Act are helping us meet 21st century challenges,” said Fish and Wildlife Service Principal Deputy Director Martha Williams. “We look forward to continuing these conservation collaborations and to ensuring our efforts are fully transparent and inclusive.”
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Among the rules set to be rescinded are regulations that designate critical habitats and endangered species, the definition of “habitat” itself, changing regulations for interagency collaboration and reinstating general protections for endangered species.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service classifies endangered species within the categories vertebrate animals, invertebrate animals and both flowering and nonflowering plants.
Some include the black-footed ferret, northern sea otter, armored snail, Guyandotte River crayfish, Florida bristle fern, and Winkler cactus, among hundreds more.
“NOAA Fisheries is committed to the protection, conservation, and recovery of endangered and threatened marine species,” said Paul Doremus, Acting Assistant Administrator for NOAA Fisheries. “We are proud to work with a range of federal, Tribal, state and community partners to achieve conservation successes, and look forward to continuing these shared efforts through clear and transparent Endangered Species Act regulations.”
The proposed changes to both government agencies will undergo a public comment period and Tribal input prior to being finalized.
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