Washington, DC

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries today will hold a hearing on the ESA Flexibility Act, a bill that if passed would catastrophically undermine key foundational elements of the Endangered Species Act. 

“This extreme bill is a slap in the face to not only our nation’s critically imperiled species, but also the vast majority of Americans, who have time and time again shown their support for the Endangered Species Act,” said Robert Dewey, vice president of government affairs for Defenders of Wildlife. “As an organization we normally advocate staunchly against extinction, but we hope this bill finds itself without a future. Iconic Endangered Species Act success stories like the American alligator and brown pelican might not exist today had the core elements of this legislation been in place earlier.” 

Introduced by Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN), H.R. 6784 would allow the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service to issue watered-down protections when they list species as endangered. Currently, endangered species receive full protections from being killed, harmed or harassed after listing. If passed, this bill would let FWS and NMFS substitute weakened protective rules that could allow such species to be killed, harmed, or harassed, even intentionally, and allow threats that led to their endangerment to continue.

Rep. Stauber was also behind the unprecedented attempt to use the Congressional Review Act to delist the Northern long-eared bat, a species that has lost up to 99% of its population in many areas. That piece of legislation was vetoed by President Biden last year. 
 

For over 75 years, Defenders of Wildlife has remained dedicated to protecting all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With a nationwide network of nearly 2.1 million members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on X @Defenders.

  

News

Image
gray wolf
Denver, CO

Colorado Senator Attempts to Block Wolf Reintroduction in Special Session

Colorado State Senator Dylan Roberts introduced legislation today in an attempt to halt the state’s historic gray wolf reintroduction program, which has already seen remarkable
Image
Miles Ritter
Salem, OR

Oregon Approves Conservation Plans for Orcas

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted today to approve three Endangered Species Management Plans for Southern Resident Orcas, completing the listing process initiated by