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Defenders Slams SPEED Act as it Speeds Toward Habitat Destruction
Defenders of Wildlife condemns Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-AR) SPEED ACT, H.R. 4776 the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development Act, ahead of Thursday’s expected floor vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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ESA Amendments Act Poses a Historic Threat to America’s Wildlife
Defenders of Wildlife remains on high alert as it braces for the House Natural Resources Committee’s full markup of Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-AR) Endangered Species Amendments Act of 2025. More aptly labeled the Extinction Act, the bill seeks to eviscerate the Endangered Species Act, stripping away decades of crucial protections for America’s wildlife and their habitats.
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House Vote Scheduled on Ending Gray Wolf Protections, Undermining the Endangered Species Act
The House of Representatives is expected this Thursday to vote on ending gray wolf protections, prematurely delisting gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act before
Press Releases
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Governor Signs Crucial Bill Prohibiting Wildlife Trafficking
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham officially signed the Wildlife Trafficking Act (SB 75) that prohibits wildlife trafficking and allows New Mexico to prosecute offenders.
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New Study Shows Federally Protected Lands Reduce Habitat Loss and Protect Endangered Species
Scientists at Defenders of Wildlife and Tufts University have discovered that habitat loss in the U.S. was double on private lands compared to federally protected lands.
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Federal Agencies Outline Management Options for the Lower Snake River
Today three federal agencies released a proposed management plan for federally-controlled dams in the Columbia River Basin.
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NOAA: Independent Review Shows Tool Used to Prevent Right Whale Entanglements Is “Appropriate, Valuable”
Today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that an independent peer review of its “decision support tool”—developed to evaluate the effectiveness of various management measures in reducing entanglement-related mortalities of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales in the American lobster fishery—confirmed that it is an “appropriate and valuable tool to assess various mitigation measures in a common risk-reduction metric, and has proven useful in determining possible management actions with stakeholders.”
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Jaguars, Sharks Win Protections at International Migratory Wildlife Meeting
Every three years, delegates meet to review proposals for listing imperiled migratory wildlife and to provide international or regional collaboration for species’ conservation.
jcovey@defenders.org
