WYOMING — On June 21, the Biden administration announced proposals to expand enforcement of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) that was rolled back under the Trump administration.
As part of the proposed rules, protections given to endangered species would be extended to those listed as threatened. Language allowing agencies to consider economic factors in listing decisions would also be removed, and the federal interagency consultation process could be streamlined.
“As humans, we are inextricably linked with the ecosystems around us,” said Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife (DOW), in a statement responding to the proposed rules. “Saving nature and establishing scientifically sound ways to coexist with wildlife must be a national priority. Our future depends on it.”
DOW points out that the proposal does still retain several of the 2019 Trump administration regulatory changes that continue to undermine protections for wildlife and weaken the ESA.
Grand Teton National Park and the surrounding area is home to a number of key species listed under the ESA. However, recently the Senate passed a Congressional Review Act to delist the northern long-eared bat and the State of Wyoming filed a petition on behalf of Governor Mark Gordon for judicial review on whether or not to delist the grizzly bear population in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Today, June 23, Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) pushed back on the Biden administration’s decision.
“We should be working to recover wildlife, not pat ourselves on the back for keeping them on a list forever,” said Lummis.
However, the ESA states that it provides for both adding and removing species from the threatened and endangered list, primarily aiming to implement plans for their recovery.
