On Tuesday, April 25th, Harriet Hageman (R-WY), Chairman of the House Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee, held hearings on Chairman Westerman’s H.R. 1897, “ESA Amendments Act of 2025.” We have advanced six additional policy recommendations that targets one of the core problems of the Act — the listing process. Species that do not warrant protection are being added to the list.
The ESA has become the environmentalist’s greatest weapon to control private and federal land activities far beyond Congressional intent. As of 2023, over 1667 species have been listed as threatened or endangered over the 50 year period of the Act. Proponents claim they have “recovered” 62 species. However, 36 of these are not true recoveries — they were species erroneously listed largely due to data errors.
The ESA Amendment Act of 2025 (HR 1897) will minimize the impact once a species is listed on businesses and landowners. We recommend adding six key provisions that will address the listing process directly, ensuring only species truly warranting concern are federally protected.
These include:
- Removing “distinct population segments” from “species” definition.
- Removing listings made under the original “species” definition.
- Removing “throughout all or a significant portion of its range” dramatically reducing what can be designated as “critical habitat.”
- Clarifying the scope of “critical habitat” and limiting application on State and private lands.
- Requiring Congressional review of critical habitat designations over 100,000 acres.
- Defining key terms significantly limiting actions that trigger Section 7 consultations.
You can help advance these recommendations by sharing them with your Congressional leaders, asking them to offer these as amendments to HR 1897. You can download the briefing paper here.
