Order Code IB10144
CRS Issue Brief for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the 109th
Congress: Conflicting Values and Difficult Choices
Updated August 2, 2005
Eugene H. Buck, M. Lynne Corn, and Pervaze A. Sheikh
Resources, Science, and Industry Division
Pamela Baldwin and Robert Meltz
American Law Division
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

CONTENTS
SUMMARY
MOST RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
Overview
Major Provisions of Domestic Law
Listing
Critical Habitat
Prohibitions and Penalties
Permits and Consultation
Exemptions; Emergencies
Recovery Plans
Land Acquisition and Cooperation
Miscellaneous
Major Provisions of International Law
Is Species Protection and Restoration Working?
Issues in the 109th Congress
Critical Habitat Designation
Use of “Sound Science”
Specific Regional Resource Conflicts
Counterpart Regulations: Pesticides and Fire Management Projects
Private Property and Fifth Amendment Takings
Making the ESA More User-Friendly
Additional Legislative Initiatives
Appropriations Issues


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The Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the 109th Congress:
Conflicting Values and Difficult Choices
SUMMARY
The 109th Congress is considering vari-
Some of the bills under consideration in
ous proposals to amend the Endangered Spe-
the 109th Congress would modify the defini-
cies Act of 1973 (ESA; P.L. 93-205; 16
tion of CH as well as the process for determin-
U.S.C. §§1531-1543 ). Major issues in recent
ing and designating CH (H.R. 1299) or would
years have included changing the role of
amend the ESA to limit CH designation for
science in decision-making, modifying critical
certain aquatic habitats (H.R. 1837). Several
habitat (CH) procedures, reducing conflicts
bills propose to expand species eligible for
with Department of Defense activities, incor-
assistance from the Multinational Species
porating further protection and incentives for
Conservation Fund by creating a Flagship
property owners, and increasing protection of
Species Conservation Fund (H.R. 93), by
listed species, among others. In addition,
creating a Great Cats and Rare Canids Conser-
many have advocated enacting as law some
vation Fund (H.R. 1707), or by creating a
ESA regulations promulgated during the
Crane Conservation Fund (S. 943).
Clinton Administration.
Also in the 109th Congress, bills would
The ESA has been one of the more con-
authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to assist
tentious environmental laws. This may stem
in implementing fish passage and screening
from its strict substantive provisions, which
facilities at non-federal water projects in the
can affect the use of both federal and non-
Columbia River Basin to meet ESA obliga-
federal lands and resources. Under the ESA,
tions (S. 232) or would require analysis of
species of plants and animals (both vertebrate
federal salmon recovery efforts and a study of
and invertebrate) can be listed as endangered
the effects of partially removing four lower
or threatened according to assessments of
Snake River dams, and would authorize par-
their risk of extinction. Once a species is
tial removal of these dams under certain
listed, powerful legal tools are available to aid
conditions (H.R. 1615). Section 3 of H.R. 411
its recovery and protect its habitat. The ESA
proposes compensation for ESA activities that
may also be controversial because dwindling
eliminate or reduce grazing privileges.
species are usually harbingers of broader
ecosystem decline: the most common cause of
S. 260 and H.R. 2018 propose to expand
listing species is habitat loss.
the authorization of the Secretary of the Inte-
rior to assist private landowners in restoring,
The authorization for spending under the
enhancing, and managing endangered and
ESA expired on October 1, 1992. The prohi-
threatened species habitat on private land
bitions and requirements of the ESA remain in
through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife
force, even in the absence of an authorization,
Program. As passed by the House, §2026 of
and funds have been appropriated to imple-
H.R. 6, an omnibus energy bill, would estab-
ment the administrative provisions of the ESA
lish a pilot project in Wyoming, Montana,
in each subsequent fiscal year.
Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico designed to
improve coordination of federal permits,
including ESA §7 permits.
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

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MOST RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
On July 27, 2005, a conference report was filed on H.R. 6, including language to
establish a pilot project in Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico to improve
coordination of federal permits, including ESA §7 permits; both the House and Senate
subsequently agreed to this report. On July 26, 2005, the Senate passed S. 232, proposing
to authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to assist in implementing fish passage and screening
facilities at non-federal water projects in the Columbia River Basin to meet the Bureau of
Reclamation’s ESA obligations. On July 26, 2005, a conference report was filed on H.R.
2361, providing FY2006 ESA appropriations for FWS; both the House and Senate
subsequently agreed to this report. On July 20, 2005, the Senate Committee on Environment
and Public Works ordered S. 1250 reported (amended), proposing to amend and reauthorize
the Great Ape Conservation Act to provide grants and emergency assistance to address
conservation needs. On July 1, 2005, the Senate passed H.R. 2419 (amended), wherein
language would authorize certain activities related to the Middle Rio Grande ESA
Collaborative Program. On July 1, 2005, the Senate passed S. 362 (amended), proposing to
establish NOAA and Coast Guard programs to manage marine debris and address its adverse
impacts on endangered species.
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
Overview
The 1973 ESA (P.L. 93-205, as amended; 16 U.S.C. §§1531-1543) is a comprehensive
attempt to protect species at risk of extinction and to consider habitat protection as an
integral part of that effort. A stated purpose of the ESA is to protect the ecosystems of which
listed species are a part. Under the ESA, species of plants and animals (both vertebrate and
invertebrate) may be listed as either endangered or threatened according to assessments of
the risk of their extinction. More flexible management can be provided for species listed as
threatened. Distinct population segments of vertebrate species may also be listed as
threatened or endangered, and consequently some populations of chinook, coho, chum, and
sockeye salmon in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California are protected under the ESA,
even as other healthy populations of these same species in Alaska are not listed and may be
commercially harvested. More limited protection is available for plant species under the
ESA. Once a species is listed, powerful legal tools, including penalties and citizen suit
provisions, are available to aid the recovery of the species and protect its habitat. Use of
these tools, or the failure to use them, has led to conflict. (For more background information
on the ESA, see CRS Report RL31654, The Endangered Species Act: A Primer, by Pamela
Baldwin, Eugene H. Buck, and M. Lynne Corn.)
The ESA is administered by the Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service
(FWS) for terrestrial and freshwater species and some marine mammals, and by the National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS; also popularly referred to as NOAA Fisheries) in the
Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for
the remaining marine and anadromous species. (For background on the ESA programs of
the two administering agencies, see the FWS at [http://www.fws.gov/endangered/] and
NMFS at [http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/].) The U.S. Geological Survey’s Biological
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Resources Division conducts research on species for which the FWS has management
authority; NMFS conducts research on the species for which it is responsible.
As of March 30, 2005, a total of 1,078 species of animals and 749 species of plants had
been listed as either endangered or threatened, of which the majority (518 species of animals
and 746 species of plants) occur in the United States and its territories and the remainder
only in other countries. Of the 1,264 U.S. species (up 2 since December 31, 2002), 1,031 are
covered in recovery plans (up 31 since December 31, 2002). Of the U.S. species, 478 have
designated critical habitat in some portion of their range.
At times, efforts to protect and recover listed species are controversial; declining species
often function like the proverbial canary in the coal mine, by flagging larger issues of
resource scarcity and altered ecosystems. Past resource debates in which ESA-listed species
were part of larger issues include Tennessee’s Tellico Dam (water storage and construction
jobs versus farmland protection and tribal graves, as well as snail darters); Pacific northwest
timber harvest (protection of logging jobs and communities versus commercial and sport
fishing, recreation, and ecosystem protection, as well as salmon and spotted owls); and
Texas’s Edwards Aquifer (allocation of water among various users with differing short- and
long-term interests, as well as several spring-dependent species).
Major Provisions of Domestic Law
Listing. Species may be listed on the initiative of the appropriate Secretary or by
petition from an individual, group, or state agency. The Secretary must decide whether to
list the species based only on the best available scientific and commercial information, after
an extensive series of procedural steps to ensure public participation and the collection of
scientific information. These steps, including policies to solicit independent scientific peer
review, are described in 59 Fed. Reg. 34270 (July 1, 1994). In deciding whether a species
needs the protections of the ESA, the Secretary may not take into account the economic
effects that listing may have; economic and other considerations are taken into account in
structuring alternatives for assisting the species after listing. (See CRS Report RL30792, The
Endangered Species Act: Consideration of Economic Factors
, by Pamela Baldwin, for an
analysis of when and how the ESA allows consideration of economic factors.)
Critical Habitat. With certain exceptions, if a species is listed, the appropriate
Secretary must designate critical habitat (CH) in areas where the species is currently found
or which might provide additional habitat for the species’ recovery. However, if the
publication of this information is not prudent (e.g., might encourage vandals or collectors),
the appropriate Secretary may decide not to designate CH. The appropriate Secretary may
postpone designation for up to one year after listing if the information is not determinable
(16 U.S.C. §1533). As of December 17, 2004, the FWS had designated CH for 37% of listed
domestic species.
As a practical matter, CH has not been designated for most listed species largely
because the FWS prefers to allocate its limited resources to listing new species, based on its
regulation (50 C.F.R. §402.02) that takes away much of the legal value of designating CH
to the recovery of the species. Yet the FWS consistently loses cases brought against it for
failure to designate CH. Several courts have found the regulation in question to be an
erroneous interpretation of the law, because it does not take into account the duty to avoid
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adverse modification of CH (Sierra Club v. United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 245 F.
3d 434 (5th Cir. 2001), cited with approval in New Mexico Cattle Growers Ass’n v. FWS, 248
F. 3d 1277 (10th Cir. 2001); Gifford Pinchot Task Force v. USFWS, 2004 U.S. App. LEXIS
16215 (9th Cir. August 6, 2004)). Although the FWS has minimized the value of CH (based
on their interpretation that has been struck down), others assert the value of CH; for example,
the Center for Biological Diversity has released a study (see [http://www.biologicaldiversity.
org/swcbd/programs/policy/ch/sub1.html]) concluding that CH designation enhances species
recovery. (For more background on CH, see CRS Report RS20263, Designation of Critical
Habitat under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
, by Pamela Baldwin.)
CH is frequently misunderstood by the public as posing a significant direct restriction
on private landowners’ authority to manage land. While a landowner may experience some
additional procedures and possible restrictions on land management because of the presence
of an ESA-listed species (through the ESA’s prohibitions on taking a listed species), and the
presence of CH may shed light on whether “harm” has occurred, the duty to avoid adverse
modification of CH is an express obligation only for federal agencies and actions, or private
(nonfederal) actors in actions with a federal nexus (i.e., actions that involve any federal
funding, permit, or license). (See also “Issues in the 109th Congress,” below.)
Prohibitions and Penalties. The ESA contains prohibitions on the “take” of
endangered species; take means to “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap,
capture, or collect or attempt to engage in any such conduct” (16 U.S.C. §1532; harassment
and harm are further defined in regulation at 50 C.F.R. §17.3). There has been controversy
over the extent to which habitat modification is prohibited. A 1995 Supreme Court decision
held that the inclusion of significant habitat modification was a reasonable interpretation of
the term “harm” in the ESA. (See CRS Report 95-778, Habitat Modification and the
Endangered Species Act: The Sweet Home Decision
.) The ESA provides civil and criminal
penalties for violations.
Permits and Consultation. Proposed actions that may have adverse impacts on
listed species may be permitted in two ways. First, under §7 of the ESA, if federal agency
actions (or actions of a nonfederal party that require an agency’s approval, permit, or
funding) may affect a listed species, the federal agency must ensure that those actions are
“not likely to jeopardize the continued existence” of any endangered or threatened species,
nor to destroy or adversely modify CH. To review the possible effects of their actions on
listed species and CH, federal agencies must consult with the appropriate Secretary. If the
Secretary finds that an action would jeopardize a listed species or destroy or adversely
modify CH, the Secretary must suggest reasonable and prudent alternatives that would avoid
these harms. Pending completion of the consultation process, agencies may not make
irretrievable commitments of resources that would foreclose any alternatives. The Secretary
issues a written statement, called a biological opinion, that may allow the agency or the
applicant to take individuals of a species incidental to otherwise lawful activities without
triggering the ESA’s penalties, subject to terms and conditions specified in the opinion (16
U.S.C. §1536), or may conclude that jeopardy cannot be avoided, in which case the agency
may seek an exemption for the action from the Endangered Species Committee.
For actions without a federal nexus (i.e., no federal funding, permit, or license), the
appropriate Secretary may issue permits under §10 of the ESA to allow the incidental take
of species during otherwise lawful actions. An applicant for a permit must submit a habitat
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conservation plan (HCP) that shows the likely impact of the planned action; steps to be taken
to minimize and mitigate the impact; funding for the mitigation; alternatives that were
considered and rejected; and any other measures that the Secretary may require. The use of
this section has been vastly expanded, and streamlined procedures are provided for activities
with minimal impacts (50 C.F.R. §17.22).
Exemptions; Emergencies. Proponents of a federal action may apply for an
exemption from the prohibition against jeopardy for that action (not for a species). Under
the ESA, a high-level committee (commonly called the “God Squad”) decides whether to
allow a project to proceed despite likely harm to a species. To date, this process has been
little used and only one exemption (Grayrocks Dam, WY) has been granted and carried out.
The committee is required to accept the President’s determination (under specified
circumstances) on an exemption in declared disaster areas. In addition, 50 C.F.R. §402.05
provides for ESA procedures in case of emergencies. The committee must also grant an
exemption if the Secretary of Defense determines that an exemption is necessary for national
security (16 U.S.C. §1536). DOD has claimed that requirements under the ESA conflict with
its readiness activities, but DOD has not requested any exemptions to date. (See also “Issues
in the 109th Congress,” below.) Other statutes may provide for waivers of ESA provisions;
for example, §102(c) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act
of 1996 provides for a waiver of the ESA (and NEPA) to the extent the Attorney General
determines is necessary to ensure expeditious construction of barriers and roads at borders.
Recovery Plans. The appropriate Secretary generally must develop a recovery plan
for the survival and conservation (i.e., recovery) of a listed species; these plans are not
binding on federal agencies or others, but rather serve as guidelines. At first, recovery plans
tended to cover popular species, like birds or mammals, but a 1988 amendment forbade the
Secretary from favoring particular taxonomic groups (16 U.S.C. §1533). The ESA and its
regulations provide little detail on the requirements for recovery plans. As noted below in
“Is Species Protection and Restoration Working?,” only a small fraction of species listed
under the ESA have been delisted due to recovery. This result is not surprising, since two
of the primary causes of species loss are the introduction of invasive species and habitat loss
— problems which have not abated appreciably in recent years. In fact, for most of the 17
recovered species, these two relatively intractable causes were not the primary factor in the
decline of the species, and addressing other factors played a substantial role in recovery.
Examples of recovery in which habitat loss and invasive species were not considered the
primary problem include American alligators (poaching) as well as the bald eagle and two
subspecies of peregrine falcons (pesticides).
An April 2005 GAO study found that, although FWS spends almost half of its recovery
funds on highest priority species, factors other than a species’ priority ranking (e.g., regional
office workload, opportunities for partnerships to maximize scarce recovery funds), in
practice, determine how funding is allocated. GAO found that FWS does not have a process
to routinely assess funding decisions to ensure that they are appropriate.
Land Acquisition and Cooperation. The federal government may acquire land
to conserve (recover) listed species, and the ESA authorizes money from the Land and Water
Conservation Fund for land acquisition (16 U.S.C. §1534). The appropriate Secretary must
cooperate with the states in conserving protected species and must enter into cooperative
agreements to assist states in their endangered species programs, if the programs meet certain
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specified standards. If there is a cooperative agreement, the states may receive federal funds
to implement the program, but must normally provide a minimum 25% match. Under the
1988 amendments, the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund was authorized
to provide state grants. While regular annual deposits to this fund are set by a formula (16
U.S.C. §1535(i)(1)), spending from the fund requires annual appropriation.
Miscellaneous. Other provisions specify exemptions for certain captive raptors and
their progeny; regulate subsistence activities by Alaskan Natives; prohibit interstate transport
and sale of listed species and parts; control trade in parts or products of endangered species
owned before the ESA went into effect; and specify rules for establishing experimental
populations (16 U.S.C. §1539).
Major Provisions of International Law
For the United States, the ESA is the domestic implementing legislation for the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES;
TIAS 8249), signed by the United States on March 3, 1973; and the Convention on Nature
Protection and Wildlife Preservation in the Western Hemisphere (the Western Hemisphere
Convention; 50 Stat. 1354; TS 981), signed by the United States on October 12, 1940.
CITES parallels the ESA by dividing its listed species into groups, according to the estimated
risk of extinction, but uses three major categories (called Appendices), rather than two. In
contrast to the ESA, CITES classifies species based on the risk trade poses to their survival.
(For more information on CITES, see [http://www.cites.org/].) The ESA makes violations
of CITES violations of U.S. law if committed within U.S. jurisdiction (16 U.S.C. §1538).
The ESA also regulates import and export of controlled products and provides some
exceptions. For more information on CITES, see CRS Report RL32751, The Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES): Background
and Issues
, by Pervaze A. Sheikh and M. Lynne Corn.
The 13th regular meeting of CITES parties was held October 3-14, 2004, in Bangkok,
Thailand. Some highlights included the downlisting of the bald eagle from Appendix I to
Appendix II status, approval for a limited hunt of black rhinoceros (five animals), and the
rejection of proposals to downlist the minke whale and reopen the ivory trade in selected
African countries. On August 18, 2003, the FWS published a draft policy for enhancement-
of-survival permits for foreign species listed under the ESA (68 Fed. Reg. 49512). These
permits would allow imports of endangered species into the United States for scientific
research and for the enhancement of survival of the species in their range country (i.e., the
country where the population of the species in question naturally exists). The comment
period on this draft policy has closed, but FWS has not yet published its final policy.
Related to international species conservation, the United States has created the
Multinational Species Conservation Fund (MSCF), which currently benefits tigers, the six
species of rhinoceroses, Asian and African elephants, marine turtles, and great apes (gorillas,
chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, and the various species of gibbons). The fund supports
conservation efforts benefitting these species, often in conjunction with efforts under CITES.
For more information on the MSCF, see CRS Report RS21157, Multinational Species
Conservation Fund
, by Pervaze A. Sheikh and M. Lynne Corn.
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In the 109th Congress, several bills propose to expand species eligible for assistance
from the MSCF by creating a Flagship Species Conservation Fund (H.R. 93), by creating a
Great Cats and Rare Canids Conservation Fund (H.R. 1707), or by creating a Crane
Conservation Fund (S. 943). In addition, S. 270 would establish a framework for legislative
and executive consideration of unilateral economic sanctions against foreign nations, such
as could be imposed in relationship to CITES. H.R. 518 would amend the Neotropical
Migratory Bird Conservation Act to modify funding. H.R. 2693/S. 1250 would amend and
reauthorize the Great Ape Conservation Act to provide grants and emergency assistance to
address conservation needs. The House Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation,
Wildlife, and Oceans held a hearing on H.R. 518 and H.R. 2693 on June 23, 2005. On July
20, 2005, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works ordered S. 1250 reported
(amended).
Is Species Protection and Restoration Working?
The answer to this question depends very much on the choice of measurement. Since
a major goal of the ESA is the recovery of species to the point at which protection under the
ESA is no longer necessary, this seems a good starting point. Since the ESA was enacted in
1973, 40 U.S. and foreign species have been delisted. The reasons cited by the FWS are (a)
recovery (17); (b) extinction (9, but some may have been extinct when listed); (c) new
understanding of the taxonomy of the species, making some ineligible for listing under
current law (7); and (d) new information, including a determination that erroneous data were
provided to the FWS at the time of listing (7). Recovered species include alligators,
peregrine falcons (two subspecies), and three species of kangaroos. Extinct species include
the dusky seaside sparrow, Guam broadbill (a bird), and two species of small fish living in
desert springs. However, it can be quite difficult to prove whether extraordinarily rare
species are simply that or, in fact, are already extinct. For example, a rare shorebird thought
by many to be extinct was rediscovered in a remote area of Canada a few years ago; it might
just as easily have quietly gone extinct without being rediscovered. Rare species are, by
definition, hard to find.
Some have asserted that the ESA is a failure since only 17 species have been delisted
as recovered, as of January 1, 2005. Others note that full recoveries are relatively few
because the two principal causes of extinction — invasive non-native species and habitat loss
— are increasing. In addition, some scientific studies have demonstrated that most species
are listed only once they become very depleted (e.g., median population of 407 animals for
endangered vertebrates, according to one study), thereby making recovery difficult. Another
measure of “success” might be the number of species that have stabilized or increased their
populations, even if the species are not actually delisted. If this standard is used, the ESA
could be considered a success, since a large number (41%, according to one study) of listed
species have improved or stabilized their population levels after listing. Other species (e.g.,
red wolves and California condors) might not exist at all without ESA protection, and this
too might be considered a measure of success, even though these species are still rare. (See
archived CRS Report 98-32, Endangered Species Act List Revisions: A Summary of Delisting
and Downlisting
, available from the authors.)
The May 17, 2005 House Committee on Resources oversight report entitled
Implementation of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (available at [http://resources
committee.house.gov/issues/more/esa/ESA_Implementation_Report5.17.05.pdf]) reviews
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various ways recovery may be measured. One approach is to look at what proportion of the
recovery objectives identified in species recovery plans have been achieved. Table 1
indicates how recovery has progressed related to the length of time since species were listed.
Table 1. Percent Recovery Achieved versus Time Listed
(data as of September 30, 2002)
Recovery Plan
% species listed
% species listed
% species listed
objectives
5 years or less
6-10 years
11 years or more
0%-25% recovery
96
94
64
achieved
26%-50% recovery
4
5.5
24
achieved
51%-75% recovery
0
0.25
9
achieved
76%-100% recovery
0
0.25
3
achieved
Source: FWS, Recovery Report to Congress: Fiscal Years 2001-2002, p. 13.
Issues in the 109th Congress
ESA reauthorization has been on the legislative agenda since the funding authorization
expired in 1992, and bills have been introduced in each subsequent Congress to address
various aspects of endangered species protection. The issues for the 109th Congress include
effects of the ESA on private and federal land use, how to better promote species recovery,
agency use of scientific information, specific regional resource conflicts, and other matters.
Below are descriptions of some of the issues most commonly raised.
Critical Habitat Designation. With limited exceptions, the FWS or NMFS must
designate CH at the time a species is listed. However, some critics argue that CH
designation places undue burdens on landowners or that it has little conservation benefit.
Others argue (and the courts have largely agreed) that the FWS and NMFS have
misinterpreted and failed to enforce the current statute. There are also disagreements over
the value and timing of CH designation. (See “Critical Habitat,” above, and “ESA Listing
Caps, New and Old,” below.)
In the 108th Congress, P.L. 108-136 prohibited new CH designations on military lands
if the lands have Integrated Natural Resource Management Plans that “benefit species.” (For
more on this enactment and issue, see CRS Report RL32183, Defense Cleanup and
Environmental Programs: Authorization and Appropriations for FY2004
, by David M.
Bearden; and CRS Report RL31415, The Endangered Species Act (ESA), Migratory Bird
Treaty Act (MBTA), and Department of Defense (DOD) Readiness Activities: Background
and Current Law
, by Pamela Baldwin.)
In the 109th Congress, H.R. 1299 proposes to modify the definition of CH as well as the
process for determining and designating CH under the ESA; the language of this bill is the
same as H.R. 2933, as reported, in the 108th Congress (see archived CRS Issue Brief
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IB10172, Endangered Species: Difficult Choices, available from Eugene H. Buck). H.R.
1837 would amend the ESA to limit CH designation for certain aquatic habitats.
Use of “Sound Science”. The ESA requires that decisions to list a species be made
“solely on the basis of the best scientific and commercial data available ...” (See CRS Report
RL31546, The Endangered Species Act and Science: The Case of Pacific Salmon, by Eugene
H. Buck et al.) In several recent situations, legal, economic, and social disputes have resulted
from actions taken to list, protect, and recover species under the ESA. Recent examples of
these controversies have concerned the Canada lynx, Florida panthers, and Klamath River
Basin suckers and coho salmon. Critics in some of these disputes suggest that the science
supporting ESA action has been insufficiently rigorous or mishandled by the agencies.
Many rare and endangered species are little studied because they are hard to find or
because it is difficult to locate enough of them to support scientific research. There may be
little information on many species facing extinction, and only limited personnel or funds
available to conduct studies on many of the less charismatic species, or those of little known
economic import. What should be done in such instances? Some suggest that considerations
other than species conservation should prevail; others seek to change the current posture of
the law by changing the role of “science.” For others, recent bills are seen as an attempt to
undermine the ESA, which they see as having struck a reasonable balance, and they question
whether an amendment concerning science is advisable or practical. These considerations
are complicated by the costs and time required to acquire more complete data, particularly
in connection with many lesser-known species.
The ESA does not elaborate on this question, but some argue that, combining the
protective purpose of the ESA — to save and recover species — with the wording of “best
... data available,” arguably dwindling species are to be given the benefit of the doubt and
a margin of safety provided. This is the position taken in the FWS Handbook at pages 1-6,
which states that efforts should be made to develop information, but if a biological opinion
must be rendered promptly, it should be based on the available information, “giving the
benefit of the doubt to the species,” with consultation possibly being reinitiated if additional
information becomes available. This phrase is drawn from H.Rept. 96-697, page 12 (1979),
which stated that the “best information available” language was intended to allow the FWS
to issue biological opinions even when information was incomplete, rather than being forced
to issue negative opinions. The report also states that if a biological opinion is rendered on
the basis of inadequate information, the federal agency proposing an action has the duty to
show its actions will not jeopardize a species and a continuing obligation to make a
reasonable effort to develop information, and that the statutory language “continues to give
the benefit of the doubt to the species.”
Information Quality. Section 515 of P.L. 106-554, known as the Information Quality
Act or the Data Quality Act, directed the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue
government-wide guidelines to federal agencies to ensure and maximize the quality,
objectivity, utility, and integrity of information disseminated by federal agencies. OMB
published final guidelines on February 22, 2002 (67 Fed. Reg. 8452), the Department of the
Interior and FWS have both issued additional guidelines that are available through their
websites, and a process is established for interested persons to seek correction of information.
Even before these latest guidelines, FWS had promulgated guidance on information quality
and peer review procedures — issues that also have been addressed in recent legislation.
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The FWS and NMFS developed an Interagency Cooperative Policy on Information
Standards Under the Endangered Species Act (59 Fed. Reg. 34271, July 1, 1994). Under this
policy, the FWS and NMFS are to receive and use information from a wide variety of
sources, including from individuals. Submitted information may range from the informal —
oral, traditional, or anecdotal — to peer-reviewed scientific studies, and hence the reliability
of the information can vary widely. Agency biologists are to review and evaluate all
information impartially for purposes of listing, CH designation, consultation, recovery, and
permitting actions, and to ensure that any information used by the agencies to implement the
ESA is “reliable, credible, and represents the best scientific and commercial data available.”
Agency biologists are to document their evaluations of all information and, to the extent
consistent with the use of the best scientific and commercial data available, use primary and
original sources of information as the basis for recommendations. In addition, agency
managers are to review the work of FWS and NMFS biologists to “verify and assure the
quality of the science used to establish official positions, decisions, and actions ...”
Additionally, a companion Interagency Cooperative Policy for Peer Review in
Endangered Species Act Activities (59 Fed. Reg. 34270, July 1, 1994) notes that, in addition
to the public comments received on proposed listing rules and draft recovery plans, the
Services are also to formally solicit expert opinions and peer review to ensure the best
biological and commercial information. For listing decisions, the agencies are to solicit the
expert opinions of three specialists and summarize these in the record of final decision.
Special independent peer review can also be used when it is likely to reduce or resolve an
unacceptable level of scientific uncertainty.
Court Cases on the ESA and Science. Courts that have considered the “best data
available” language have held that an agency is not obliged to conduct studies to obtain
missing data (Southwest Center for Biological Diversity v. Babbitt, 215 F. 3d 58 (D.C. Cir.
2000)), but cannot ignore available biological information (Connor v. Burford, 848 F. 2d
1441 (9th Cir. 1988)), especially if the ignored information is the most current (Southwest
Center for Biological Diversity v. Babbitt
, 926 F. Supp. 920 (D.C. Ariz. 1996)). Nor may
an agency treat one species differently from other similarly situated species (Id.), nor decline
to list a dwindling species and wait until it is on the brink of extinction in reliance on
possible but uncertain future actions of an agency (Biodiversity Legal Foundation v. Babbitt,
943 F. Supp. 23 (D. D.C. 1996)). “Best scientific and commercial data available” is not a
standard of absolute certainty, reflecting Congress’s intent that the FWS take conservation
measures before a species is conclusively headed for extinction (Defenders of Wildlife v.
Babbitt
, 958 F. Supp. 670, 679-680 (D. D.C. 1997)). If the FWS does not base its listings
on speculation or surmise or disregard superior data, the imperfections of the studies upon
which it relies do not undermine those studies as the best scientific data available — “ the
Service must utilize the best scientific ... data available, not the best scientific data possible
(Building Industry Ass’n of Sup. Cal. v. Norton, 247 F. 3d 1241, 1246-1267 (D.C. Cir. 2001),
cert. denied 2002 U.S. LEXIS 479).
Judicial review can also help ensure that agency decisions and their use of scientific data
are not “arbitrary or capricious” and that regulations are rationally related to the problems
causing the decline of a species, especially when other interests are adversely affected. See
Connor v. Andrus, 453 F. Supp. 1037 (W.D. TX. 1978), striking down regulations totally
banning duck hunting in an area to protect one listed species of duck. The court in Arizona
Cattle Growers Association v. United States Fish and Wildlife Service
(273 F. 3d 1229, 9th
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Cir. 2001) stated that the evidentiary bar the FWS must clear is very low, but it must at least
clear it. In the context of issuing Incidental Take Permits under §10(a), this ruling means the
agency must demonstrate that a species is or could be in an area before regulating it, and
must establish the causal connection between the land use being regulated and harm to the
species in question. Mere speculation as to the potential for harm is not sufficient. An
agency must consider the relevant facts and articulate a rational connection between these
facts and the choices made (Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Inc. v.
NMFS
, 265 F.3d 1028, 1034 (9th Cir. 2001)). (For more information, see CRS Report
RS21500, The Endangered Species Act (ESA), ‘Sound Science,’ and the Courts, by Pamela
Baldwin.)
Specific Regional Resource Conflicts. One express purpose of the ESA is to
“provide a means whereby the ecosystems upon which endangered species and threatened
species depend may be conserved” (16 U.S.C. §1531(b)). As open space dwindles and
increasing human populations put pressures on our natural resources, the conservation of
species and their habitats may highlight underlying resource crises and economic conflicts.
Public values and affected economic interests may be complex and sometimes at odds. The
situations described below have been the subject of congressional oversight and legislative
interest. In the 109th Congress and reflecting several of these regional conflicts, the House
Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power held an oversight hearing on June 22, 2005,
focusing on the effect of the ESA on water supplies.
Klamath River Basin. Controversy erupted in 2001 when the Department of the
Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation announced it would not release water from Upper Klamath
Lake — part of its Klamath irrigation project — to approximately 200,000 acres of farm and
pasture lands within the roughly 235,000-acre project service area. The operational change
was made to make more water available for three fish species under ESA protection — two
endangered sucker species, and a threatened coho salmon population. The Klamath Project
straddles the Oregon/California border and has been the site of increasingly complex water
management issues involving several tribes, fishermen, farmers, environmentalists, and
recreationists. Upstream farmers point to their contractual rights to water deliveries from the
Klamath Project and to hardships for their families if water is cut off. Others assert that the
downstream salmon fishery is more valuable and that farmers could be provided temporary
economic assistance, while salmon extinction would be permanent. Still others assert that
there are ways to serve all interests, or that the science underlying agency determinations is
simply wrong.
Specifically at issue is how to operate the Bureau’s project facilities to meet irrigation
contract obligations without jeopardizing the three listed fish. Various 10-year and annual
operation plans, and associated biological assessments (by the Bureau) and biological
opinions (by the FWS and NMFS) have been criticized and defended. (For more
information, see CRS Report RL31098, Klamath River Basin Issues: An Overview of Water
Use Conflicts
, by Betsy A. Cody, et al.)
Salmon Restoration. Salmon protection in the Pacific Northwest in general presents
many difficult choices, especially because of recent droughts and the connection between
regional hydropower facilities and fishery management decisions. NMFS officials have
listed a total of 26 distinct groups (called evolutionarily significant units or ESUs) of Pacific
salmon and steelhead trout as either threatened or endangered, and are working with state,
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local, and tribal officials, as well as the public, to implement recovery measures addressing
habitat restoration and other concerns. Recent controversies and litigation have focused on
three issues: (1) the biological opinion on operations of the Federal Columbia River Power
System (FCRPS) as it relates to retaining (or removing) four dams on the lower Snake River,
and how properly to factor the presence of the dams into evaluations of jeopardy; (2) whether
or not salmon produced in hatcheries should be included in listed ESUs of Pacific salmon;
and (3) the role and extent of critical habitat designation in the recovery of Pacific salmon.
Interim decisions of the federal district court for Oregon have invalidated NMFS’s approach
to evaluating jeopardy to salmon from dam operations on the Columbia and Snake Rivers,
and ordered increased spills of water to assist transit of juvenile salmon to the sea. In the
109th Congress, S. 232 would authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to assist in implementing
fish passage and screening facilities at non-federal water projects in the Columbia River
Basin to meet the Bureau of Reclamation’s ESA obligations. On March 10, 2005, the Senate
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources reported S. 232 (S.Rept. 109-31); the Senate
passed this measure on July 26, 2005. H.R. 1615 would require a National Academy of
Sciences analysis of federal salmon recovery efforts and a Government Accountability Office
study of the effects of partially removing four lower Snake River dams, and would authorize
partial removal of these four dams under certain conditions.
Rio Grande Silvery Minnow. Efforts to hold back water necessary for the Rio
Grande silvery minnow from competing New Mexico water users (primarily the city of
Albuquerque and irrigators) have ignited considerable controversy. At issue is the operation
of two Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) water projects on the Middle Rio Grande: the San
Juan-Chama Project and the Middle Rio Grande Project. Conservation groups asserted that
BOR’s operations on the middle Rio Grande jeopardize the continued existence of the
endangered silvery minnow, in violation of the ESA. BOR claimed that existing water
delivery contracts precluded the use of already-committed water for the endangered fish.
After years of litigation, the New Mexico District Court held that withholding water from
irrigators for ESA-related purposes was permissible under the water contracts at issue (aff’d
by the 10th Cir., 333 F.3d 1109 (10th Cir 2004)). Some argue that this and similar decisions
could have far reaching implications and affect other BOR projects.
In the 108th Congress, §208 of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act
of 2004 (P.L. 108-137) prohibited the use of FY2004 or earlier fiscal year funds to reduce
water deliveries from specified sources under existing contracts for the purpose of ESA
compliance in the middle Rio Grande except through willing sales or lease of water. (To
date, there have been a handful of such sales.) Section 209 established an executive
committee to oversee the ESA Collaborative Program associated with this complex situation.
The language in P.L. 108-137 was cited by some as being the first successful legislative
override of federal requirements in the ESA’s 30-year history. (Others might cite the
override concerning Tellico Dam and the snail darter which preceded this override by 25
years.) Still, the passage of this legislation does not necessarily affect the precedential value,
if any, of the Tenth Circuit’s decision. Section 205 (Division C) of P.L. 108-447, omnibus
FY2005 appropriations, contains language that appears to make the previous prohibition
permanent. In the 109th Congress, §121 (Title I, Corps of Engineers) of H.R. 2419, as
reported by the Senate Committee on Appropriations on June 16, 2005 (S.Rept. 109-84),
would authorize certain activities related to the Middle Rio Grande ESA Collaborative
Program. On July 1, 2005, the Senate passed H.R. 2419 (amended). S. 1540 would
authorize the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of the Interior to establish a program
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to improve water management and contribute to the recovery of endangered species in the
Middle Rio Grande, New Mexico.
Counterpart Regulations: Pesticides and Fire Management Projects. In
50 C.F.R. §402.04, “counterpart” regulations are authorized that allow an action agency to
determine unilaterally whether its actions are likely to adversely affect listed species, thereby
avoiding §7 consultation with FWS or NMFS. Although the regulation has been on the
books for years, it has not been used until recently, and hence its validity has not yet been
tested in the courts. Several new counterpart regulations have recently been finalized and
suits challenging the regulations have been filed.
New counterpart pesticide regulations were finalized on August 5, 2004 (69 Fed. Reg.
47732), for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory actions on pesticides. Under
the new rules, when the EPA is taking action to approve, permit, or authorize the sale,
distribution, or use of a pesticide under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide
Act (FIFRA; P.L. 80-104; 7 U.S.C. §§136, et seq.), the EPA and the FWS may execute an
alternative consultation agreement under which the EPA will decide whether a proposed
FIFRA action is likely to adversely affect a listed species or critical habitat, and EPA may
make this determination without informal consultation with or written concurrence from the
FWS Director. If the EPA makes such a determination, no further consultation is required.
There is to be FWS oversight of the consistency of EPA’s determinations with the ESA.
Under 50 C.F.R. §402.43, the EPA may ask the FWS for information on listed species that
may be present in an area that might be affected by the FIFRA action, including the
applicable environmental baseline for each species or habitat. Under new §402.44, the EPA
may request FWS personnel to assist in an effects determination and must use its “best
efforts” to include the FWS representative in relevant discussions. These two regulations
appear to apply with or without an alternative consultation agreement. Critics note that the
EPA has a poor record on consultations and was ordered to consult regarding pesticide
impacts on salmon (Washington Toxics Coalition v. EPA, Civ. No CO1-132C (W.D. Wa.
2002)), and fear that the new self-consultation process will allow more harm to listed species.
Supporters counter that the new process will increase EPA flexibility and efficiency.
Counterpart regulations also were finalized December 8, 2003 (68 Fed. Reg. 68254),
among the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Indian Affairs,
the National Park Service, the FWS, and NMFS, to streamline consultation on projects
supporting the National Fire Plan (NFP). These counterpart regulations complement the
general consultation regulations in 50 C.F.R. Part 402 by providing an alternative process
for completing ESA §7 consultation for agency projects that authorize, fund, or carry out
actions that support the NFP. The alternative consultation process contained in these
counterpart regulations eliminates the need to conduct informal consultation with the FWS
or NMFS, and eliminates the requirement to obtain written concurrence from the FWS or
NMFS for those NFP actions that the action agency determines are ‘’not likely to adversely
affect’‘ any listed species or designated CH.
Private Property and Fifth Amendment Takings. The presence of endangered
species on private property is sometimes welcomed by owners. Builders, for example, have
been known to market a new residential development in part on the basis of the wildlife
present on undeveloped parts of the tract. Still, the prohibitions in §9 (private actions) and
§7 (federal agency permits, funding, etc.) may at times frustrate the economic desires of
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owners of land or other property. This fact has long been a rallying cry for the ESA’s
detractors, who assert that restrictions under the ESA routinely “take” property in the
constitutional sense of the term. Such conflicts between the ESA and property owners come
about despite the existence of ESA mechanisms noted herein that were intended to soften its
impact on property owners.
Under the Fifth Amendment, property cannot be “taken” by the United States without
just compensation. The Supreme Court has long tried, with limited success, to define which
government actions affect private property so severely as to effect such a “taking.” In
briefest outline, government actions usually are deemed a taking when they cause either a
permanent physical occupation of private property or a total elimination of its economic use.
When the government restriction removes only part, but not all, of the property’s use or
value, a three-factor balancing test is used. Though these factors have been little explicated
by the courts, it is clear that for a taking to occur, the property impact must be severe.
Moreover, except for physical takings, the property impact is assessed with regard to the
property as a whole, not just the regulated portion.
Roughly a dozen court decisions have addressed takings challenges to ESA restrictions
on land or other property, all but one ruling against the property owner. These cases have
involved not only the restrictions on timber cutting or other land uses so prominent in the
ESA debate, but also reductions in water delivery to preserve instream flows needed by listed
species, restrictions on shooting marauding animals resulting in loss of livestock, and
prohibitions on the transport or sale of endangered species. In several of these cases, the
taking claim failed because it was filed in the wrong court or was not ripe — ripeness usually
requiring that suit be brought only after the plaintiff has applied for an incidental taking
permit and been denied. Where taking claims were reached by the court, they were rejected
principally because the economic impact was insufficient as to the property as a whole, or
because of the longstanding principle that the government is not responsible for the actions
of wild animals. In the one decision favoring the property owner, ESA-related cutbacks in
water delivered by a state reclamation project to water districts were held a taking by the
United States of state-contract-created water rights (Tulare Lake Basin Water Storage Dist.
v. United States
, 49 Fed. Cl. 313 (2001)). This decision has been controversial for several
reasons, including the Department of Justice’s settlement of the case (for $16.7 million)
despite arguments pressed on it from several quarters that the case was incorrectly decided.
(See CRS Report RL31796, The Endangered Species Act and Claims of Property Rights
“Takings,”
by Robert Meltz; and CRS Congressional Distribution Memorandum, The
‘Tulare Lake’ Decision’s Implications for Use of Bureau of Reclamation Project Water
, by
Pamela Baldwin and Robert Meltz, available from the authors.)
The ESA’s critics want the ESA amended to afford compensation for a broader range
of property impacts than does the Constitution — perhaps by specifying a fixed percentage
of ESA-related property value loss, above which compensation must always be paid. Similar
provisions have been included in bills of previous Congresses. Opponents of an explicit
compensation standard counter that the ESA should not be singled out for a more property
owner-friendly standard than the Constitution’s. More fundamentally, they note that property
rights have never been absolute, and that regulation has long been noncompensable as long
as the impact on the property owner is not severe. The likely consequences of a generous
compensation threshold — added federal costs and/or a chill on ESA implementation — are
among the issues slowing action on ESA reauthorization.
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However, both proponents and opponents of the ESA favor enacting incentives
(primarily tax benefits) to encourage landowner cooperation. In the 109th Congress, §3 of
H.R. 411 proposes compensation for ESA activities that eliminate or reduce grazing
privileges. H.R. 3166 would authorize the waiver of grazing permits in designated CH and
provide compensation for waived permits.
Making the ESA More User-Friendly. Former Interior Secretary Babbitt initiated
actions to decrease ESA conflicts in several ways. Joint FWS and NMFS policies streamline
permit procedures for small landowners, and other initiatives encourage landowners to
increase protection for populations of listed species on their land. Under safe harbor
agreements, landowners who increase suitable habitat can return to “baseline conditions”
without penalty. No surprises agreements provide landowners with greater certainty
regarding activities that might otherwise trigger penalties, an incentive for landowners to
develop Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs), since a landowner properly implementing such
an agreement is assured that there will be no further costs or restrictions on the use of the
property to benefit the species covered by the HCP, except by mutual consent or in
unforeseen circumstances in which changes may be implemented by the government without
costs borne by the landowner. Modifications to the no surprises rule required revoking an
incidental take permit if the permitted taking would be inconsistent with the survival and
recovery of the relevant listed species, and the inconsistency was not remedied in a timely
fashion. These rules were reproposed (69 Fed. Reg. 29681, May 25, 2004) and finalized (69
Fed. Reg. 71723, December 10, 2004) in response to litigation, but may still present issues
raised previously. Federal managers also focused on listing species as threatened rather than
endangered, to allow the FWS to take advantage of the ESA’s more flexible provisions for
protecting threatened species. While administrative changes have been made within the
framework of existing law, there is great interest among some groups in codifying many of
these changes in an amended ESA. Others are critical of the agreements as difficult to
enforce and as locking in the government to inflexible long-term positions that sometimes
are based on inadequate knowledge.
In the 109th Congress, S. 260/H.R. 2018 propose to expand the authorization of the
Secretary of the Interior to assist private landowners in restoring, enhancing, and managing
endangered and threatened species habitat on private land through the Partners for Fish and
Wildlife Program; S. 260 was reported (amended) by the Senate Committee on Environment
and Public Works on June 22, 2005 (S.Rept. 109-86), and passed the Senate (amended) on
June 27, 2005. Language in omnibus energy bills, §344 of S. 10 as reported by the Senate
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources on June 9, 2005 (S.Rept. 109-78) and §2026
of H.R. 6 as passed by the House on April 21, 2005, would establish a pilot project in
Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico to improve coordination of federal
permits, including ESA §7 permits. In the Senate, H.R. 6 was amended to substitute the
language of S. 10, and the amended H.R. 6 was passed by the Senate on June 28, 2005. A
conference report on H.R. 6 was filed on July 27, 2005 (H.Rept. 109-190), with the permit
coordination language at §365; both the House and Senate have agreed to this conference
report. H.R. 3300 would authorize species recovery agreements under which the federal
government would be obligated to make annual payments or provide other compensation for
activities that improve the recovery of listed species.
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Additional Legislative Initiatives
Early in the 109th Congress, Senators Mike Crapo and Lincoln Chafee along with
Representatives Richard Pombo and Greg Walden announced efforts to develop a
coordinated House-Senate approach to improve and update the ESA. In addition, S. 164
would facilitate federal acquisition of Utah lands for desert tortoise protection. S. 362
proposes to establish NOAA and Coast Guard programs to manage marine debris and
address its adverse impacts on endangered species. The Senate Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation reported S. 362 (with amendment) on April 13, 2005 (S.Rept.
109-56), and the Senate passed this bill (amended) on July 1, 2005. Section 1505 of S. 732,
as reported on April 6, 2005 (S.Rept. 109-53), by the Senate Committee on Environment and
Public Works, would authorize state programs for mitigating highway and surface
transportation impacts, including those affecting endangered and threatened species. H.R.
2323 would require specific activities to promote southern sea otter recovery and research.
Section 1505(c) of H.R. 3, as agreed to by the Senate on May 17, 2005, would provide for
state mitigation funds to benefit endangered and threatened species. H.Res. 249 celebrates
the recent discovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker in Eastern Arkansas. S. 1165/H.R. 2866
would expand Hawaii’s James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge to protect habitat for
endangered waterbirds. H.R. 2779 would amend the ESA to enable federal agencies to
rescue and relocate threatened or endangered species in certain circumstances where flood
control levees are reconstructed, maintained, or repaired. H.R. 3110 would amend the ESA
to treat distinct population segments of the Eastern oyster as separate species. H.R. 3153
would reauthorize Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basin endangered fish recovery
programs. S.Res.219 proposes designating March 8, 2006, as “Endangered Species Day.”
Appropriations Issues. Appropriations bills play an important role in the ESA
debate. Appropriations provide funds for listing and recovery activities as well as financing
FWS and NMFS consultations that are necessary for federal projects. See Table 2 for recent
ESA funding. For FY2005, P.L. 108-447 provided $261.9 million for the FWS for ESA
activities. Overall, FY2005 FWS funding for ESA and related programs is $27 million
below the President’s request, and $2.9 million below the FY2004 appropriations level.
NMFS does not yet have figures available for endangered species programs for the
Commerce appropriations for FY2005 in P.L. 108-447, since ESA funds are commingled
with funds to protect marine mammals in its program for protected species. On May 13,
2005, the House Committee on Appropriations reported H.R. 2361, proposing FY2006
funding for FWS ESA programs (H.Rept. 109-80); this measure passed the House (amended)
on May 19, 2005. On June 10, 2005, H.R. 2361 was reported (amended) by the Senate
Committee on Appropriations (S.Rept. 109-80); the Senate passed H.R. 2361 (amended) on
June 29, 2005. A conference report was filed on H.R. 2361 on July 26, 2005 (H.Rept. 109-
188); both the House and Senate have agreed to the conference report. Funding for ESA
programs administered by NMFS is being considered in H.R. 2862, which was reported on
June 7, 2005 (H.Rept. 109-118) and passed by the House (amended) on June 16, 2005.
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Table 2. Funding for Endangered Species and Related Programs,
FY2004-FY2006
($ in thousands)
FY2005
FY2005
FY2006
FY2006
Request
Approp.
Request
Conference
Endangered Species Program
Candidate Conservation
8,610
9,255
8,252
8,852
Listing
17,226
15,960
18,130
18,130
Consultation
45,450
48,129
49,484
49,484
Recovery
58,154
69,870
64,243
75,159
Subtotal
129,440
143,214
140,109
151,625
Related Programs
Landowner Incentive Program
50,000
21,694
40,000
24,000
Stewardship Grants
10,000
6,903
10,000
7,386
Cooperative Endangered Species
90,000
80,462
80,000
82,200
Conservation Funda
Multinational Species
9,500
5,719
8,300
6,500
Conservation Fundb
Neotropical Migratory Bird
0
3,944
0
4,000
Fundb
Total FWS
288,940
261,936
278,409
275,711
NMFS
216,088
201,686
213,687
not available
TOTAL (to date)
505,028
463,622
492,096
Sources: Annual budget justifications, House and Senate committee and conference reports.
a. For FY2005, the conference agreement derived $49.348 million from the Land and Water Conservation
Fund (LWCF); for FY2006, the conference agreement derived $62.039 from the LWCF.
b. From FY2002 to FY2006, the President’s budget proposed subsuming the Neotropical Migratory Bird Fund
within the Multinational Species Conservation Fund; to date, Congress has rejected this proposal.
ESA Listing Caps, New and Old. Beginning in FY1998, Congress enacted annual
limits (caps) on funding the FWS for its ESA listing function. This appropriations language
limits FWS discretion to transfer funds to finance additional listings, so that if courts
mandate agency action on listing certain species, other listings may not be able to be funded.
The FWS supported these limits to assure that funding for other agency programs could not
be diverted to finance additional ESA listing activities. However, courts have held that
budget constraints do not excuse an agency from compliance, in some circumstances. These
limits have been approved by Congress in succeeding fiscal year appropriations bills. P.L.
108-447, FY2005 omnibus appropriations, limits listing activities to $16.175 million, of
which no more than $11.4 million would be used for activities related to critical habitat
designation. For FY2006, the Bush Administration proposed limiting listing activities to
$18.13 million, of which no more than $12.852 million would be used for activities related
to critical habitat designation; the conference report on H.R. 2361 concurred with this
proposal.
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