The Trump Administration has introduced new rules aimed at updating the enforcement and implementation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The changes are intended to strengthen scientific integrity and modernize how the ESA is applied.
House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) responded to the announcement, stating: “These common-sense rules will aid in bringing the ESA into the 21st century. They will ensure federal wildlife agencies get a truer picture of local environmental and economic conditions when making critical habitat designations, clarify delisting and permitting standards, and return the ESA to its original purpose. I commend the Trump administration for these balanced reforms and for reminding us all that the ESA was written to enrich wildlife habitat, not lawyers.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service have proposed four rules to guide ESA implementation. Two of these rules are jointly published by both agencies, addressing Section 7 permitting processes as well as criteria for listing, reclassifying, or delisting species under Section 4 of the act. The other two rules, issued solely by USFWS, focus on restoring science-based regulations specific to threatened species under Section 4(d), and clarifying how areas can be excluded from critical habitat designations under Section 4(b)(2).
These regulatory changes align with reforms promoted by Chairman Westerman in his bill H.R. 1897, known as the “ESA Amendments Act of 2025.” This legislation seeks to reauthorize and update the ESA for the first time in nearly forty years. Its main provisions include encouraging species recovery efforts, increasing cooperation with states, reducing unnecessary litigation, and streamlining permitting procedures.
