Endangered Species Law & Policy

This week, two congressional committees are holding three separate hearings on issues related to the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  On April 19, the House Committee on Natural Resources will hold an oversight hearing entitled Recent Changes to Endangered Species Critical Habitat Designation and Implementation.  On April 20 and 21, the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Interior will hold two hearings to discuss delisting under the ESA.  Nossaman partner, Robert D. Thornton, will testify at the committee hearing on April 20.

The hearing before the Natural Resources Committee will focus on the recent critical habitat final rules and policy issued by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service, which we reported about here.  Witnesses at the hearing will include Dan Ashe, Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service; Karen Budd-Falen, Senior Partner at Budd-Falen Law Offices, LLC; David Bernhardt, Shareholder at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP; Robbie LaValley, County Administrator, Delta County; and Dr. Loyal Mehrhoff, Endangered Species Recovery Director at Center for Biological Diversity.

The hearings before the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Interior will focus on the challenges that the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service face when making a determination and attempting to delist species under the ESA.  In addition to Mr. Thornton, witnesses for the hearings on delisting will include Karen Budd-Falen; Lowell Baier, President Emeritus of the Boone and Crockett Club; Joel Bousman, Chairman of the Sublette County Board of Commissioners; and Director Ashe.