SE Wyoming News

Senate Western Caucus Chair Cynthia Lummis and House Western Caucus Chair Dan Newhouse have expressed serious concerns about the Biden administration's recent changes to the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Lummis highlighted that these changes would give "D.C. bureaucrats the power to infringe on property rights and shut down good paying jobs," while Newhouse criticized the administration for being "beholden to extreme activists."

The new rules introduced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reverse key reforms implemented by the Trump administration in 2019. These changes include reinstating the "blanket rule" for threatened species, eliminating the flexibility in defining critical habitat, and allowing for hypothetical worst-case scenarios to drive regulations under Section 7.

Senator Lummis has been actively involved in addressing these concerns, having sent a letter to FWS and NOAA requesting an extension for the comment period on the rule changes. Additionally, a Congressional Review Act resolution introduced by Senator Lummis to overturn the Biden administration's ESA rule related to critical habitat has already been passed by the United States Senate and is pending consideration in the House of Representatives.

Chairman Newhouse and Chair Lummis have also introduced legislation to prevent the finalization of these rule proposals and maintain the Trump-era regulations within the ESA. Both lawmakers stress the importance of true reforms that can help save species without burdening rural communities in the West.