# Plain Language Summary: Economic Impact Consideration in Endangered Species Decisions

This bill would change how the government decides whether to protect animals and plants under the Endangered Species Act. Right now, when scientists determine that a species is in danger of extinction, the government protects it based primarily on biological evidence—how many are left, whether their habitat is disappearing, and whether they're likely to survive. This bill would require the government to also consider the economic costs of that protection before making a final decision.

In practical terms, this means that if protecting an endangered species would be expensive for businesses or industries, that cost would now be part of the equation. For example, if a fish species is dying out but protecting it would require limiting logging in a forest or restricting fishing in certain areas, the government would have to weigh those economic impacts alongside the biological need to save the species. This could make it harder for some species to get protected, since economic concerns would be factored into the decision-making process alongside—or potentially instead of—purely scientific considerations.

The bill affects anyone who cares about wildlife conservation, as well as industries like logging, fishing, mining, and agriculture that might face restrictions to protect endangered species. Environmental groups worry this could weaken protections for vulnerable animals and plants, while business advocates argue it would prevent overly costly regulations. Ultimately, this shifts the balance in how the government weighs saving species against the financial burden that protection might impose on the economy.

To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to require consideration of economic impact in making a listing decision with respect to the list of threatened and endangered species, and for other purposes.

Pfluger, August

This bill limits when the Department of the Interior or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) may add a species to the endangered or threatened species list and revises the process to list species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Specifically, Interior and NOAA may not add a species to the list if listing the species would cause significant economic harm to any state or locality. In addition, the bill allows Interior and NOAA to prioritize the consideration of petitions to list a species as endangered or threatened other than in the order in which the petitions are received. However, Interior and NOAA may not give general priority to petitions to add species to the list over petitions to remove a species.