# Plain Language Summary: Extinction Crisis Emergency Act of 2021

This bill asks the President to officially declare that wildlife extinction is a national emergency—similar to how the government might declare an emergency for a hurricane or other crisis. The bill argues that animals and plants are disappearing at a rate 1,000 times faster than normal, with about a million species at risk of extinction in the coming decades. The main causes are habitat destruction, climate change, pollution, and overhunting. According to the bill, this matters to humans because wildlife and plants provide essential services like clean water, oxygen, and disease control that we depend on.

If the President declares this emergency, the bill requires several government agencies to take action. The Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service would need to quickly review all critically endangered species in the United States and work to protect them under the Endangered Species Act. They would also establish new wildlife refuges and marine protected areas. Additionally, the government would review other countries' compliance with international agreements protecting endangered species and wildlife, and could impose trade penalties on countries that aren't following these agreements. All federal agencies would need to develop conservation programs within a year, and the Department of Defense would prioritize protecting endangered species on military bases worldwide.

The practical effect of this bill would be increased government action and resources dedicated to protecting wildlife, potentially including restrictions on development in certain areas, stronger enforcement of existing environmental laws, and trade consequences for countries that don't protect endangered species. The bill requires the President to report back to Congress annually on what actions have been taken. However, it's important to note that this bill was introduced in 2021 and would need to pass both the House and Senate to become law.

Extinction Crisis Emergency Act of 2021

Newman, Marie

Extinction Crisis Emergency Act of 2021 This bill requires the President to declare the global wildlife extinction crisis a national emergency and to take certain actions to restore wildlife. Specifically, the President shall direct the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service to <ul> <li> review all species that are identified as critically imperiled, critically endangered, endangered, or vulnerable, and to use all authorities to propose and finalize protections for all species that may warrant protection; and </li> <li>establish new national wildlife refuges and new marine protected areas.</li> </ul> The Departments of Commerce and the Interior must, after accepting public comment, conduct annual reviews of every nation's compliance with any international fishery conservation program or international program for endangered or threatened species, and take specified actions. The President must enlist all federal agencies to help fight the wildlife extinction crisis by directing each federal agency to take specified actions to prioritize the recovery of endangered species and to rebuild healthy wildlife and plant populations, including by fully integrating climate change concerns into the conservation and recovery of endangered species. The President must direct the Department of Defense to prioritize the protection of endangered species and rare habitats on U.S. military installations around the world.