# Plain Language Summary: The LIST Act of 2023

This bill makes it easier to remove animals from the endangered species list once they've recovered or if they were listed based on faulty information. Currently, the government has to go through a lengthy formal process to remove a species from protection, even when there's clear evidence the animal has bounced back or was listed by mistake. This bill speeds things up by requiring the government to automatically start the removal process whenever recovery goals are met or when new evidence shows a species doesn't actually need protection anymore.

The bill also creates a faster way to fix listing mistakes. If the government discovers that a species was listed based on inaccurate, fraudulent, or misleading scientific information, it must make a decision within 90 days about whether the listing would have happened anyway. If the government finds the information was genuinely wrong, it must remove the species from the list. This part is significant because it prevents species from staying protected based on bad data, though it also means there's less opportunity for legal challenges if the government decides to remove a species based on this process.

The bill requires the government to consider recovery progress more directly during the mandatory five-year reviews that happen for all listed species. Instead of just checking whether conditions have changed, officials must now specifically evaluate whether recovery goals have been met, whether the original listing was an error, or whether the species no longer needs protection. This could lead to more species being delisted if they've made a comeback, but it also means less flexibility in how the government evaluates whether protection is still necessary.

LIST Act of 2023

Biggs, Andy

Less Imprecision in Species Treatment Act of 2023 or the LIST Act of 2023 This bill revises the process for removing a species from the endangered or threatened species lists. A species must be removed from the endangered or threatened species lists if the Department of the&nbsp;Interior produces or receives substantial scientific or commercial information demonstrating that the species is recovered or that recovery goals set for the species have been met. The publication and notice of a proposed regulation to remove a species from the lists must consist solely of a notice of the removal. The bill establishes a process for removing species from the lists if they were erroneously or wrongfully listed. The bill prohibits a person from submitting a petition to list a species as a threatened or endangered species for 10 years if the person knowingly submitted a petition with information that was inaccurate beyond scientifically reasonable margins of error, fraudulent, or misrepresentative.