“The Endangered Species Act has made a tremendous contribution to the conservation of imperiled animals and plants, preventing the probable extinction of hundreds of species across the nation and contributing to the recovery of the Bald Eagle, the Peregrine Falcon and many other iconic species,” Salazar said. “While we celebrate its successes, we recognize there is much that can and should be done to make the Act more effective and efficient. We expect to identify solutions that will help us improve our administration of this landmark conservation law.”
“We need to ensure that our regulations and policies effectively address the conservation challenges of today,” said the Fish and Wildlife Service’s acting director, Rowan Gould. “We will ensure that the public and our partners have ample time to review and comment on any regulatory changes we may propose, in order to incorporate the best thinking of endangered species experts from across the country — as well as the people and communities who are affected by the ESA.”
“We will take advantage of more than three decades of experience in implementing the Act,” said Eric Schwaab, assistant administrator for fisheries, NOAA Fisheries Service. “Our shared goal is to improve recovery of imperiled species, enhance our ability to achieve meaningful conservation on the ground and better engage the resources and expertise of our partners to meet the goals of the Act.”
This review and update of regulations, policies, and guidance is consistent with President Obama’s Executive Order 13563, Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review and is outlined in the Department of Interior’s Preliminary Plan for Retrospective Regulatory Review.
