Environmental Policy Innovation Center Issues Report and Interactive Chart on Proposed Endangered Species Act Changes

The federal government has proposed the most comprehensive changes to regulations within the Endangered Species Act in more than two decades.  

"Media coverage of the proposals has generally been inaccurate and hyperbolic," said Jake Li, Director of Biodiversity for the Environmental Policy Research Center. 

To promote a more constructive dialogue about the proposals and the future of the Act, the Environmental Policy Innovation Center has released its analysis of the proposals in a report and online chart.  

"Contrary to many public statements about the proposals, the Center found that only a fraction of the proposals present serious concerns for wildlife conservation," Li said. "Many of the proposals simply codify existing practice, and some could even improve conservation outcomes marginally."

"None of the proposals, however, offers bold improvements for conservation, especially to incentivize state and private landowners to conserve species," Li added. "The Center recommends the federal government pursue those bold improvements in future rulemakings."

Environmental Policy Research Center is a fiscally sponsored project of the Sand County Foundation.