The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finalized two significant changes to how it administers the Endangered Species Act on July 17.

The agency ended the “blanket rule” option that automatically extended most endangered-species prohibitions to wildlife newly classified as threatened. Future threatened-species listings can instead receive tailored protections through individual rules. Species already covered are not automatically removed from the federal list by this action.

A second change revises the process for excluding areas from critical-habitat designations. Interior says officials may weigh economic, national-security and other impacts and exclude an area when doing so would not cause the species' extinction.

The administration argues that species-specific rules will make conservation more predictable and reduce unnecessary burdens. Conservation groups warn that removing default safeguards can leave newly threatened plants and animals less protected while an individual rule is developed. The practical effect will depend on future listing decisions, agency capacity and expected legal challenges.

Source: U.S. Department of the Interior ↗

Source: Associated Press ↗