Wildlife Listing Reform: Independent Review and Landowner Conservation Partnerships.
This law reforms how the federal government lists species as threatened or endangered by introducing independent expert teams that can block or approve such decisions. It strengthens the position of private landowners and natural resource industries by giving them greater influence over conservation processes and providing legal protection for voluntary conservation agreements. The goal is to increase transparency and ensure economic costs are considered when making wildlife protection decisions.
Key points
Establishes independent Third-Party Evaluator Teams (including economists and industry experts) to provide binding reviews of proposed endangered species listings.
These teams can halt or terminate a listing proposal; a tie vote automatically results in termination of the proposed listing.
Voluntary conservation agreements with private landowners are codified, gaining the force of law, and landowners receive sole discretion in choosing the type of agreement.
Increases transparency in Species Status Assessments (SSAs) by requiring public notice and comment and detailed disclosure of scientific data and peer reviewers.
Expired
Citizen Poll