Interior's Salazar and Commerce Secretary Locke Restore Endangered Species Act Consultations; Sen. Murkowski Reacts; Interior Retains Rule for Polar Bears

摘要

On April 28, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the two departments had revoked "an eleventh-hour" Bush Administration rule that supposedly undermined the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The decision requires federal agencies to once again consult with federal wildlife experts at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - the two agencies that administer the ESA - before taking any action that may affect threatened or endangered species. In addition, Locke and Salazar announced a joint review of the 1986 regulations implementing the ESA to determine if any improvements are needed.