H.R. 1897

ESA Amendments Act of 2025

Sponsor: Bruce Westerman

26 cosponsors
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Official summary

Written by the Congressional Research Service.

ESA Amendments Act of 2025

This bill reauthorizes through FY2031 the Endangered Species Act and generally narrows protections provided under the act.

The bill directs the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service to submit a National Listing Work Plan that establishes a five-year schedule and plan for addressing listing of endangered or threatened species and designation of critical habitats for such species. Under the plan, the bill gives the Services flexibility on the timing of acting on listing petitions and eliminates the requirement for the Services to act within 12 months on listing petitions.

The bill limits what land may be designated as critical habitat for an endangered or threatened species. 

It also limits protections provided to threatened species and allows a state to regulate the recovery of such species if the Services determine the state's proposed recovery strategy would conserve the species.

The bill provides statutory authority for Conservation Benefit Agreements, which allow private landowners to voluntarily enter agreements to reduce threats to candidate species in exchange for being allowed to continue their operations if the species is later listed. 

The bill also modifies the permitting process for certain other voluntary conservation agreements, including by exempting incidental take permits (e.g., permits to harm or kill a species) from environmental review requirements.

The bill also makes a variety of other changes to the act, including limiting consultation requirements, judicial review, and awards for attorneys’ fees in certain cases. 

Text of the bill

Expand all

I Optimizing conservation through resource prioritization

II Incentivizing wildlife conservation on private lands

III Providing for greater incentives to recover listed species

IV Creating greater transparency and accountability in recovering listed species

Sec. 406. Notification of Congress of certain critical habitat designations Added Mar 24

Where this section came from

Not in the first version (Introduced in House, Mar 6).

  1. Mar 24, 2026 · Reported in House Marked up by House Committee on Natural Resources, Dec 17 Reported by House Committee on Natural Resources, Mar 24 Committee members' individual votes aren't in our records.
What is a markup?

A markup is a committee meeting where members go through a bill and vote on changes before sending it to the full chamber.

Section 4(a)(3) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533(a)(3)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

Text this section adds to the law

(D)

(i) The Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate a notification of any proposed designation of critical habitat under subparagraph (A) of an area greater than 50,000 acres.

(ii) A notification submitted under clause (i) shall include—

(I) a description of the area proposed to be designated as critical habitat;

(II) an inventory and evaluation of the natural resource uses and values of the area and adjacent public and nonpublic land and the economic impact of the proposed designation on individuals, local communities, and the United States;

(III) an identification of users of the area and how such users will be affected by the proposed designation;

(IV) an analysis of the manner in which existing and potential natural resource uses are incompatible with or in conflict with the proposed designation and a statement of the provisions to be made for continuation or termination of existing such uses, including an economic analysis of such continuation or termination;

(V) a statement of the consultation which has been or will be had with other Federal departments and agencies, regional, State, and local government bodies, and other appropriate individuals and groups with respect to the proposed designation; and

(VI) a statement indicating the effect of the proposed designation, if any, on State and local government interests and the regional economy.

V Streamlining permitting process

VI Eliminating barriers to conservation

VII Restoring congressional intent