Deal Aims to Clear Backlog of U.S. Endangered Species Requests

The Obama administration has committed to rule on the status of 251 plant and animal species proposed for endangered species protection within six years, in hopes of clearing a bureaucratic backlog created by years of lawsuits and petitions. In an agreement brokered by the U.S. Department of Interior and the group Wild Earth Guardians — which has brought a range of suits seeking more assertive enforcement of wildlife protection law — U.S. officials agreed to review the cases for species already deemed at potential risk. In the last four years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has received more than 1,230 requests to list species as endangered or threatened and has also faced numerous lawsuits under the Endangered Species Act. As a consequence, decisions on 251 species that were candidates for endangered species classification — from the New England cottontail rabbit to the Tucson shovel-nosed snake — were postponed. “For the first time in years, this work plan will give the wildlife professionals of the Fish and Wildlife Service the opportunity to put the needs of species first and extend that safety net to those truly in need of protection,” said David Hayes, deputy secretary of the Interior.