Dear Director Nesvik and Acting Director Menashes,
I am writing in opposition to the four proposed rules regarding the Endangered Species Act found in the following dockets:
- FWS–HQ–ES–2025–0048: Economic influences must be considered during listing decisions
- FWS–HQ–ES–2025–0029: Threatened species listed under the ESA would no longer receive the broad protections that endangered species get
- FWS–HQ–ES–2025–0044: Key species protection actions, known as “offsets,” would be removed from the list of reasonable and prudent measures available to conservationists; the criteria for delisting a species would be lowered, possibly removing protections before it would be warranted.
- FWS–HQ–ES–2025–0039: Unoccupied habitats, which are crucial for birds that may need to relocate due to environmental pressures or have an expanding range, would be much harder to protect.
We must stand up to keep all four aspects of the ESA that give it authority and historically value as the strongest and oldest conservation law in the world. Rolling back these four aspects will hurt humans, animals, and the habitats we share for years to come.
