Animals and plants that may deserve protection under the Endangered Species Act moved closer to getting help under a legal settlement plan announced on Tuesday by the government and environmentalists.
The plan, which followed a legal battle between the government and the environmental group WildEarth Guardians, aims to cut legal and bureaucratic red tape that has kept 251 species from being officially listed as endangered or threatened, clearing the way for government protection.
The main problem is the heavy flow of litigation by environmental groups and others asking for consideration of various types of wildlife under the Endangered Species Act, Deputy Interior Secretary David Hayes said.
“In recent years, the Endangered Species Act listing program has been mired in litigation,” Hayes said in a telephone briefing. “Priorities are being set by plaintiffs and courts instead of by wildlife professionals, by litigation instead of science.”
As a result, 251 plant and animal species are classified as “warranted but precluded” from endangered species listing, because the Fish and Wildlife Service is dealing with higher priority matters, often dictated by court deadlines.
