These various forms of legislation, known as the FIR Act or Cottonwood bill, would undermine the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and drive threatened and endangered species that depend on our national forests and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands closer to extinction.

Permanently exempting the Forest Service and BLM from re-initiating plan-level consultation on endangered species is inappropriate as national forests and grasslands and BLM lands experience rapid change and suffer more and more harmful impacts from the worsening climate crisis. Under S. 1540 and H.R. 200, decades could elapse before the agencies evaluate harms to newly listed species or critical habitat wrongfully allowable under outdated plans.

The ESA is our nation’s flagship law to protect imperiled wildlife and has a proven track record of success. We greatly appreciate your support of wildlife conservation.