Endangered Species Law & Policy

On February 24, 2026, the Department of the Interior (DOI) rescinded most of its regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The rescission may change how DOI conducts analysis for projects that require both NEPA and Endangered Species Act (ESA) analysis. The following questions and answers provide context for what this action means and its potential impacts.

What is NEPA?

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a federal statute that requires Federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of proposed major Federal actions. 42 U.S.C ...

On February 12, 2026, the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) voted 3-0 to list mountain lions (Puma concolor) in Southern and Central California as endangered under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA).  The listing decision is based on concerns that the mountain lion population in Southern and Central California could become extinct in the foreseeable future due to fragmented habitat, barriers to movement, and human removal.  Mountain lions are now protected from take without a permit in the affected region, which includes the counties of Ventura, Los ...

Longtime California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton “Chuck” Bonham recently stepped down after 15 years at the helm. His departure marks the end of the longest tenure in the Department’s 150‑year history. CDFW has principal responsibility to implement California’s wildlife laws, including the California Endangered Species Act, Natural Community Conservation Planning Act, Lake and Streambed Alteration Program, and California’s fully protected species statutes.

Bonham left his post to join The Nature Conservancy as its California ...

On December 8, 2025, a Massachusetts Federal District Court struck down federal agency resistance to permitting wind energy projects. The court granted summary judgment to seventeen states and Alliance for Clean Energy New York and vacated what the court referred to as the federal agencies’ “Wind Order.”

The agencies implemented the Wind Order in response to a Presidential Memorandum issued on January 20, 2025, entitled Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf From Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and ...

On November 21, 2025, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service (collectively, the Services) published several proposed rules to revise their regulations implementing certain provisions of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). To a substantial extent, the Services are proposing to return to the regulations put in place by the first Trump Administration in its prior rulemakings and thereby undo the changes put in place by the Biden Administration. This is the fourth in a series of blog posts that will briefly describe each proposed rule. The notice states ...

On November 21, 2025, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service (collectively, the Services) published several proposed rules to revise their regulations implementing certain provisions of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). To a substantial extent, the Services are proposing to return to the regulations put in place by the first Trump Administration in its prior rulemakings and thereby undo the changes put in place by the Biden Administration in its prior rulemakings. This is the third in a series of blog posts that will briefly describe each proposed ...

On November 21, 2025, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service (collectively, the Services) published several proposed rules to revise their regulations implementing certain provisions of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). To a substantial extent, the Services are proposing to return to the regulations put in place by the first Trump administration in its prior rulemakings and thereby undo the changes put in place by the Biden administration in its prior rulemakings. This is the second in a series of blog posts that will briefly describe each proposed ...

On November 21, 2025, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service (collectively, the Services) published several proposed rules to revise their regulations implementing certain provisions of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). To a substantial extent, the Services are proposing to return to the regulations put in place by the first Trump administration in its prior rulemakings and thereby undo the changes put in place by the Biden administration in its prior rulemakings. This is one in a series of blog posts that will briefly describe each proposed rule ...

Paul Weiland will be speaking on a panel on “Agency Happenings” at the 33rd Annual Endangered Species Act Conference in Seattle, Washington. The conference, organized by the Seminar Group, will be January 29 and 30, 2026 at the Courtyard Marriott at Pioneer Square. As the premier Endangered Species Act (ESA) conference in the Pacific Northwest, the conference includes faculty who are leading practitioners in the field of federal wildlife law and policy.

The conference spans a day and a half and provides the latest and most important information on ESA compliance. Panel topics ...

Per Governor Newsom’s latest legislative update, he has signed AB 1319. The law will become effective on January 1, 2026. For our discussion of this bill and its potential implications, please see the following post. 

“California Legislature Sends Endangered Species Bill to Governor” ...