The Fish and Wildlife Service will stop applying a long-standing rule that gives many threatened species the maximum level of federal protection.
Described as a “pause,” the agency’s freeze on the Endangered Species Act’s “blanket 4(d) rule” will last until the agency formally rescinds it. The rule automatically grants threatened species the same strict protections provided to endangered species, unless specific exemptions are written.
Under the new agreement, every species proposed for future listing as threatened will get its own specific 4(d) rule.
“This is a meaningful step toward restoring the original intent of the Endangered Species Act by ensuring that regulations are informed by science and motivate recovery efforts,” said Jonathan Wood, the vice president of law and policy at the Property and Environment Research Center.
