The Fish and Wildlife Service secured a White House go-ahead for a contentious change in the Endangered Species Act late Tuesday, mere hours before the start of the federal government shutdown.
Capping three months of study that included meetings with representatives from the American Petroleum Institute and a conservative think tank, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) green-lighted the rule change dealing with species listed as threatened under the landmark 1973 law.
The approval from the White House office that scrutinizes all rules and regulations effectively clears the way for Fish and Wildlife to formally publish the proposal in the Federal Register.
The timing of any forthcoming proposal that’s been cleared by OIRA is uncertain in the best of times, and the government shutdown that began Wednesday adds to the uncertainty. Fish and Wildlife didn’t exempt its ESA regulatory staff from the shutdown-related furloughs.
