Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate and Environment Public Works (EPW) Committee, and Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Ranking Member of the Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife Subcommittee, introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to preserve the regulatory definition of “habitat” within the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
“The Biden administration likes to talk about investing in America, yet every rulemaking it puts out makes things more complex,” said Senator Cramer. “Scratching the 2020 definition of ‘habitat’ only empowers bureaucrats to control broad swaths of land with little-to-no relevance to endangered species. North Dakota landowners know better than most the heavy-handedness and intransigence of the Fish & Wildlife Service. The last thing we should be doing is giving them more control.”
The resolution comes after the Biden administration rescinded the definition of “habitat,” a 2020 classification which importantly narrowed the scope of the term “critical habitat.” Among potential impacts, dropping the distinction could reduce regulatory certainty for many stakeholders. Particularly for lands with a federal nexus through permits or funding, a “critical habitat” designation often elicits added scrutiny, use limitations, and higher costs.
Joining Senators Cramer and Lummis are Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), James Lankford (R-OK), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Jim Risch (R-ID), John Boozman (R-AR), John Hoeven (R-ND), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Ted Cruz (R-TX).
Click here for bill text.