The ESA Flexibility Act would modify how the government protects endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. Currently, federal regulations automatically apply protections to endangered species, but this bill would change that by allowing the Secretary of the Interior to issue protective regulations for endangered species only when deemed necessary, rather than requiring them. The bill also adds a new requirement that federal protective regulations for endangered or threatened species would only apply in states that have adopted the same regulations through cooperative agreements with the federal government. This change would give states more control over whether and how endangered species protections are implemented within their borders. The legislation affects wildlife conservation efforts nationwide and shifts some regulatory authority from the federal government to individual states.
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