U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA’s Fisheries Service Extend Comment Period on Proposed Policy to Improve Implementation of Endangered Species Act

Contact: Vanessa Kauffman – USFWS

The Interior Department’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries), the two federal agencies responsible for administering the Endangered Species Act (ESA), today announced a 30-day extension of the public comment period on a draft policy interpreting the phrase “significant portion of its range” (SPR) in the ESA’s definitions of “endangered species” and “threatened species.”

The public comment period on the draft policy will now close on March 8, 2012. Information about this policy and how it will improve administration of the ESA can be found here. To read full press release, click here.