News – Sheridan Media
Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Representative Harriet Hageman (R-WY) introduced the Endangered Species Recovery Act, legislation that would rename the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to better reflect the law’s original intent.
“Washington bureaucrats have lost sight of the original mission of the Endangered Species Act,” said Sen. Lummis. “Instead of celebrating recovery success by removing federal intervention, they’ve created a system that keeps species listed indefinitely. The Endangered Species Recovery Act refocuses this law on its original purpose: recovering species and then getting the federal government out of the way. States like Wyoming have proven track records in wildlife management, and when species recover, we should celebrate that success by allowing appropriate local management to resume.”
“For over 50 years, the Endangered Species Act has operated under a misleading title and a failed model, with only 3% of listed species ever delisted,” said Rep. Hageman. “This is land control, not conservation. By renaming it the Endangered Species Recovery Act, we are reflecting the law’s true intent, actually recovering species. This change is long overdue. With this legislation, we are putting action and accountability back into environmental policy.”
The Endangered Species Recovery Act has received support from:
“The Endangered Species Act is a remarkable law that was created to protect and recover species,” said Angi Bruce, Director of Wyoming Game and Fish. “While this landmark act has primarily focused on species protection over the past 50 years, this revision in the name of the Act is necessary to refocus how we think about listed species and better reflect its original intent. Changing the name sets the stage for emphasizing future work on recovery. With over 1600 species listed, now is the time to focus on actions needed for delisting. Special thanks to Senator Lummis for her leadership on endangered species reform.”
“The ultimate goal of federally listing a species as endangered or threatened has always been the recovery of that species to a level where the species is no longer imperiled and can thrive without the need of federal protections,” said Judy Camuso, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and President of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies. “Successfully recovering and delisting species allows limited resources to be focused on the species most in need of attention. State fish and wildlife agencies are dedicated partners in species recovery and management, and we appreciate Senator Lummis’ acknowledgment of the importance of species recovery and raising its prominence by including it in the title of the Endangered Species Recovery Act.”
“The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) thanks Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Member Senator Lummis for introducing the Endangered Species Recovery Act,” said CSF Senior Vice President Taylor Schmitz. “Despite the Endangered Species Act (ESA) becoming an endless place of entrapment for many listed fish and wildlife species, the intent behind the ESA was and remains to recover species and return the management of the species to state wildlife agencies, who have the primary authority over the majority of fish and wildlife across the country. This legislation reaffirms the intent of the ESA to recover species rather than needlessly keeping them on a list once they have met population recovery goals.”
“I commend Senator Lummis for her legislation and trying to focus the Endangered Species Act (ESA) more on recovery,” said James L. Cummins, Executive Director, Wildlife Mississippi. “Many in our nation want the ESA to go away. Others say don’t change one word. That is like owning an International Scout with two plans: one is sell it and the other is never changing the oil. Neither of those are helpful at the hunting club unless walking is your goal. I think we need to keep and use the Scout but fix it when it needs fixing. The ESA should be treated no differently. The ESA has been effective in preventing some species from becoming extinct; however, it can be significantly improved by creating new recovery efforts. As long as the status quo of not increasing habitat, therefore not increasing populations, is maintained, the recovery and delisting of many species will not occur.”
“Renaming the Endangered Species Act as the Endangered Species Recovery Act is a thoughtful way to refocus national attention on what matters most—recovering imperiled wildlife,” said David Willms, associate vice president, public lands at the National Wildlife Federation. “This bill emphasizes outcomes over process, reinforcing that the goal isn’t to manage decline, but to return species to healthy, sustainable populations that don’t require the Act’s protections. It’s a commonsense update that aligns the name of the law with its original purpose.”
Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) are Senate cosponsors.
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Last modified: August 2, 2025