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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) announce revisions to regulations that administer portions of the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Final Rules
On July 10, 2026, the Service and NOAA Fisheries jointly announced a final rule removing the regulatory definition of “harm.”
On July 17, 2026, the Service announced two additional regulatory revisions. The Service is removing the future use of its “blanket rule” option under section 4(d) of the ESA. This change does not affect the protections for species currently listed as threatened species but ensures that species listed as threatened species in the future receive the protections tailored to the species' individual conservation needs.
Additionally, the Service is revising regulations related to section 4(b)(2) of the ESA to provide criteria and clarify the processes by which the Service will implement the statutory requirements of designating critical habitat. These revisions describe when and how we determine whether the benefits of excluding an area outweigh the benefits of designating the area as critical habitat.
We provide national leadership in the recovery and conservation of our nation's imperiled plant and animal species, working with experts in the scientific community to identify species on the verge of extinction and to build the road to recovery to bring them back. We work with a range of public...
