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H.R.2374 / 104th Congress

Endangered Natural Legacy Protection Act of 1995

Executive Comment Requested from Interior, Commerce, USDA.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in House · Sep 21, 1995

Endangered Natural Legacy Protection Act of 1995 - Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (the Act) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into a voluntary conservation agreement for up to five years with any State, Indian tribe, or local government, upon request, to prevent endangerment and to promote the conservation of: (1) an endangered or threatened species (candidate species); (2) other declining species which are dependent on the same ecosystem or located within the same habitat as a candidate species; or (3) other species, rare habitats, or regional biological diversity, as appropriate. Authorizes: (1) consideration of a conservation agreement to be initiated by the Secretary or a State, Indian tribe, or local government; and (2) the Secretary to provide technical or other appropriate assistance for the development of such an agreement. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) contents of such agreements; (2) determinations whether the agreement will achieve the required goals; (3) return of proposed agreements for modification; (4) amendments to conservation agreements; and (5) annual reports and review. Directs the Secretary to establish a Conservation Planning Fund from which the Secretary may make interest-free advances to States, Indian tribes, or local governments to assist in the development of plans. (Sec. 6) Amends the Act to require the Secretary, upon receipt of a petition or specified information, to promptly determine whether any species is no longer endangered or threatened due to: (1) a significant change in the factor or factors upon which the original determination was based; (2) the identification of new scientific information regarding population size or other relevant data; (3) the achievement of certain criteria as identified in the recovery plan for that species; or (4) a change in the appendix of the Convention under which that species is listed. Requires the Secretary: (1) concurrently with making a determination that a species is endangered or threatened, to publish in the Federal Register and local newspapers a list of those specific acts which are prohibited and to hold at least one public hearing in each State affected by such prohibitions; and (2) as part of the recovery plan for a threatened or endangered species, to designate critical habitat for that species, if appropriate. Authorizes the Secretary to make available any additional information through the Community Assistance Program. Revises or sets forth provisions regarding: (1) State, tribal, and foreign government participation; (2) peer review; (3) listing priorities; and (4) petitions to list, delist, or downlist. (Sec. 7) Revises provisions of the Act to require the Secretary, on the basis of the best scientific and commercial data available, to develop and implement recovery plans for the timely conservation of endangered and threatened species. Specifies that the goals of a recovery plan shall be to eliminate or reduce the factors that resulted in a determination that the species is threatened or endangered and to achieve recovery for that species. Directs the Secretary: (1) and each affected State to jointly appoint a Recovery Team to develop the recovery plan; (2) to seek to minimize adverse social and economic consequences that may result from implementation of recovery plans; and (3) to give priority to the development and implementation of recovery plans which are integrated, multispecies recovery plans, which would preserve regional or local biodiversity, or which are for those species that are most likely to benefit from recovery plans. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the contents of recovery plans; (2) recovery plan consistency with the goals of the Act; (3) public review, comment, and reporting requirements; (4) monitoring the status of species; and (5) existing recovery plans. (Sec. 8) Requires the Secretary to seek to work cooperatively with private landowners in the conservation of threatened and endangered species and to minimize adverse social and economic consequences that may result from efforts to conserve such species. Sets forth priorities in developing recovery plans. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) a Community Assistance Program; (2) a private landowner cooperative agreement program; and (3) voluntary incentive programs for conserving species on private lands. (Sec. 9) Requires the Secretary to develop and propose regulations that will ensure timely conclusion of consultations under the Act regarding interagency cooperation. (Sec. 10) Authorizes: (1) habitat conservation plans to cover multiple species or habitats; (2) any State, Indian tribe, local government, or other person to develop and submit to the Secretary a habitat conservation plan to conserve and manage multiple species or habitats. Directs the Secretary to: (1) issue standards and guidelines for the development and approval of habitat conservation plans; and (2) approve a permit application for a multiple species conservation plan if specified conditions are met. (Sec. 11) Authorizes appropriations.

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Who introduced it

Rep. Gilchrest, Wayne T. [R-MD-1] · R–MD

Committees

  • Natural Resources Committee
16 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

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  1. Executive Comment Requested from Interior, Commerce, USDA.

  2. Referred to the House Committee on Resources.

  3. Introduced in House

  4. Introduced in House

Bill text & related measures

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Related bills identified by Congress.gov

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Source last updated: Aug 21, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

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