Endangered Species Habitat Conservation Act of 1995
Executive Comment Requested from USDA, Commerce, Interior.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Sep 29, 1995
Endangered Species Habitat Conservation Act of 1995 - Amends the Endangered Species Act (the Act) to extend through FY 2000 the authorization of appropriations for: (1) the Departments of the Interior, Commerce, and Agriculture in carrying out provisions of the Act; (2) the Endangered Species Committee and related activities with respect to exemptions from the regulatory provisions of the Act; and (3) implementation of the Convention on Nature Protection and Wildlife Preservation in the Western Hemisphere. Outlines required contents of petitions filed by interested persons to have a species either added to or removed from an endangered or threatened species list. Requires the Secretary of the Interior, once such information is provided, to: (1) notify and request comments from affected States; (2) promptly commence a review of any new information provided by the petition; and (3) publish in the Federal Register each finding made. Directs the Secretary, on the basis of the best scientific and commercial data available, to develop overall standards for the development and implementation of a plan for the conservation and recovery of each species listed as endangered or threatened (recovery plan), as well as the habitats upon which such species depend. Outlines administrative provisions concerning such recovery plans, including: (1) plan development time limits; (2) the delegation of recovery plan development authority to appropriate State agencies and oversight by the Secretary after such delegation; (3) the development of recovery plans by joint Federal-State panels in lieu of development by a State agency (providing membership and other requirements of such panels); (4) priorities required of the Secretary in developing and implementing such plans; (5) recovery plan contents; (6) recovery plan implementation agreements between appropriate Federal and State agencies; (7) review by the Secretary, at least every three years, of approved State recovery plans; (8) public outreach requirements; (9) the coordination of recovery plan requirements with related Federal laws and regulations; and (10) the continued effectiveness of existing recovery plans, requiring the Secretary to revise such plans to comply with requirements of this Act. Directs the Secretary, if requested by an interested person during the public comment period prior to making a determination for a species, to request the views of three referees, chosen for their scientific or educational background. Requires such views to be received within 30 days after such request and requires the Secretary to make a summary of such views available to each affected State and interested person. Directs the Secretary to base a species determination on such views and the preponderance of scientific data.
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Source last updated: Aug 21, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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