A bill to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to improve the process for listing, recovery planning, and delisting, and for other purposes.
Endangered Species Listing and Delisting Process Reform Act of 1999 - Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to direct the Secretary of the Interior, when required under such Act to use the best scientific and commercial data available in the determination of a species for inclusion on the endangered or threatened list, to use data that is empirical or has been field-tested or peer-reviewed. Allows the Secretary to make such a determination only if there is sufficient biological information to support recovery planning for the species.
Adds certain information required in a petition to add a species to the endangered or threatened list, including documentation of the species, a description of its range, and an appraisal of its status and threats. Requires the Secretary to notify and provide a copy of such petition to the State agency of each State in which the species is believed to occur and to solicit the assessment of such agency as to whether the petitioned action is warranted. Provides authorized actions by the Secretary when considering adding a species to such lists when no petition has been received. Requires the consideration of appropriate State assessments before final publication of a finding that a petition is warranted. Requires the Secretary to hold at least two (currently one) public hearings in each appropriate State before implementation of any final regulation to implement an endangered or threatened determination (but limits to ten the total number of such hearings with respect to each proposed regulation).
Directs the Secretary, upon publication of a proposed regulation determining an endangered or threatened listing, to make publicly available all information on which the determination is based, as well as all information relating to the species that does not support such determination (with an exception for disclosures protected under the Freedom of Information Act or the Privacy Act).
Directs the Secretary to establish criteria that must be met for scientific and commercial data to be used in a determination that a species is endangered or threatened. Requires such data to include field observation of the species involved. Requires the Secretary to accept and use data collected by landowners.
Directs the Secretary to: (1) begin developing a recovery plan for an endangered or threatened species on the date of promulgation of the proposed regulation for such determination; and (2) issue such plan no later than the date of final promulgation of such regulation.
Requires the Secretary, if he finds that the criteria of a recovery plan has been met for a: (1) change of status of an endangered or threatened species, to publish a notice of such change in status; and (2) removal of a species covered by a plan from an endangered or threatened list, to publish a notice of an intent to remove such species from such list.
Introduced in Senate
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S7933-7934)
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
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