Defenders of Wildlife news release: “A new analysis of how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has assessed the impact of projects on imperiled species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) finds that over the last seven years not one out of over 88,000 projects was stopped because of the FWS finding that a project would threaten a species’ survival [emphasis added]. The analysis, published [December 14, 2015] in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, evaluates how the FWS has implemented one of the most important protections of the act, Section 7 consultations. Section 7 requires all federal agencies to consult with the FWS or National Marine Fisheries Service to ensure that the actions they fund, authorize, or carry out are not likely to “jeopardize” a species or “destroy or adversely modify” critical habitat.”

• Published article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1516938112; Article also available for download at www.defenders.org/publications/section-7-pnas.pdf
• Defenders’ Section 7 Homepage: www.defenders.org/section-seven
• Defenders’ Section 7 Database: www.defenders.org/section7