US Senators Introduce Improving Species Recovery Act to Reshape Endangered Species Protection Process with "Conservation Milestones" and AI Review

US Senators Adam Schiff (Democrat of California) and Pete Ricketts (Republican of Nebraska) have introduced legislation called the Improving Species Recovery Act, aimed at supporting and improving species recovery efforts. The bill's introduction comes as the Trump administration accelerates the rollback of decades-old endangered species protections under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

In a statement released with the announcement, Schiff said: "Protecting thousands of endangered species and strengthening recovery efforts must be a bipartisan endeavor — it is a shared responsibility for all of us. This new legislation I am introducing with Senator Pete Ricketts will update the Endangered Species Act to ensure that the policies that help imperiled species survive and recover are implemented efficiently, grounded in science, and in partnership with private landowners and states. We must all do our part to leave the world better than we found it."

According to the description, if passed, the bill would incentivize voluntary conservation actions and reward states and private landowners that take early action to protect threatened species and support their recovery. The bill would set standards for "pre-listing conservation efforts" and establish a pathway clarifying how voluntary efforts will affect the government's decisions to list and delist species under the Endangered Species Act. The bill would also introduce a "conservation milestones" mechanism, under which parties would receive regulatory flexibility and priority access to funding once those milestones are met. Other measures in the bill include setting a new "baseline status" for species at the time of listing, and using artificial intelligence and other digital tools to improve interagency consultation and review.

The two lawmakers said the Improving Species Recovery Act would accelerate species recovery and strengthen stakeholder collaboration while reducing permitting bottlenecks, confusion, and litigation.

In his statement, Ricketts said: "Fifty-three years ago, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act to recover threatened and endangered species. Instead, it has created regulatory obstacles that make recovery harder. The Improving Species Recovery Act will cut burdensome bureaucracy and modernize the recovery process. It will give local experts the resources and certainty they need to drive species delisting. As governor, I led on-the-ground work to conserve wildlife in Nebraska. This bill will ensure states and private landowners can continue that work more efficiently and effectively."

The bill's introduction comes against the backdrop of the Trump administration's efforts to roll back decades-old protections for threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Earlier this year, the US Department of the Interior withdrew the ESA's definition of "harm," excluding critical habitat protections. In addition, a leaked memo showed that the administration plans to stop penalizing accidental take of endangered species.

In a statement, Oceana Vice President Beth Lowell said: "The proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act would remove core safeguards that are the reason 99% of the species protected under the Act have avoided extinction. Currently, federally permitted activities that accidentally harm and kill endangered species must account for their unintended impacts on wildlife, including sea turtle nesting beaches, or North Atlantic right whale mothers and calves as they swim to foraging grounds. These changes upend the Endangered Species Act's balance between economic activity and necessary protections, pushing species to the brink of extinction."