Environmental -- 2018



Weyerhaeuser v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service   (U.S. Supreme Court)

Government overreach under the Endangered Species Act

The NAM filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court to oppose government overreach under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) that restricts land use in the name of helping an endangered species that does not even live on the land. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) declared 1,544 acres of private property in Louisiana as “critical habitat” for the dusky gopher frog, which does not live on that property and could not even survive there under current conditions. Such designations can significantly harm manufacturers and other landowners by severely restricting land use activities and driving up permitting costs and delays. The NAM’s brief in support of the landowner argued that FWS exceeded its statutory authority under the ESA and highlighted how FWS’s actions imposed significant harm and business uncertainty on manufacturers. The Supreme Court issued a largely favorable decision for manufacturers and remanded to the lower court the question of whether the property at issue even qualifies as habitat for the frog (a question that suggests the answer is “no”) and ruled that an agency’s critical habitat designation is subject to judicial review.


Related Documents:
NAM brief  (April 30, 2018)