Legislation to weaken the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act, and other fisheries bills

House Natural Resources Committee
   Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee
1324 Longworth

07/22/2025 at 02:15PM

On Tuesday, July 22, 2025, at 2:15 p.m. in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:

  • H.R. 180 (Rep. McClintock), “Endangered Species Transparency and Reasonableness Act of 2025”
  • H.R. 3706 (Rep. Babin), “Standards for Understanding Source and Habitat Identification (SUSHI) Act”, to develop a standard methodology for identifying the country of origin of seafood
  • H.R. 3831 (Rep. Webster), “Florida Safe Seas Act of 2025”, to prohibit feeding sharks in the exclusive economic zone off the State of Florida
  • H.R. 4033 (Rep. Fine), “Sturgeon Conservation and Sustainability Act of 2025”, to allow certain activities to be conducted with respect to sturgeon held in captivity
  • H.R. 4293 (Rep. Ciscomani), To amend the Sikes Act to increase flexibility with respect to cooperative and interagency agreements for land management off of installations.
  • H.R. 4294 (Rep. Elfreth), “MAWS Act of 2025”, to direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a pilot program with respect to the sale of blue catfish caught in Chesapeake Bay
  • Discussion Draft of H.R. ____ (Rep. Begich), To amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972.

H.R. 180 modifies requirements concerning determinations on whether a species is a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), caps attorney’s fees to prevailing parties in ESA citizen suits, and makes related requirements.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) must publish online, subject to privacy or administrative limitations, the best scientific and commercial data available that are the basis for each determination. The bill states that the term best scientific and commercial data available includes all data submitted by a state, tribal, or county government. Thus, such data is automatically deemed to be the best scientific and commercial data available. Before making a determination on whether a species is an endangered or threatened species, the FWS and NMFS must provide affected states with all of the data that is the basis of the determination.

The Department of the Interior must also publish and maintain an online searchable database that discloses federal expenditures related to litigation under the ESA.