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Displaying 41 - 50 of 100
Title Author Citation Alternate Citation Agency Citation Summary
Detailed Discussion on Whaling Tom Krepitch Animal Legal & Historical Center Much of today's discussions about whaling are centered on Japan's program in the Antarctic. While some organizations like Sea Shepherd have taken a direct action approach to ending Japan's hunt, some organizations and countries have pursued legal approaches to doing so. Both approaches have seen some success, but the future of whaling remains uncertain.
Detailed Discussion: The Global Protection of Whales Angela Lang Animal Legal & Historical Center

This discussion of whales focuses on the global protection of whales, beginning with the International Whaling Commission and the problems arising from legally permitted whaling. The second section involves the United States and International laws protecting whales, beginning with the Marine Mammal Protection Act,the Endangered Species Act and Treaty of CITES. The third section involves additional threats to whales, focusing on the problems of fishing nets, pollution, ship collisions, and whale watching and how human actions can have an effect on whale populations.

Determination of Threatened Status for the California Tiger Salamande Krista Cotter Animal Legal & Historical Center

The FWS through this rule has designated a critical habitat in Santa Barbara County, California for the California Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma califoniese) (CTS) pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973. This rule fulfills the final requirements of the settlement agreement reached in Center for Biological Diversity v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The reason for the designation of critical habitat for the CTS is the net loss in CTS grazing land over a 10 – 12 year period due to extensive farming, regardless of the efforts made to increase the amount of suitable grazing land. As a result of the designation of land as critical habitat for the CTS, federal agencies will have to consult with the FWS prior to undertaking or authorizing activities that may impact the habitat.

Dysfunctional Downlisting Defeated: Defenders of Wildlife v. Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior Edward A. Fitzgerald 34 B.C. Envtl. Aff. L. Rev. 37 (2007)

Abstract: In 2003, the United States Department of the Interior (DOI) established three distinct population segments (DPSs) for the gray wolf, which encompassed its entire historic range. In addition, DOI downlisted the gray wolf from an endangered to threatened species in the Eastern and Western DPSs, despite the wolf's continued absence from ninety-five percent of its historic range. The U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon properly invalidated DOI's dysfunctional downlisting of the gray wolf. DOI's interpretation of “significant portion of its range” was inconsistent with the text, intent, and purposes of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In addition, DOI inverted its DPS policy, which provides different populations of the species different levels of protection in different portions of its historic range. Achieving the recovery plan goals did not warrant downlisting the gray wolf. DOI also failed to address the five downlisting factors of section 4(a) of the ESA across a significant portion of the gray wolf's historic range. Nevertheless, DOI could have established two DPSs encompassing the populations of gray wolves in the western Great Lakes and northern Rocky Mountains, and could have accordingly downlisted these populations to threatened species status.

Elephants and Tuberculosis: A Real Threat Sophie Pierce Animal Legal & Historical Center This paper addresses the catastrophic epidemic that is elephants infected with Tuberculosis, and the crisis that surrounds every diagnosis. Lack of Federal law and patchwork state laws makes it difficult, if not impossible, to control this pandemic. Moreover, inadequate testing for Tuberculosis in elephants is a safety hazard for elephants and humans. The lack of legal oversight and the absence of care by the agencies meant to protect elephants used for exhibition purposes is not only an animal welfare issue, but is a dire public safety concern.
Elephants and Tuberculosis: A Real Threat Sophie Pierce Animal Legal & Historical Center This paper addresses the catastrophic epidemic that is elephants infected with Tuberculosis, and the crisis that surrounds every diagnosis. Lack of Federal law and patchwork state laws makes it difficult, if not impossible, to control this pandemic. Moreover, inadequate testing for Tuberculosis in elephants is a safety hazard for elephants and humans. The lack of legal oversight and the absence of care by the agencies meant to protect elephants used for exhibition purposes is not only an animal welfare issue, but is a dire public safety concern.
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Final Designation of Critical Habitat for the Arroyo Toad (Bufo califo Krista Cotter Animal Legal & Historical Center

This rule designates 11,695 acres of critical habitat for the arroyo toad in Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties in California. FWS had to designate critical habitat for the arroyo toad as a result of a settlement agreement in Center for Biological Diversity v. United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The critical habitat was designated in accordance with the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and its amendments. This specific critical habitat is a revision of the final rule on arroyo toad critical habitat designation of 2/1/01 (69 FR 9414), which was deemed deficient and was overruled. The current habitat is designated pursuant to court order stemming from Building Industry Legal Defense Foundation v. Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior, which ordered FWS to publish a new critical habitat designation for the arroyo toad.

Endangered Species Act Listing Dirk Kempthorne This press release announces listing polar bears as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT LISTINGS AND CLIMATE CHANGE: AVOIDING THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM Michael C. Blumm & Kya B. Marienfeld 20 Animal L. 277 (2013) The Endangered Species Act (ESA), with its reputation as the nation’s strongest environmental law, might be expected to impose some limits on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions adversely affecting listed species due to rising global temperatures. Although the federal government recently conceded that some species warrant listing because of climate change, the accompanying listing decisions revealed a federal refusal to apply the ESA to constrain GHG emissions. In this Article, we explain those decisions—involving the American pika, the polar bear, the wolverine, and the Gunnison sage-grouse—and their implications. We conclude with some surprising observations about the Obama Administration’s apparent endorsement of Justice Scalia’s approach to the ESA’s habitat protections, the Administration’s endorsement of constitutional standing rules to limit the effective scope of the statute, the growing significance of the distinction between endangered and threatened species, and the unintended boomerang effects of the administrative reforms of the statute in the 1990s.
Endangered Species Act Split-Listing Chart for Chimpanzees Hanna Coate Animal Legal & Historical Center This split chart details the legal status of chimpanzees based on whether they were born or imported in the US or in foreign countries.