EPA Signs Joint Statement of Cooperation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Help Protect Endangered Species and Support Sustainable Agriculture
Released on January 15, 2025
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) signed a Joint Statement of Cooperation to better align EPA’s strategies for protecting endangered species from exposure to pesticides with FWS’s consultation processes. This coordination will help EPA meet its obligations under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and allows both agencies to increase the efficiency of consultations which are required when pesticide actions may affect endangered species. Improving consultation efficiency increases flexibility for the agricultural community and keeps pest management tools in farmers’ hands, while protecting endangered species.
The Joint Statement establishes a formal understanding of how EPA plans to further the conservation and recovery of FWS listed species under section 7(a)(1) of the ESA, which requires all Federal agencies to have programs for the conservation of endangered and threatened species. Under the Joint Statement, the agencies plan to work together to streamline consultations for conventional pesticide actions, meeting the ESA section 7(a)(2) requirement for Federal agencies to ensure that their actions are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any listed species or its critical habitat.
The Joint Statement references EPA’s section 7(a)(1)/7(a)(2) Plan — which EPA worked with FWS to develop and describes how EPA will identify conservation measures through development and implementation of multi-chemical approaches including the Herbicide Strategy. The multi-chemical approaches will reduce population-level impacts from pesticide use, and thus during section 7(a)(2) consultation, reduce the likelihood of population-level impacts to groups of listed species. EPA’s section 7(a)(1)/7(a)(2) Plan provides more detailed information and should be considered a companion document to the Joint Statement.
The Joint Statement and 7(a)(1)/7(a)(2) Plan are the result of successful coordination between the agencies and are available on EPA’s website.