Monday March 31, 2025
Courthouse News Service —
The Center for Biological Diversity sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Thursday for dragging its feet in granting environmental protection to two salamander species.
The center and the federal government fought a decadelong legal battle over whether Kern Canyon slender salamander and relictual salamander qualify as endangered species. The agency finally proposed adding the pair to the list in 2022 but has yet to finalize their protection.
According to the center, the delay violates the Endangered Species Act’s one-year deadline from the time of proposal to the listing of the species. The agency extended the comment period by one year, and the deadline for that extension and publication of the final rules came and went in 2024.
Senior advocate for the center and California resident Tara Zuardo said the center gave the agency a grace period under President Joe Biden. They fear action is unlikely under President Donald Trump.