Data / Federal rules / 2025-06746

Rescinding the Definition of “Harm” Under the Endangered Species Act

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published this proposed rule in the Federal Register on April 17, 2025. Comments closed on May 19, 2025.

SpecStream is the live web data engine for teams and agents. It reads every rule and proposed rule in the Federal Register each morning, and this page is that reading. Name your industry once and new rules, comment deadlines and effective dates arrive in your sheet, CRM, Slack or agent as they are published.

Get new rules for your industry

What the agency says

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) (collectively referred to as the Services or we) are proposing to rescind the regulatory definition of "harm" in our Endangered Species Act (ESA or the Act) regulations. The existing regulatory definition of "harm," which includes habitat modification, runs contrary to the best meaning of the statutory term "take." We are undertaking this change to adhere to the single, best meaning of the ESA.

Key facts

Document number: 2025-06746
Type: Proposed rule
Action: Notice of proposed rulemaking; request for comments
Agency: Interior Department; Fish and Wildlife Service; Commerce Department; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Published: April 17, 2025
Comments due: May 19, 2025
Dates: Comments must be received by May 19, 2025.
Docket: Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2025-0034; FXES11110900000-256 FF09E23000; 250411-0064
Regulation ID (RIN): 0648-BN93; 1018-BI38
Code of Federal Regulations: 50 CFR 17; 50 CFR 222
Topics: Administrative practice and procedure; Endangered and threatened species; Exports; Imports; Plants; Reporting and recordkeeping requirements; Transportation; Wildlife
Significant: Yes, under Executive Order 12866
Pages: 4

The document on federalregister.gov PDF

Other documents from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Document	Type	Published
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod by Catcher Vessels Using Trawl Gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska 2026-21680	Final rule	Oct 23
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pollock in Statistical Area 620 in the Gulf of Alaska 2026-21676	Final rule	Oct 23
Fisheries Off West Coast States; Modification of the West Coast Salmon Fisheries; Inseason Action #1-#11 2026-21607	Final rule	Oct 22
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation of Pacific Cod in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska 2026-21556	Final rule	Oct 21
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Modify Groundfish Season Timing in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska Groundfish Fisheries 2026-21507	Proposed rule	Oct 21
Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fisheries; Closure of the General Category October Through November Fishery for 2026 2026-21450	Final rule	Oct 20
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation of Atka Mackerel in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area 2026-21239	Final rule	Oct 16
Fishery Management Plans of St. Croix and St. Thomas and St. John; Spiny Lobster Management Measures 2026-21205	Proposed rule	Oct 16

Everything from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · Rules on administrative practice and procedure · Rules on endangered and threatened species · Rules on exports · Published in April 2025

Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-23. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.