Endangered Species Committee

The Endangered Species Committee is a high-level federal committee established in 1978 under the Endangered Species Act. It was created to address extremely rare situations in which proposed federal action conflicts with the protection of an endangered or threatened species and no workable alternatives appear to exist. 

Purpose of the Committee 

The ESA requires federal agencies to avoid actions that could jeopardize a listed species or destroy its critical habitat. In most cases, agencies resolve these issues through planning, consultation and mitigation. The committee is used only when those tools fail and a project of significant national or regional importance faces unresolvable conflicts with ESA requirements. The Committee may grant an exemption to ESA protections only when certain criteria are met. 

Committee Membership 

The Committee has seven voting members: 

• Secretary of the Interior (Chair)
• Secretary of Agriculture
• Secretary of the Army
• Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
• Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• One individual appointed by the President
• A representative from the affected state 

This structure ensures that exemption decisions consider environmental, economic and public interest perspectives. 

Related Documents

• Endangered Species Committee Order
• Gulf of America Energy Security - Department of Energy
• Market impact analysis of the disruption to federal offshore Gulf of America crude oil and natural gas production
• Correspondence from Secretary of War - Act Exemption