Endangered Species Transparency and Reasonableness Act of 2025

This bill aims to make Endangered Species Act decisions more open and to control some legal costs. It would require federal wildlife agencies to post online the science and other data they use to decide if a species should be listed as endangered or threatened. It treats any data from state, tribal, or county governments as part of the best available information, and the agencies must share all the underlying data with affected states before making a decision. It would also limit attorney fees in lawsuits under the Act and have the Interior Department run a public, searchable website that shows what the government spends on these lawsuits.

Key points

• Who is affected: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service; the Department of the Interior; state, tribal, and county governments; the public viewing the data online.
• What changes: Agencies must publish the data behind listing decisions; treat state/tribal/county submissions as best available data; share all data with affected states before decisions; cap attorney fees in Endangered Species Act lawsuits; create an online database of federal spending on those lawsuits.
• When: These requirements would take effect if the bill becomes law (the documents do not specify an effective date).