LIST Act of 2025

This bill changes how animals and plants are taken off the endangered and threatened species lists. If the Fish and Wildlife Service or National Marine Fisheries Service has strong scientific or commercial information showing a species has recovered or met its recovery goals, the species must be removed, and the public notice can be a simple removal notice. It also adds a faster way to fix mistakes: within about 90 days of getting evidence that a past listing relied on data that was wrong, fraudulent, or misleading beyond reasonable error, the government must decide if that bad information likely led to the listing; if yes, it must remove the species and publish a notice. A positive decision to remove for this reason cannot be challenged in court, but a decision not to remove can be.

The bill also tells agencies what to consider during the required 5-year review of each listed species: recovery plan goals (if they exist), the main listing factors, any errors in the original decision, and whether the species is still in danger.

• Who is affected: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service; people and groups who file petitions to list species.
• What changes: Mandatory removal if recovery is shown; simpler public notice for removals; a process to remove species listed based on bad information; during 5-year reviews, agencies must check recovery goals, listing factors, and potential errors.
• Accountability: Anyone who knowingly submits false or misleading information in a petition to list a species can be barred from filing new petitions for 10 years.