Armed Forces Endangered Species Exemption Act

H.R. 97, the Armed Forces Endangered Species Exemption Act, would exempt military operations and personnel from the regulations of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Under this bill, the Department of Defense would be permitted to conduct national defense activities even if those actions result in the harming or killing of species currently protected as threatened or endangered.

Additionally, the bill would limit the government's ability to designate military-owned lands as "critical habitats," which are areas specifically managed to support the recovery of at-risk wildlife. For citizens, this would mean that environmental protections and federal conservation oversight would no longer apply to activities on military installations or during defense-related maneuvers.