SCOTUS agrees to critical habitat hearing

The Supreme Court recently agreed to hear the Pacific Legal Foundation’s (PLF) case against the Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) 2012 designation of habitat for the dusky gopher frog. According to a Jan. 27 announcement from PLF, the FWS designated 1,500 acres of private land in Louisiana as critical habitat for the frog. However, the frog had not been observed in the area for over half a century and the designated acres were unsuitable for the frog even if it was placed there. PLF estimates the impact to the property owner as being well over $32 million and asserts the designation was illegal, unconstitutional, and an overreach by the FWS. — WLJ