Regulatory Alerts

On October 10, 2024, the California Fish and Game Commission (Commission) voted that listing the western burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) as threatened or endangered under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) may be warranted throughout its entire range in California. This vote means that the species advances to candidate status under the CESA. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will conduct a one-year review to gather the information needed by the Commission to make a final decision on the CESA listing.

The regal fritillary (Argynnis idalia) is a large non-migratory butterfly historically known to occur in native grasslands on the east coast and throughout the Great Plains. On August 6, 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) proposed listing the regal fritillary under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The regal fritillary population consists of two subspecies: the eastern (A.idalia idalia) and the western (A.idalia occidentalis).

On June 28, 2024, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in Loper Bright Enterprises et al. v. Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce, et al., fundamentally altering the landscape of administrative deference in the United States. This decision overturns the long-standing Chevron deference doctrine, redefining the scope of judicial review over agency interpretations of ambiguous statutory provisions. It emphasizes the judiciary’s primary role in interpreting statutes, marking a significant shift in the balance of power between regulatory agencies and the courts.