Comments on the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Proposed Rule “Endangered Species Status for Northern Long-Eared Bat”

IPAA submitted joint industry and allied trade group comments to the Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed uplisting of the Northern Long-Eared Bat. The Service is proposing an Endangered listing status for the bat, which is found in 37 states and the District of Columbia. By the Services own admission, the dwindling bat numbers are due to a disease infecting the bats known as the white-nose syndrome and not due to industrial activities. The white-nose syndrome has spread across nearly eighty percent of the species entire range since it was listed as threatened in 2015.