# National Marine Fisheries Service

Type: government agency

Source: Legal & RegTech Intelligence Brief — https://getlegalbrief.com/entity/national-marine-fisheries-service-government-agency
Canonical HTML page: https://getlegalbrief.com/entity/national-marine-fisheries-service-government-agency

## Timeline

- **2026-09-12**: Effective Date — The rescission takes effect; 'harm' no longer includes indirect habitat modification.
- **2026-07-14**: Final Rule Published in Federal Register — FWS and NMFS formally publish the final rescission rule, triggering 60-day effective countdown.
- **2026-07-10**: Joint Announcement — U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Department of Commerce announce final rule rescinding the 'harm' definition.
- **2025-04-24**: Proposed Rule Released — FWS and NMFS publish proposed rule to rescind the 'harm' definition, initiating public comment period.
- **1995-06-29**: Babbitt v. Sweet Home Decision — Supreme Court upholds regulatory 'harm' definition including habitat modification; Justice Scalia files dissent.

## Recent coverage (1 stories)

### ESA 'Harm' Rule Gone: Agencies Adopt Scalia Dissent, Effective Sept. 12, 2026
2026-07-15 00:04:12 · Sentiment: Neutral · Impact: 7/10 · Sources: 2

Federal agencies have finalized the rescission of the Endangered Species Act's 'harm' definition, replacing it with Justice Scalia's dissent interpretation. This dramatically narrows what constitutes a prohibited 'take' and eliminates indirect habitat liability, creating significant legal uncertainty and anticipated litigation from conservation groups.
Full story: https://getlegalbrief.com/story/esa-harm-rescission-legal-impact

---
This page is a machine-readable summary. Sentiment measures the directional read of each development for this entity, not the tone of the reporting; impact weights consequence, not syndication reach. See https://getlegalbrief.com/guides/methodology for the full editorial methodology.