Local Government Liability under the Endangered Species Act

This article describes how, as environmentalists turn their attention toward sprawl and conservation, biologists warn that habitat destruction is the single largest cause of species extinctions, and the role of local governments in biodiversity preservation deserves much greater attention. Local governments make many of the ?little decisions? that can preserve or destroy species habitat, yet their role under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) is remarkably underdeveloped. This article seeks to define the role of local governments with respect to the ESA.