[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 2, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 1-2]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28935]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 1 / Tuesday, January 2, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 1]]

                Proclamation 10689 of December 27, 2023

                
50th Anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, 
                2023

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Fifty years ago, the Congress passed one of the world's 
                most critical conservation laws--the Endangered Species 
                Act. Ever since, the Endangered Species Act has 
                prevented 99 percent of all fish, wildlife, and plants 
                under its protection from going extinct. This law has 
                safeguarded the incredible biodiversity across our 
                Nation, supported the recovery of imperiled species, 
                and conserved the habitats they depend on. As we 
                observe this anniversary, my Administration recommits 
                to conserving America's flora and fauna for generations 
                to come.

                Before the Endangered Species Act, Federal law lacked a 
                unified framework to protect species facing extinction, 
                including plants and animals that have long populated 
                this country. When these species vanish, it jeopardizes 
                the ecosystems and people that depend on them. Because 
                America's biodiversity is central to our national 
                heritage and identity, courageous activists and 
                scientists refused to let our precious wildlife 
                disappear. With these activists and scientists leading 
                the way, a group of bipartisan members of Congress came 
                together to pass the Endangered Species Act. This law 
                expanded the endangered species list, established new 
                protections for them, and empowered agencies to enforce 
                any violations of those protections. I was proud to 
                vote for and contribute to the passage of the 
                Endangered Species Act back then, and I am proud now of 
                its lasting legacy. Because of these protections, 
                nearly 300 species have avoided extinction--from the 
                American alligator to the bald eagle, our national 
                symbol.

                My Administration has remained committed to restoring 
                the full power and promise of the Endangered Species 
                Act and conserving our Nation's lands and waters. We 
                proposed two rules that restore critical parts of the 
                Endangered Species Act that were weakened during the 
                previous administration and recommit to using the best 
                available science to manage species. Additionally, our 
                Inflation Reduction Act invests billions of dollars in 
                conservation efforts--like forest management, ecosystem 
                restoration, watershed protection, and other efforts 
                that will support the recovery of imperiled wildlife 
                and their habitats. That funding also includes $125 
                million for endangered species, directly benefiting 
                more than 300 species currently listed under the 
                Endangered Species Act.

                From day one of my Administration, I have taken 
                historic steps to conserve our natural treasures for 
                the ages. During my first week in office, I issued an 
                Executive Order establishing the country's first-ever 
                National Conservation Goal to conserve at least 30 
                percent of our lands and waters by 2030. That goal is 
                at the heart of my ``America the Beautiful'' initiative 
                to support locally led, voluntary conservation and 
                restoration efforts across the country. We are 
                delivering on those efforts--during my first year in 
                office, we protected more lands and waters than any 
                American President since John F. Kennedy. As we have 
                pursued these conservation efforts, we have continued 
                to work with farmers, ranchers, fishermen, landowners, 
                Indigenous peoples, and rural communities, who do the 
                everyday work of sustaining and cultivating our lands.

[[Page 2]]

                Additionally, my Administration began the designation 
                process for multiple new national marine sanctuaries, 
                including the Hudson Canyon in the Atlantic Ocean, the 
                Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary off the 
                coast of Southern California, and more than 700,000 
                square miles around the Pacific Remote Islands. If 
                completed, the Pacific Remote Islands sanctuary would 
                be among the largest marine protected areas on the 
                planet. The Department of the Interior has also begun 
                the process of conserving more than 13 million acres of 
                lands of significant natural and cultural value in 
                America's Western Arctic.

                Finally, we cannot adequately protect our Nation's 
                biodiversity if we do not combat the existential threat 
                of climate change. That is why my Inflation Reduction 
                Act made the largest investment in climate and 
                conservation ever. Along with funding from the 
                Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, these investments have 
                helped protect our iconic outdoor spaces, implement 
                climate-smart agriculture practices, preserve our 
                historic sites, and make our Nation more resilient to 
                the devastating impacts of climate change. I also 
                signed an Executive Order to protect America's forests, 
                support nature-based solutions to climate change, and 
                initiate the first National Nature Assessment to 
                evaluate the state of our lands, waters, and wildlife.

                As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Endangered 
                Species Act, we recognize the incredible progress we 
                have made over the past five decades to protect 
                endangered species as well as all that is possible when 
                we come together to conserve our planet. Together, we 
                can ensure that all our Nation's treasures--its lands, 
                water, and all the incredible wildlife it holds--will 
                be enjoyed for generations to come.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim December 28, 
                2023, as the 50th Anniversary of the Endangered Species 
                Act. I call upon Americans to honor all the progress we 
                have made toward protecting endangered species and to 
                work together to conserve our Nation's incredible 
                biodiversity.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-seventh day of December, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of 
                the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                eighth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2023-28935
Filed 12-29-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P