Biden vetoes two Republican-led bills to undo protections for the prairie bird and northern bat

ASSOCIATED PRESS • September 27, 2023

President Joe Biden has vetoed Republican-sponsored bills intended to undo federal protections for endangered species that have seen their populations plummet over the years, including the northern long-eared bat. The GOP measures would overturn “science-based rulemaking” that offers important protections for the species and would undermine the Endangered Species Act, Biden said. The long-eared bat is one of 12 bat types decimated by a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome. The disease has spread across nearly 80% of the bat’s historic range in the eastern and north-central U.S. and has caused estimated population declines of at least 97%. “Bats are critical to healthy, functioning ecosystems and contribute at least $3 billion annually to the United States agriculture economy through pest control and pollination,” Biden said. Republicans and the logging industry criticized the endangered listing for the long-eared bat, contending it would hamper logging.