To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to expand the exemption process under section 7 of that Act with respect to national security and significant adverse national or regional economic impacts.

This bill proposes amendments to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, significantly expanding the criteria for granting exemptions from its requirements. Currently, exemptions are primarily considered when an agency action would violate species protections and no reasonable alternatives exist. The proposed changes introduce two new grounds for seeking an exemption: if a required modification or reasonable and prudent alternative to an agency action may impair national security , or if it may result in significant adverse national or regional economic impacts . This means that even if alternatives exist, an exemption could be granted if implementing them would cause these specific negative consequences. The bill also modifies the procedural steps for evaluating these new exemption applications. It mandates that the Secretary, when considering such applications, must determine if the proposed alternatives would indeed lead to national security impairment or significant economic impacts. Furthermore, it requires consultation with the National Security Council and the Director of the National Economic Council to assess these potential impacts before a final determination is made by the Committee.