Does the ESA require an economic analysis as part of designating critical habitat?
Yes. The Service must take into account the economic and other relevant impacts of specifying any particular areas as critical habitat. The Service may exclude any area from critical habitat if it determines that the benefits of such exclusion outweigh the benefits of specifying the area as part of critical habitat unless it determines, based on the best scientific and commercial data available, that the failure to designate the area as critical habitat will result in the extinction of the species. The Service contracted independent economists to develop an economic analysis for the critical habitat designation. The draft analysis was made available during the public comment period. According to the analysis, in general, while critical habitat designation for the piping plover may lead to additional consultations by the Service and other Federal agencies, project modifications that will be required as a result of the designation are expected to be minimal. The draft economic analysis a
