Title: Weigh Habitats Offsetting Locational Effects Act of 2018
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
Weigh Habitats Offsetting Locational Effects Act of 2018 or the WHOLE Act of 2018
This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to revise the process by which the Department of the Interior or the Department of Commerce, as appropriate, reviews an agency action to determine whether the action is likely to jeopardize the continued existence of an endangered or threatened species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of the critical habitat of the species. Specifically, the bill requires the appropriate department, when making such a determination, to consider the offsetting effects of protection or conservation measures that are already in place or proposed to be implemented as part of the action.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6346 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6346

      To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide for 
 consideration of the totality of conservation measures in determining 
             the impact of proposed Federal agency action.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 12, 2018

 Mr. Johnson of Louisiana (for himself, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, 
  Mr. Biggs, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Duncan of South Carolina, Mr. Gosar, Mr. 
   Jones, Mr. Norman, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Luetkemeyer, Mr. Mullin, Mr. 
  Bishop of Utah, Mr. Meadows, Mr. Pearce, Mr. Banks of Indiana, Mr. 
Abraham, Mr. Johnson of Ohio, Mr. LaMalfa, Mrs. Noem, Mr. Stewart, Mr. 
   Schrader, Mr. Estes of Kansas, Mr. Gohmert, Mr. Newhouse, and Mr. 
 McClintock) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
      To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide for 
 consideration of the totality of conservation measures in determining 
             the impact of proposed Federal agency action.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Weigh Habitats Offsetting Locational 
Effects Act of 2018'' or the ``WHOLE Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. CONSIDERATION OF THE TOTALITY OF CONSERVATION MEASURES.

    Section 7(b)(3) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 
1536(b)(3)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(C) In determining whether a Federal agency action is likely to 
jeopardize the continued existence of any endangered species or 
threatened species or result in the destruction or adverse modification 
of the critical habitat of a species, the Secretary shall consider the 
offsetting effects of all avoidance, minimization, and other species-
protection or conservation measures that are already in place or 
proposed to be implemented as part of the action, including the 
development, improvement, protection, or management of species habitat 
whether or not it is designated as critical habitat of such species.''.
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