Center for Biological Diversity v. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit asking the federal district court for the District of Arizona to order the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to issue determinations on petitions to list four pollinator bee species as endangered or threatened. The complaint alleged that FWS received the listing petition for the blue calamintha bee on February 5, 2015 and issued a positive 90-day finding in September 2015 but had never made a 12-month finding regarding whether listing under the Endangered Species Act was warranted. The complaint further alleged that FWS received the petitions for the American bumblebee, variable cuckoo, and Southern Plains bumblebee in February 2021, May 2021, and July 2022, respectively, and had yet to issue 12-month findings. The complaint alleged that the four species were “suffering from declining populations due to habitat degradation and destruction, pesticide use, climate change, and other threats.”