In legislation and administrative regulations of great potential significance, Congress and the federal executive departments have committed the United States to the protection of animal and plant species that are threatened with extinction. The primary instrument for implementing that commitment is the Endangered Species Act of 1973,¹ a statute that now is emerging as an important component of federal law.

Undoubtedly, many federal administrators and judges have little awareness of, or sympathy for, the new national policy to preserve rate animals and plants. However, all attorneys and federal officials should recognize the great potential impact that the Endangered Species Act can have on virtually any type of activity that involves the federal government.