"Supreme Court: Narrow Frog Ruling Reopens Endangered Species Debate"

"The dusky gopher frog's long legal journey isn't over yet.

The Supreme Court today remanded a closely watched dispute over the federal government's power to designate certain critical habitat for the rare Southern amphibian.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will now weigh loaded questions over the meaning of 'habitat' and the Fish and Wildlife Service analysis underpinning the agency's approach to protecting land for the warty frog.

The unanimous decision is a narrow victory for private landowners, including timber giant Weyerhaeuser Co., which opposed FWS's inclusion of their Louisiana property as critical habitat for the species, one of the 100 most endangered in the world."

Ellen M. Gilmer reports for Greenwire November 27, 2018.