Earthjustice Statement on Martha Williams’ Nomination for Fish & Wildlife Service Director

The Biden administration has nominated Martha Williams as the new Fish & Wildlife Service Director. The position is responsible for managing wildlife and habitat across the country, including more than 150 million acres of land in the National Wildlife Refuge System, and the agency also administers the Endangered Species Act.

“The biodiversity crisis is one of the largest threats facing our world today,” said Tim Preso, managing attorney for Earthjustice’s Biodiversity Defense program. “In order to address this, it is vitally important that our nation’s wildlife agency has strong leadership. Since January, we have witnessed Martha’s dedication to her role at Fish and Wildlife by bringing experience, transparency, and sound leadership to the table. We also know that Martha cares deeply about our nation’s irreplaceable wildlife populations and the ecosystems they need to survive. We look forward to working with Martha and the Fish and Wildlife Service to use every tool we have to tackle the dire threats driving extinction and the loss of species.”

Williams, who has been serving as principal deputy director of the agency since January, has several challenges ahead of her including reversing harmful actions from the previous administration, like regulations that undermined the Endangered Species Act and the removal of protections for the gray wolf that has permitted the egregious hunts across some U.S. states.