Behind the Shadows: Interests, Influence, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Abstract

This article analyzes the influence of interest groups on the pre-proposal stage of the administrative rulemaking process. Kingdon's (1984 Kingdon, J. W. 1984. Agendas, alternatives, and public policies, New York: Longman. [Google Scholar], 2003 Kingdon, J. W. 2003. Agendas, alternatives, and public policies, New York: Longman. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) multiple streams model is used as a descriptive framework to structure an examination of interview data collected for three natural resource cases: (a) the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) critical habitat designation for Nebraska's Salt Creek Tiger Beetle; (b) the USFWS critical habitat designation for Utah/Arizona Shivwits and Holmgren Milk Vetches; and (c) the USFWS delisting of the Northern Rocky Gray Wolf population from the endangered species list. The analysis provides support to argue that interest groups are using particular tactics that reflect Kingdon-like elements to influence the pre-proposal stage.