Despite steep declines in its numbers, the Fish and Wildlife Service has decided not to list the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act, concluding it must first work on other, higher priority species.

EPA’s new method for determining how to evaluate the effects of pesticides on endangered species has been greeted with praise from the agricultural industry for offering a clear path forward for future evaluations, but sharp criticism from environmentalists for narrowing the universe of interagency reviews.

Federal agencies will begin meeting formally to discuss the best way to evaluate the effects of pesticides on endangered species, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Winter Policy Conference Wednesday.