As described in EPA’s Endangered Species Act (ESA) workplan, EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) is moving forward with the Vulnerable Species Action Plan (VSAP), a comprehensive, long-term approach to identify species that are particularly vulnerable to pesticides, identify mitigation to protect them from exposure, and implement the protections across different types of pesticides (e.g., herbicides, insecticides, fungicides). In the VSAP, EPA worked with the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to identify species that may be highly vulnerable to potential population-level impacts of pesticides. In total, the Vulnerable Species Action Plan currently includes 25 species. Additional information in the Vulnerable Species Action Plan is available in the docket, EPA-HQ-OPP-2023-0327.

White Bluffs bladderpod occupies a unique and restricted habitat type, most of which is protected as part of Hanford Reach National Monument. The population fluctuates greatly in size from year to year and is influenced by a number of threats.