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Save the Endangered Species Act
On Monday, September 19, 2005 House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo (R-CA) launched his long-planned assault on the Endangered Species Act. In yet another example of Orwellian doublespeak, the legislation (H.R. 3824) is titled "Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005." However, rather than helping endangered species recover, this bill severely undermines the original Endangered Species Act (ESA) and leaves loopholes for greedy developers, extractive industries, and radical property rights groups big enough to drive a Hummer through. Pombo has this bill on a fast track in an attempt to fly it under the public's radar screen by moving it quickly before opposition can build. If passed, the legislation will eliminate major wildlife protections such as the current rule requiring critical habitat designations for endangered species, make it difficult to block projects that threaten protected wildlife, and make it nearly impossible to add a new species to the list of plants and animals threatened with extinction. It also sets a troublesome, potentially budget-busting precedent that requires taxpayers to pay developers for any "profits" perceived lost to environmental protections and rewards developers who place potentially profitable projects on the most ecologically important lands. In short, it begs developers to plan projects that will allow them to extort large payments from the government at the expense of taxpayers like you. The Endangered Species Act is an enormously important safety net that has worked well since its inception and has brought hundreds of species back from the brink of extinction. Without it, majestic animals such as American Bald Eagles, gray wolves and Pacific salmon would now be as rare as 8-track tapes. Let Congress know you want to save the Endangered Species Act today! Call your congressional representative at (202) 224-3121 and/or send an email letter based on the sample below.
Dear [ Decision Maker ] , I am writing to ask you to support the Endangered Species Act(ESA) and urge you to oppose any bills such as Rep. Pombo's H.R. 3824, which attempt to gut the intent of the original Act. Pombo's highly controversial bill strips ESA of its common sense protections and is out of step with the 86% of the American public who support the original Endangered Species Act. I respectfully urge you to oppose any bill that would weaken or remove protections for endangered plants, animals, and habitat.
Sincerely, |
Campaign Launched: |
| Background Information |
· Eliminates critical habitat: Species with designated critical habitat are recovering twice as fast as species without it. Pombo's bill completely eliminates critical habitat. Critical habitat is one of the most important and successful tools in the conservation toolbox if we don't protect the places species call home, they will never recover.
· Politicizes scientific decisions: The Endangered Species Act requires that all decisions be made on basis of the best available scientific information-what constitutes the best science is left up to the scientific community. Pombo's bill allows a political appointee, the Secretary of Interior, to define the best science and to unilaterally overturn, with no public or scientific review, any decision she deems to not fit her definition. Science should be determined by scientists, not political appointees.
· Eliminates independent oversight: The Endangered Species Act requires that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and/or NOAA Fisheries independently review federal actions which may harm endangered species. Pombo's bill allows the Secretary of Interior, a political appointee, to exempt individual projects or entire classes of projects from independent oversight. Rep.Pombo's bill takes unbiased, professional wildlife and fisheries experts out of the equation.
· Weakens recovery efforts: The Endangered Species Act requires that federal recovery plans be implemented by federal agencies, and that species be protected until they are fully recovered. Pombo's bill allows federal agencies to ignore recovery plans, and requires that species be delisted within individual states even though the species as whole is tumbling toward extinction. Rep. Pombo's bill will fragment recovery efforts, throwing the Endangered Species Act's holistic approach out the window.
· Allows projects that harm species: The Endangered Species Act is a "look before you leap" law. It requires that all actions which may push species toward extinction be reviewed before they are implemented. Pombo's bill reverses the order. It requires that destructive projects go forward with no review unless federal agencies object within 90-days.
· Bankrupts the Endangered Species Act by requiring the federal government to pay landowners to not violate the law. This not only would have a tremendous negative impact on the federal budget, it would set a precedent to require the government to pay developers for any profits lost to environmental protections, and it would reward developers who plan the maximum and most potentially profitable projects for the most ecologically important habitat. In short, it begs developers to plan projects that allow them to extort payment from the government. The conservation community supports reasonable incentives for landowners who take proactive actions that significantly contribute to the recovery of endangered and threatened species.
Background information courtesy of American Lands Alliance and Endangered Species Coalition