FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 19, 2005
Contacts
: Cindy
Hoffman 202/772-3255
William Lutz 202-772-0269
ASSAULT
ON ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
POMBO
MOVING LEGISLATION THAT WOULD
CRIPPLE
ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
Act
that Saved the Bald Eagle Now
Endangered
Resource Committee Chairman
Creates Loopholes
that are a
Developers' Dream
WASHINGTON
–
Legislation introduced today by
Rep. Richard Pombo (R-Cal.) would
severely undermine the Endangered
Species Act (ESA) and punch
loopholes in the law on behalf of
greedy developers, oil companies,
and other special interests.
Ironically called the
"Threatened and Endangered
Species Recovery Act of
2005," this legislation
strikes at the heart of our nation's
wildlife conservation efforts.
"If
Rep. Pombo's legislation were
part of the original Endangered
Species Act, the recovery of the
bald eagle, grizzly bear, and
peregrine falcon would have been
extremely difficult if not
impossible," said Rodger
Schlickeisen, President of
Defenders of Wildlife. "The
bill contains provisions that
would severely cripple the federal
effort to recover endangered
plants and animals. It runs
counter to the very intent of the
Endangered Species Act and flies
in the face of Rep. Pombo's
earlier professed desire to
improve wildlife
conservation."
Jamie
Rappaport Clark, former Director
of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service and now Executive Vice
President of Defenders said,
"Given Mr. Pombo's past
statements about trying to make
the Endangered Species Act work
better, it's extremely
disappointing to see him introduce
a bill that does so much to
eliminate opportunities for
recovery of threatened and
endangered wildlife."
"The
Endangered Species Act has been
extraordinarily successful at
preventing the extinction of our
nation's precious wildlife.
Since 1973, only nine out of the
1800 animals protected by the Act
have been declared extinct. Rep.
Pombo's legislation would put an
end to that astonishing record of
success and undermine any hope of
protecting endangered plants and
animals in the future," Clark
said.
An
analysis of Congressman Pombo's
bill by Defenders of Wildlife
points to the following key
problems:
- Repeals
critical habitat without
providing adequate
assurances that habitat
necessary for recovery would
be protected.
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- Undermines
the requirement of federal
agencies to ensure that
their actions would not
jeopardize the continued
existence of listed plants
or animals. Cuts wildlife
experts out of the loop in
determining whether agency
actions would harm
endangered plants and
animals.
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- Puts
road blocks in the way of
the use of the "best
available science" and
limits the type of science
that can be used for
endangered species recovery.
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- Requires
the federal government to
pay landowners to not
violate the law, setting a
terrible precedent in regard
to environmental
protections. This would
create a financial windfall
for unscrupulous developers
by requiring the government
to compensate them for the
value of any activity they
propose on their land which
would result in a take of a
listed plant or animal.
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- Places
endangered plants and
animals at risk whenever the
federal government fails to
meet a 90-day deadline for
telling developers whether
their actions would take an
endangered species. If
the government misses the
deadline, no matter what the
reason, developers get a de
facto exemption from the law
and wildlife would suffer.
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- Eliminates
the Endangered Species
Committee, the Cabinet-level
body created by Congress in
1978 to resolve truly
irreconcilable conflicts
between species conservation
and development.
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"At
a time when our country is still
reeling from the impacts of
Hurricane Katrina, one has to
wonder why reauthorization of the
Endangered Species Act has become
the immediate priority of
Congressman Pombo and the Natural
Resources Committee," said
Clark.
###
Defenders
of Wildlife is a leading nonprofit
conservation organization recognized as one of the
nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and
its habitat. With more than 490,000 members and
supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is an effective
leader on endangered species issues.
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