While the world is focusing elsewhere -- on hurricane relief, for example -- Congress is busy rolling the clock back to the 1800s.
The Endangered Species Act has serious flaws, but anyone who thinks the far right in the U.S. House is going to fix them with this "reform" bill is in error. The bill is about weakening the act without repealing it -- to repeal it would risk a huge public outcry.
In the Great Lakes region, there are dozens of officially listed or candidate endangered species. In Minnesota, 18. In Michigan, 25. Among them are the piping plover (now in recovery thanks to the Act), the gray wolf, and many world-class rare plants.
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/Endangered/
Representative Pombo's Extinction bill, H.R. 3824 is on a fast track through Congress. The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on it sometime next week. We need your help to stop this bill!
The Endangered Species Act is a safety net for wildlife, fish and plants on the brink of extinction. Representative Pombo's bill will cut large holes in this safety net and significantly weaken protections for our nation's fish, plants, wildlife, and the places they call home. The bill would gut the Endangered Species Act on behalf of greedy developers, oil companies, timber companies, mining companies and extreme property rights groups.
It is critical that Members of Congress stand up for our natural heritage and the Endangered Species Act. Please call your Member of Congress and urge them to oppose Representative Pombo's Extinction bill!Thank you for your work to protect endangered species and habitat.
hhttp://www.stopextinction.org
The bill would:
Eliminate Critical Habitat Protections
The Pombo bill would repeal one of the most important parts of the Endangered Species Act's safety net-the protection of critical habitat.
Abandon the Commitment to Recovery of Endangered Species
The Pombo bill weakens recovery plans by stacking the "recovery teams" that draft them with industry representatives. It requires that the teams include representatives from each "constituency" with a direct interest in the species and its "economic and social impacts".
Repeal Protections Against Hazardous Pesticides
The Pombo bill would repeal all Endangered Species Act provisions that protect threatened and endangered species from the harmful impact of pesticides. Pesticides played a major role in contributing to the decline of our nation's symbol, the American bald eagle, in the mid-20th century.
Politicize Scientific Decision-Making
The Pombo bill would allow political appointees to manipulate science to fit their political agenda by allowing the Secretary of Interior to develop a definition the "best available science." .
Eliminate the Vital Check and Balance of Consultation
The Pombo bill would allow the Bush Administration to exempt any agency action or "categories of actions" from the requirement to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service before they take any actions that could undermine the survival or recovery of protected species.
Require Taxpayers to Pay Developers, Oil & Gas Companies, and other Industries for Complying with the Law
The Pombo bill requires the federal government to use taxpayer dollars to pay developers for complying the Endangered Species Act's prohibition on killing or injuring imperiled wildlife and sets no limits on these payments. The federal government would have to pay for profits developers hoped to gain by developing that portion of the land, including any profits lost due to mitigations asked of the landowner to protect endangered species, such as retaining riparian corridors or setting aside mitigation habitat.
Require Fish and Wildlife Service to Allow Unfettered Habitat Destruction
The Pombo bill places endangered species at risk whenever the federal government fails to meet a 180-day deadline for telling developers whether their actions would kill or harm an endangered species. If the government misses the deadline, no matter what the reason, developers are permanently exempted from the law.
Posted by Dave at September 25, 2005 05:25 PM