Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Republicans Renew Attack on Endangered Species Act

WildEarth Guardians will Defend Bedrock Environmental Law at Congressional Hearing
Contact: Mark Salvo (503) 757-4221

WildEarth Guardians will testify at a hearing before the House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources in defense of the Endangered Species Act today. Republicans, led by Chairman Doc Hastings (R-WA-4th), have sought to weaken the law for years. Jay Tutchton, General Counsel for WildEarth Guardians, will testify to the importance of the Endangered Species Act to prevent species extinction.

“The Endangered Species Act has prevented more than 99 percent of listed species from becoming extinct,” said Tutchton. “We are unaware of any other federal law that works so well.”

Of the 1,445 domestic species ever added to the “threatened” and “endangered” species list, only two have become extinct while listed.

The American public overwhelmingly supports protec­tion for imperiled species, with 84 percent of Americans polled registering support for the Endangered Species Act. In addition, 92 percent agree that decisions about wildlife management and which animals need protection should be made by scientists, not politicians. Furthermore, 90 percent believe that the act has helped hundreds of species recover from the brink of extinction, and 87 percent say the Endangered Species Act is a successful safety net for protecting wildlife and plants from extinction.

Even a majority of Republicans support species protection.

“Species conservation is a core American value,” said Tutchton. “It is unclear who Republican committee members purport to represent on this issue, besides special interests.”

Historic Settlement Agreement Advances Protection for Hundreds of Imperiled Species

The hearing was prompted in part by WildEarth Guardians’ historic settlement agreement with the Fish and Wildlife Service, announced on May 10, 2011, and approved by a federal court on September 9, 2011. The agreement obligates the agency to make final listing determinations for 253 species by September 2016, all but one of which are formal candidates for ESA protection. The settlement resolved 12 lawsuits that Guardians filed challenging the government’s failure to timely list species under the act, and attempts to fix a listing program that has failed to function properly since the Reagan Administration. It also schedules petition findings, 12-month listing determinations, and critical habitat designations for more than 600 additional species. In return, WildEarth Guardians consented to dismiss its lawsuits and will refrain from suing Interior over missed listing deadlines for the next six years. The Service met all of its obligations under the agreement for FY 2011, taking action on 730 species.