Since President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act into law, more than forty years ago, the United States has been committed to protecting its wildlife and plants from extinction. Thanks to the ESA, American alligators have recovered, grizzly bears roam through Yellowstone and bald eagles soar through the sky in most states.
Sadly, instead of carrying on and maintaining this stewardship, certain members of Congress have introduced more than twenty bills that would jeopardize the nation’s environmental safety net. They’re prioritizing oil, gas and mining over conservation, allowing Big Oil and other destructive developments to intervene. And if the responsibility for conserving the nation’s wildlife heritage is abandoned, the effects will be devastating.
“Many bills waive environmental safeguards including the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water and Clean Air Acts, even historic preservation laws,” says Robert Dewey with Defenders of Wildlife. “These laws are being targeted due to their perceived inconvenience to Big Oil and other economic interests proposing unsustainable land use and development projects. Some bills have been passed into law already and more are in the hopper this year.”
When a species is added to the list of threatened or endangered species it is either currently at risk of going extinct or is likely to become endangered in the near future. It’s then the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) or the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) must develop a recovery plan for that species. A species is removed from the list when it has recovered, gone extinct or further data shows that the species should not be on the list. These decisions should be left to the experts at the FWS and NMFS, using the best available science to make biological decisions. With politicians taking decisions into their own hands, imperiled species are not getting the fundamental protection they need. Some species are so critically endangered, it’s vital they get the help they need from the Endangered Species Act.
At the moment, there are bills drafted by Congress that would stop the listing of certain animals such as the northern long-eared bat, and others that would remove important species from the list, including the gray wolf and the lesser prairie chicken.
Each species is crucial to the environment. For instance, bats play a role in eliminating pests like mosquitoes and wolves have brought balance back to the lands where they live. Without these animals, the entire ecosystem would change.
“In 2011, Congress passed a legislative rider added to a must-pass funding bill that prematurely removed gray wolves in the Northern Rockies (except in Wyoming) from the endangered species list,” explains Dewey. “Never before had Congress stripped Endangered Species Act protections for a listed species, putting politics above sound science and our national commitment to conserving America’s wildlife. This has started the ball rolling for members of Congress to attempt to remove protections for other species that are opposed by special interests.”
The twenty bills introduced in Congress include selling off federal lands, giving states decision making authority over federal lands to drill, log, mine or graze, starving federal wildlife agencies of the funding they need to do their jobs, overturning efforts to protect imperiled wildlife and blocking a citizen’s access to court. Just like freedom of speech, access to the courts is an American citizen’s right. Taking away that right to a citizen’s day in court puts industry interests and wealthy individuals in charge of the nation’s wildlife heritage, a dangerous position.
Protecting the air, water, land and wildlife pays great dividends to everyone. Many advanced medicines have been derived from plants, healthy environmental surroundings have been yielded by protected habitats, and protected lands and species have supplied great economic benefits through Americans embracing their natural heritage through outdoor recreational activities such as hiking, camping and wildlife watching. The wildlife recreational industry alone brings in an annual $145 billion.
If the conservation of endangered species matters to you, contact your representatives in Congress and express your opinion. Urge them to vote against bills that would destroy the nation’s wildlife heritage.
The Endangered Species Act has been so successful over the years, preventing hundreds of animals and plants from extinction. Since the early 1970s, the United States has been dedicated to ensuring the nation’s wildlife and natural resources are protected for its citizens of now and future generations.
It’s vital citizens tell their representatives that they expect them to be good stewards of the country’s natural resources and that they do not support these destructive bills that will harm the air, water, lands and wildlife.
“Nothing is more priceless and more worthy of preservation than the rich array of animal life with which our country has been blessed, “ President Nixon said. “It is a many-faceted treasure, of value to scholars, scientists and nature lovers alike, and it forms a vital part of the heritage we all share as Americans … a heritage which we hold in trust to countless future generations of our fellow citizens. Their lives will be richer, and America will be more beautiful in the years ahead, thanks to the measure that I have the pleasure of signing into law today.”
Lauren Kearney is a freelance writer living in Bulgaria.
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