Pombo Extinction BillIt’s summertime and the living is easy. In August, Congress is on recess and Members of Congress travel back to their states and districts. This is a great time to call, write, and meet with your Member of Congress to ask them to support the Endangered Species Act.
House Resources Committee Chair Richard Pombo has delayed the introduction of his Extinction Bill until sometime after the August recess. In part, the delay is due to the grassroots pressure in opposition to his bill that would gut the Endangered Species Act. Thank you to everyone who has called and written Congress. We need to continue the pressure throughout the August recess.
The Endangered Species Act is a safety net that protects wildlife, fish and plants on the brink of extinction. Rep. Pombo’s bill would cut large holes in this safety net. We need your help to stop this bill.
In the coming months, Congress will likely vote on Pombo’s plan to gut the Endangered Species Act. It is critical that Members of Congress stand up for our natural heritage and oppose his scheme to repeal the protections that the Endangered Species Act provides. Please call your Member of Congress and urge them to oppose this and any bill that would weaken the Endangered Species Act.
Thank you for your work to protect endangered species and habitat.
Sincerely,
The staff of the Endangered Species Coalition
www.stopextinction.org
ACTION: Please call or write your Member of Congress and ask them to oppose Representative Pombo’s bill that would weaken the protections of the Endangered Species Act.
Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
Ask for your Member of Congress’s office.
You can look up your Representative at: www.house.gov
You can look up your Senators at: www.senate.gov
This month, Congress is out of session and Representatives are back in their home district so this is the perfect time to call and voice your support for the Endangered Species Act. It’s a perfect time to set up a meeting with your Member of Congress. For information on how to set up a district meeting, go to http://www.stopextinction.org/Team/Team.cfm?ID=70&c=2
In addition, Members of Congress often hold public hearings and town forums during Congressional recesses. You can attend these meetings, and ask them about their positions on the Endangered Species Act, and urge them to oppose any bill that would weaken protections for species and habitat.
Background
Representative Pombo’s Extinction bill would gut the Endangered Species Act on behalf of developers, oil companies, timber companies, mining companies and extreme property rights groups.
We have not yet seen the full legislative language, but have seen a summary of the major points. According to reports, the bill would:
* change the definition of conservation, to abandon the nation’s commitment to recovering species on the brink of extinction
* redefine the definition of endangered species so that the species must be endangered throughout its entire range. (If this provision was law when the ESA was first enacted, it would have been impossible to list the bald eagle, the gray wolf and many other species who are endangered in the lower 48, but not endangered in Alaska or Canada.)
* weaken protections for species listed as “threatened” under the law
* weaken habitat protection, by requiring only occupied, and not unoccupied, habitat be protected
* exempt federal agencies from the requirement to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on actions that might impact endangered species
* require the federal government to pay landowners for the cost of complying with the law, under an onerous “takings” provision
* expire the Endangered Species Act in the year 2015
While the provisions of the bill may change by the time it is introduced, the draft shows that the real purpose of this bill is to weaken the provisions of the Endangered Species Act.
The Endangered Species Act is a safety net that protects wildlife, fish and plants on the brink of extinction. It has been enormously successful in preventing the extinction of hundreds of species, including bald eagles, gray wolves and Pacific salmon. We must not diminish protections for these magnificent animals, or for the places they call home.
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