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For Immediate Release
Bush Administration “Sabotaging Endangered Species Act," Group Charges
New Report Analyzes White House Court Strategies, Administrative Actions that Undermine Wildlife Law
WASHINGTON , DC -- The Bush administration is engaged in a systematic attempt to weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA), engaging in a pattern of illegal acts, rigged science and flagrant disregard of court orders to undermine the law, a new report today by Defenders of Wildlife charges. Sabotaging the Endangered Species Act is the third in a series of reports from Defenders’ Judicial Accountability Project, and includes analysis of more than 120 ESA cases in which administration officials influenced legal strategy and outcome of the case.
"The Bush administration is breaking the law as part of an all out effort to gut the Endangered Species Act and undermine species protection," said Rodger Schlickeisen, President of Defenders of Wildlife. "Our report reveals a deliberate pattern of judicial abuse, including false legal arguments, costly delaying tactics, and the outright ignoring of court orders."
Examining more than 120 cases involving the ESA, the report finds some striking patterns:- In 76 cases, the administration attorneys argued contrary to standing judicial interpretations of the ESA; in 68 of these cases – nine out of ten – the court found that the administration had violated the ESA.
- When administration attorneys offered arguments consistent with the ESA, they won – 40 of 44 cases.
This administration has listed only 25 species since 2001, all under court order. The Clinton administration added an average of 65 species per year, while the first Bush administration listed an average of 58 per year.
This approach is leaving a string of infuriated judges in federal courts across the country. Judges have grown tired of the White House simply ignoring valid court orders, intentionally doctoring species science, or refusing to allocate the funds to comply and pleading poverty as court-ordered deadlines slip by unheeded. The report includes quotes from several exasperated courts that want the Bush administration to simply obey the law.
"The ESA is a great tool to protect species; it is not an optional law," said Schlickeisen. "Yet our report reveals an administration all too willing to set aside the law for its corporate supporters. Put simply, the ESA is a law the Bush administration just does not want to obey."
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Defenders of Wildlife is one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and habitat, and was named as one of America's Top 100 Charities by Worth magazine. With more than 450,000 members and supporters, Defenders is an effective voice for wildlife and habitat. To learn more about Defenders of Wildlife, please visit www.defenders.org.
