Media Contacts
Cat Lazaroff
Communications Director
(202)
772-3270
Christine Merker
Communications Coordinator
(202) 772-0284
Not a journalist but need help? Contact our Member Services
team:
1-800-385-9712
Sign up for our Press List
Get Defenders Headlines
Get the latest wildlife conservation news and information... right when we post it online.
For Immediate Release
House Guts Endangered Species Act
Rep. Pombo's Bill Carves Loopholes in Act for Developers, Undermines National Commitment to Conserving Animals for Future Generations
Washington, DC -- Congress dealt a deadly blow to the protections provided by the Endangered Species Act by passing Congressman Pombo's bill weakening this important conservation law. Many of the Act's most important protections for plants and animals facing extinction were eliminated by the House's action and new loopholes were created to allow developers to dodge the law.
"The Pombo bill is the dream of every irresponsible developer out there," said Defenders of Wildlife President Rodger Schlickeisen. "Not only does this bill gut the Endangered Species Act, but it creates a government give away program to greedy developers and provides new loop holes to make it easier to use deadly pesticides that will impact not only wildlife but our children, by polluting our lands and waters, " said Schlickeisen.
"Mr. Pombo's bill undermines our national commitment to the recovery of threatened and endangered plants and animals," said Rodger Schlickeisen.
In a fatal weakening of the Endangered Species Act, this bill:
- replaces the current mandatory critical habitat
system with a system of purported recovery plans that are discretionary and fail
to protect habitat essential for recovery;
-
allows federal agencies to avoid consultation,
resulting in agencies with little to no experience in wildlife issues deciding
if projects will harm wildlife;
-
exempts all pesticide decisions from ESA compliance,
taking away the ability under the ESA to stop pesticide use even when necessary
to prevent extinction;
- requires the federal government to use taxpayer dollars to pay developers for complying with the law, setting no limits on these payments"
"Our children will pay the ultimate price for Mr. Pombo's reckless disregard for the conservation of our nation's wildlife," said Schlickeisen.
"Normally, one would look to the Senate to right the wrongs of this bill," said Schlickeisen, "but it is questionable as to whether this bill can be salvaged at all."
For more information and detailed analysis of the Pombo bill and the Endangered Species Act, see www.saveesa.org.
###
Defenders of Wildlife is a leading nonprofit conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than 490,000 members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is an effective leader on endangered species issues.
