As the Endangered Species Act (click here) approaches its 45th anniversary, it remains one of the most popular and successful laws in modern history — even as lobbyists, lawmakers and the Trump administration target parts of it for extinction.
Produced by a near-unanimous Congress (the votes were 92-0 in the Senate and 394-4 in the House) and signed by Republican President Richard Nixon in 1973, the act has saved 99 percent of more than 1,600 plants and species.
Its catalog of success includes the American alligator, gray whale, grizzly bear and bald eagle, the USA's national symbol.
Yet in addition to a slew of bills pending in Congress to roll back the act, federal agencies are proposing sweeping changes to how the law is implemented, steps that would fundamentally alter its character and meaning....
A poll from 2015 showed wide support for the ESA (Endangered Species Act):
Asked whether they support or oppose the Endangered Species Act based on a basic
description of the law, 90 percent of voters surveyed indicate they support it, including a majority
(53%) who strongly support it, to just seven percent who oppose it.
This overwhelming support for the Endangered Species Act extends across the country and
across gender, age, and ethnic lines. Most notably, in today’s highly polarized political
environment, support for the Endangered Species Act also spans the political spectrum, with the law being backed by overwhelming majorities of self-identified liberals (96% support),
moderates (94%), and conservatives (82%)....
The Endangered Species Act is still good politics and it is under attack. The American people do not like politicians that want to damage their wilderness. The man most responsible for this draconian approach to destroying nature is Utah Representative Rob Bishop.
August 18, 2018
...Proposals (click here) that didn't have a shot under previous administrations got a second wind after the election of Donald Trump and his appointment of Ryan Zinke as secretary of the interior. Last year, a raft of bills were introduced in the House Natural Resources Committee, where chairman Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, declared flatly that the "Endangered Species Act doesn't work."...
The FACT is the Endangered Species Act is wildly successful. The statements about it being a failure is nothing more than Republican election rhetoric.
...According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, about 99 percent of species that have gained protection under the Endangered Species Act haven't gone extinct. And several iconic species, from the bald eagle to the American alligator, have recovered to the point where they're now considered safe from the threat of extinction. To conservationists, that's a resounding success. But Endangered Species Act critics see the situation differently....
It is time to put the natural world back on the USA agenda for elections this November.
