Endangered species

In the last 20 years, more than 500 recorded native species of fish, wildlife and plants have gone extinct — half of them since 1980. Despite this fact, the Senate is poised to weaken, not strengthen, the law that protects our nation’s imperiled wildlife, the Endangered Species Act. S. 1180, a bill to reauthorize the ESA, introduced by Sen. Dirk Kempthorne, may come to the Senate floor at any time.

Backed by big developers, timber and oil corporations, this bill will fundamentally weaken protections for endangered species by: keeping endangered species on near extinction, not helping them recover; making it more difficult and tine-consuming to get a species on the endangered list; locking in risky Habitat Conservation Plans (HCP), that allow destruction of endangered especis habitat for up to 100 years (precludes corrective actions even if the HCP is failing to protect species); limiting review of federal projects like timber sales or dams, that may harm endangered species on public lands; adding complex, expensive bureauracy, jeopardizing recovery plans for endangered species and removing resources from on-the-ground conservation.

The Kempthorne bill is universally opposed by all conservation groups and has been tagged E.S.Ain’t because it “ain’t” anything to do with recovering imperiled species. It will drive endangered fish, wildlife and plants off the road to recovery, and down a dead-end street. The vote will be one of the biggest environmental votes of the Congress. Make sure our senators vote to protect our nation’s imperiled species by opposing S.1180. Bill Voorhies Marilyn Voohries West Tremont