Endangered species

Senate Democrats on Tuesday slammed Republican attempts to change the Endangered Species Act (ESA), saying Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman John Barrasso’s proposal to overhaul the law threatens the conservation program’s successes, according to The Hill. During a hearing examining the proposal in the committee, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker said "I believe that we are considering a bill that in its total conception is taking us in the wrong direction" at a time when the world is in a “global extinction crisis." He added that the bill "would move us away from the best available science and would delay and restrict, ultimately, judicial review." Delaware Sen. Tom Carper pointed specifically to changes in the way the Fish and Wildlife Service would have to consider scientific findings in its decisions, saying "This change could actually prevent the best available science from guiding species management, especially in an administration that consistently … [Read more...] about Dems Slam GOP Proposed Changes to Endangered Species Act

Darryl Fears, The Washington Post Published 11:40 am PDT, Thursday, July 19, 2018 The Trump administration unveiled a proposal Thursday that would strip the Endangered Species Act of key provisions, a move that conservationists say will weaken a law enacted 45 years ago to keep plants and animals in decline from going extinct. The proposal, announced jointly by the Interior and Commerce Departments, which are charged with protecting endangered wildlife, would end the practice of extending similar protections to species regardless of whether they are listed as endangered or threatened. If the proposal is approved, likely by year's end, protections for threatened plants and animals would be made on a case-by-case basis. In another rollback of a key provision, the administration wants the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to strike language that guides officials to ignore economic impacts when determining how wildlife should … [Read more...] about Endangered Species Act stripped of key provisions in Trump administration proposal

DENVER — The Trump administration wants to change how endangered species are protected by the U.S. government. Administration officials on Thursday proposed new rules they said would advance conservation by simplifying and improving how the landmark Endangered Species Act is used. The changes include potential limits on habitat protections, an end to automatic protections for threatened plants and animals, and streamlining inter-agency consultations when federal government actions could jeopardize a species. Wildlife advocates say the changes will speed extinctions in the name of furthering the administration’s anti-environment agenda. The proposals come amid longstanding criticism of the Endangered Species Act by business groups and Republicans in Congress. Republicans lawmakers are pushing legislation to enact broad changes to the Endangered Species Act, saying it hinders economic activities while doing little to restore species. … [Read more...] about Trump administration proposes limiting habitat protections for endangered species

POLITICS 07/19/2018 02:25 pm ET Republican lawmakers are similarly pushing a flurry of bills to overhaul the bedrock conservation law. By Chris D'Angelo The Trump administration on Thursday proposed significant changes to how it implements the Endangered Species Act, one of America’s most important laws for protecting plants and animals, in a move that environmentalists fear could be a death sentence for species.  The planned overhaul of the bedrock conservation law includes scrapping the so-called “blanket section 4(d) rule,” which automatically extends the Endangered Species Act’s protections to plants and animals listed as threatened. The changes would also make it easier to remove recovered species from the protected list and would revise how federal agencies go about designating habitat that’s critical to the long-term survival of species. Federal officials announced the proposals Thursday during a pair of briefings, … [Read more...] about Trump Administration Takes Aim At Endangered Species Act

World is all atwitter Re: “U.S. ratchets up pressure on Iran as Trump tweets,” July 24 news story In a fierce rebuke to Iran, the president has courageously used all caps in his Tweet warning that government of dire consequences should it dare call the United States nasty names again. No doubt they are shaken by the resolve of this leader of the free world. Should Iran not comply, the president may be expected to escalate to the point of holding his breath and stomping his feet until his ears turn red and his hair gets mussed. The world trembles at the thought. Bill Reed, Silverthorne Offense at calling voters weak Re: “Independent voters are weak,” July 21 letter to the editor As an independent voter, I was surprised by Thad Tecza’s letter to the editor calling independents weak. Unaffiliated voters did indeed participate in large numbers in the primary. According to the Secretary of State’s figures, 280,958 cast votes in either the Democratic or … [Read more...] about Wednesday, July 25, 2018 letters: Trump’s tweet, unaffiliated voters, endangered species