From Inside Climate News:
Legal Protections for Wildlife in Jeopardy as House Hosts Oversight Meeting
GOP-led Natural Resources Committee questions efficacy of Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act."The hearing wasn’t [representative] Hageman’s, nor the committee’s, first time tackling the ESA. The Natural Resources Committee held two oversight hearings and three legislative hearings on the conservation law during Congress’ last session. Those hearings resulted in eight bills related to the ESA, three of which passed the House, two of which also passed the U.S. Senate. Both bills were vetoed by President Joe Biden.It should be pointed out that the Endangered Species Act is so strong and so powerful as an environmental protection law that it is the envy of many other nations around the world. It has resulted in the preservation of natural land in its natural state in numerous locations. Species are endangered because their habitat is shrinking, and the only way to really improve things would be to expand natural habitats. That's very unlikely to happen, so preserving what's left of them is their only real chance. If the GOP dunces mess with the ESA, we're going to use more land and more species. It's simple. It's also simple that they hate it because it frequently has stopped their drill-pave-build priorities.
The U.S. Supreme Court has examined the ESA and found it extremely clear, said Daniel Rohlf, a wildlife law professor at Lewis and Clark Law School, referring to a 1978 landmark case that ruled that the Tennessee Valley Authority was in violation of the ESA in building a dam due to the discovery of the snail darter fish in the Little Tennessee River.
“The court emphasized that, quote, ‘The plain intent of Congress in enacting this statute was to halt and reverse the trend towards species extinction, whatever the cost,’ close quote,” Rohlf said."
As you might expect:
"Many of the federal workers tasked with carrying out duties of these laws have been fired in recent weeks as the Department of Government Efficiency, an unauthorized government entity run by Tesla CEO and tech billionaire Elon Musk, continued to slash federal programs and employees.And then there's this:
The firings, coupled with Congress’ underfunding of ESA programs at federal agencies for years, have led to conflicts with endangered species listings, permitting and consultations regarding whether developments impact an endangered species or its designated habitat, said Rep. Val Hoyle, an Oregon Democrat.
“The recent Trump administration actions, firing tens of thousands of federal workers without any strategic analysis as to the effect on agencies to do consultation, approve permits and recover species is irresponsible,” Hoyle said Wednesday. “[It] is another example of undermining the ability of government to do the work, then blaming federal agencies and those workers for not getting the job done.”
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