Bill to gut the Endangered Species Act moves to house floor

[Redneck Socialist]

On Monday, September 19, 2005 Representative Pombo (as evil a republican as has ever stalked the House floor) introduced his deceptively named "Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act." Representative Pombo's bill would gut the Endangered Species Act.

Good Analysis of the bill here: http://www.stopextinction.org/site/c.epIQKXOBJsG/b.1060701/k.982F/ANALYSIS_HR_3824_Pombo_bill.htm

Some Key points:

· Eliminates independent oversight: The Endangered Species Act requires that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and/or NOAA Fisheries independently review federal actions which may harm endangered species. Pombo's bill allows the Secretary of Interior, a political appointee, to exempt individual projects or entire classes of projects from independent oversight. Rep.Pombo's bill takes unbiased, professional wildlife and fisheries experts out of the equation.

· Weakens recovery efforts: The Endangered Species Act requires that federal recovery plans be implemented by federal agencies, and that species be protected until they are fully recovered. Pombo's bill allows federal agencies to ignore recovery plans, and requires that species be delisted within individual states even though the species as whole is tumbling toward extinction. Rep. Pombo's bill will fragment recovery efforts, throwing the Endangered Species Act's holistic approach out the window.

· Allows projects that harm species: The Endangered Species Act is a "look before you leap" law. It requires that all actions which may push species toward extinction be reviewed before they are implemented. Pombo's bill reverses the order. It requires that destructive projects go forward with no review unless federal agencies object within 90-days.

· Bankrupts the Endangered Species Act by requiring the federal government to pay landowners to not violate the law. This not only would have a tremendous negative impact on the federal budget, it would set a precedent to require the government to pay developers for any profits lost to environmental protections, and it would reward developers who plan the maximum and most potentially profitable projects for the most ecologically important habitat. In short, it begs developers to plan projects that allow them to extort payment from the government. The conservation community supports reasonable incentives for landowners who take proactive actions that significantly contribute to the recovery of endangered and threatened species.


Go here for more info: http://www.stopextinction.org/site/c.epIQKXOBJsG/b.704799/k.CCB4/Home.htm

Please call your reps on this bill ASAP as it is likely to be voted on as early as next week.

[Erika]

1. This bill makes me gag

We have to pay for developers to protect species? Where is their moral conscience?

[Redneck Socialist]

2. Heh, heh, heh...

developers...moral conscience? You make me laugh.

Yeah, this is a bad one. If they are going to start paying people not to break the law, maybe they'll give me a bunch of money for all the laws I haven't broken. What the hell, it's worth a shot, right?

[blindpig]

3. Call my reps?

Let's see, Demint, Graham and Ingeles(sp?), yep, they'll listen. Not knocking your suggestion just bemoaning my so-called representation. I have little doubt that they'll have their way in the House. I believe that only a filibuster in the Senate will stop this piece of monstrous evil. And the way things are going I wonder if even those with excellent LCV scores will stand up at this time of ultimate need.

The almost guarantee of a Roberts confirmation is the other prong of the attack on the ESA. Doing the work of the Corporations is his Purpose. IF Pombo can't get the job done Roberts will.

All the masses care about is the price of gas. Ain't going to be a groundswell of popular indignation. I am sickened, disgusted and embarrassed to be human. We have forgotten all that we ever knew about being truly human.

[Redneck Socialist]

4. Well...

not calling them certainly won't help. My guy's a puke too (though he occasionally does the right thing on environmental issues)but keeping the pressure on them is essential. While some reps will ultimately ignore their constituents wishes in their headlong rush to serve their corporate masters others won't and hearing from their constituents gives them the cover they need to defy people like Pombo.