Senate holds hearing on Endangered Species Act reform

[Cara J]

On Feb. 15, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a hearing entitled “Oversight: Modernization of the Endangered Species Act,” led by Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY). Throughout the hearing, Sen. Barrasso and other Republican Senators established their interest in amending the ESA – they are concerned by the impacts of current implementation on states, private landowners, and other stakeholders such as farmers and businesses, and they are frustrated with the slow rate and small number of species delisted due to recovery. The hearing featured a five-member panel that testified on the ESA’s purpose, implementation, and effectiveness and answered questions from Committee members about their perspectives on potential modification. Hearing introduction In his opening statement, Sen. Barrasso emphatically declared that “the Endangered Species Act is not working today.” He explained that since the ESA was enacted in 1973, less than three percent of listed species have sufficiently recovered to no longer need protections under the statute. He likened this statistic to a doctor who would lose their medical license with such a low rate of patient recovery and asserted that it is time to “modernize the Endangered Species Act.” Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), the Committee’s Ranking Member, was the [...]

 

Read more: http://wildlife.org/senate-holds-hearing-on-endangered-species-act-reform/