Save the Endangered Species Act

Over its 32-year history, the Endangered Species Act has become one of the most effective and powerful pieces of environmental legislation ever enacted. It is also one of the most successful. Since becoming law in 1973, the Act has been responsible for preventing the extinction of several of our country's most valued and symbolic wildlife species, including the bald eagle, Florida manatee, grizzly bear, gray wolf, and many other species. Overall, the Act has a nearly perfect record of saving endangered species from extinction, only 9 of the more than 1800 plants and animals protected have been declared extinct. As 2006 begins the fate of the Endangered Species Act and our ability to protect threatened and endangered species from extinction hangs in a delicate balance as developers and other powerful interests along with their allies in Congress have mounted the most aggressive campaign in recent years to weaken and dismantle the Act. Last fall, the Resources Chairman Richard Pombo (R-CA) successfully passed legislation through the House that will fundamentally alter and weaken the Endangered Species Act. The controversial Pombo legislation, ironically entitled the "Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005" (HR 3824), eliminates protections across the board for threatened and endangered species while creating several new loopholes and corporate giveaways. Simply put, the Pombo legislation is perhaps the most damaging legislation to pass the House since the original Act was passed in 1973, placing hundreds of species at risk of losing the protections that have saved them from extinction. In addition, Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) also introduced legislation last December entitled the "Collaboration for Recovery of Endangered Species Act." While not as extreme as the Pombo legislation, it will also significantly alter and weaken the Act. As a result, the Congressional efforts to tear down the Endangered Species Act will continue throughout 2006, and most significant debate of the past decade over the future of Act is likely to take place in the Senate. Ask your Senators to oppose the attacks on the Endangered Species Act. Then, ask your friends and family to help too by forwarding this e-mail to them.

To take action, click on this link or paste it into your web browser: http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=1194&id4=ES