Over 150 conservation groups, including Born Free USA, have signed a letter to President Obama asking him to oppose all riders that would undermine the Endangered Species Act (ESA) during negotiations on final spending legislation for Fiscal Year 2016.
This letter follows two recent letters from both the House and the Senate where 92 members of the House and 25 senators respectively urged the President to steadfastly reject all riders that undermine the ESA in Fiscal Year 2016 spending legislation. It also follows a recent statement from the White House calling for a budget for FY2016 that is free of all ideological riders.
Excerpt (from letter) : “As your Administration works with Congress to negotiate the Fiscal Year 2016 omnibus appropriations bill, we urge you to flatly reject all riders that undermine the Endangered Species Act in any way, including weakening or preventing protection for specific species. These harmful measures have no place in the appropriations context and only serve to chip away at one of America’s most popular and effective environmental laws. We look forward to working with your Administration to uphold the Endangered Species Act, continuing the legacy of conservation for which this great country is known.”
The ESA has one of the strongest scientific foundations of any environmental law in the nation. The ESA is successful: 98 percent of species that have been listed as endangered or threatened survive today.
The ESA’s primary goal is to prevent the extinction of imperiled plant and animal life, and secondly, to recover and maintain those populations by removing or lessening threats to their survival.
To be considered for listing, the species must meet one of five criteria.
1. There is the present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range.
2. An over utilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes.
3. The species is declining due to disease or predation.
4. There is an inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms.
5. There are other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence.
Potential candidate species are then prioritized, with “emergency listing” given the highest priority. Species that face a ” significant risk to their well being” are in this category.
“The Endangered Species Act is the strongest and most effective law the U.S. has to protect imperiled wildlife both within our borders as well as abroad. Currently, the threats to global biodiversity have never been greater, and include man made crises such as the loss of habitat and natural prey, intentional and unintentional killing, and disease transmission. It is imperative that the President not cave to baseless political rhetoric and irreparably weaken the best tool we have to stave off the current and ongoing extinction crisis,” states According to Adam M. Roberts, CEO of Born Free USA.
Congressional attacks on the ESA and other critical environmental protections have increased with alarming frequency in recent years, and both the Senate and the House of Representatives have included a record number of riders that weaken the ESA onto appropriations bills to fund the Department of the Interior for Fiscal Year 2016. The riders would remove vital protections for species at risk of extinction, prevent future protection for imperiled species and otherwise dramatically undermine the ESA.
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The government tries to ruin so many good things for animals. If Obama doesn’t care about the safety of the American people, why is he going to care about animals?
I hope he helps with this.
“If Obama doesn’t care about the safety of the American people, why is he going to care about animals?” Couldn’t agree more! Why would they think he cares about animals when it’s clear he doesn’t care about any of us? Obammie- can’t wait until he’s out of office!!