For Immediate Release: September 29, 2005
Contact: Annie Strickler, (202) 675-2384

      Congress Takes First Step Toward Gutting Endangered Species Act
Rep. Pombo's Legislation Would Turn Back 30 Years of Successful Stewardship

Washington, D.C. -- Congress took the first step today toward gutting the
30-year old Endangered Species Act, America's safety net for fish and
wildlife at the edge of extinction, voting 229 to 193 for legislation
crafted by House Resources Chairman Richard Pombo (R-CA). The bill
eliminates habitat protection measures for fish and wildlife facing
extinction, creates an exemption for the approval of potentially dangerous
pesticides and establishes a new entitlement program for developers and
polluters.  According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO),
implementation of the Pombo legislation will cost the U.S. taxpayer $2.7
billion over the next five years.

"If Congressman Pombo's bill becomes law, animals such as the Peninsular
bighorn sheep and wild salmon will be guaranteed less room to roam and be
less likely to recover," said Carl Pope, Sierra Club Executive Director.
"American children would be left a future with more strip malls than salmon
runs and more freeways than fox dens."

"We look now to the Senate to stave off similar attempts to rewrite
America's conservation priorities and surrender to special interests," said
Pope.

The legislation eliminates habitat conservation measures on tens of
millions of acres of land around the country, the "critical habitat" of
species facing extinction, and prevents such conservation activities in the
future. Analysis of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service data shows that species
with critical habitat are more likely to be increasing in number and
heading towards recovery than species without by a 2:1 margin.

The legislation also creates a new entitlement program by requiring the
federal government to pay developers, the oil industry and polluters to
avoid destroying the habitat of publicly owned fish and wildlife. According
to the CBO, the giveaways for developers and bureaucracy that would become
entrenched if Pombo's bill becomes law would double the cost of conserving
fish and wildlife listed under the Endangered Species Act.  Those costs
would climb to $2.7 billion over the next five years.

"Since when does paying people not to violate the law constitute sound
policy?" asked Pope. "Pombo's bill would not only gut the Endangered
Species Act, it risks bankrupting existing wildlife conservation programs
that aid landowners and rural businesses and places an undue burden on
taxpayers."

The Endangered Species Act enjoys a proven track record of success.
Ninety-nine percent of all the fish, plants and wildlife ever conserved
under the Endangered Species Act have been saved from becoming lost
forever, including the bald eagle and the grizzly bear.

This attempt to rewrite the landmark law is just the latest attempt by Rep.
Pombo to undermine America's bedrock environmental protections. In addition
to his assault on the Endangered Species Act, he's also working to weaken
the National Environmental Policy Act, and pushing controversial measures
to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and off America's coasts,
and sell off National Parks to private interests.


  

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