> > TO: Sierra Club Wildlife, Endangered > Species and Marine > Activists > > FROM: Bart Semcer, Associate Washington, DC > Representative > > DATE: July 12, 2002 > > > TELL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO OPPOSE H.R. 4840 AND > MAINTAIN A STRONG > ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT > > Your calls and letters to your Representative are > needed today to stop > legislation that would radically weaken America's > ability to conserve it's > Threatened and Endangered species. Using the mask > of "sound science" H.R. > 4840 would amend the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to > limit the use of the > best available science in endangered species > conservation, give special > rights to industry, and increase the costs, delays > and bureaucracy > associated with implementing our nation's most > important wildlife > conservation law. This anti-environmental > legislation was passed out of > the House Resources Committee this past Wednesday > and could arrive on the > House floor for a final vote in the next few weeks. > Your help is needed to > make sure Congress rejects H.R. 4840 and maintains > America's ability to > protect its endangered species. > > Please call your Representative today at (202) > 224-3121and ask them to > oppose H.R. 4840. > > If you do not know who your Representative is visit: > http://congress.org/congressorg/dbq/officials/ > > If you have the time, please send your > Representative a letter asking them > to oppose H.R. 4840. Send your letters to your > Representative at: > > United States House of Representatives > Washington, DC 20515 > > In your calls and letters you should point out the > following: > > H.R. 4840 limits the ability to use the best > available science to > conserve endangered species. H.R. 4840 requires > government agencies to > "give greater weight" to some kinds of science > over others, even if that > science is not the best available. H.R. 4840 > requires that the > government adopt regulations establishing > criteria for what kind of > science should be used in implementing the ESA, > regulations that would > be developed by bureaucrats, not scientists. > H.R. 4840 also requires > the science behind decisions to implement the ESA > be peer reviewed by a > panel selected by a political appointee, as > opposed to a neutral > scientific body, with the potential to taint > endangered species > conservation with partisan agendas. > > H.R. 4840 gives special rights to industry. H.R. > 4840 gives developers, > timber companies, mining companies, agribusiness > and other industries > special access to the Secretaries of Interior and > Commerce when their > activities are being reviewed for ESA compliance. > H.R. 4840 denies > similar access to individuals and communities who > will be impacted by > those activities and any species declines that > could result. > > H.R. 4840 adds bureaucracy, cost and delay to > implementing the ESA. > H.R. 4840 sets the bar so high for implementing > species recovery plans > that it is possible many of them will never be > implemented. H.R. 4840 > increases the amount of paperwork wildlife > managers must complete when > they do not conserve species in the way that > industry would prefer. > > H.R. 4840 limits the ability of citizens and > scientists to be active > partners in endangered species conservation. > H.R. 4840 establishes a > system where citizens and scientists working to > alert the government > that a species might be threatened or endangered > with extinction could > be arbitrarily ignored by the government if it > feels the warnings are > not supported by "clear and convincing" evidence. > The government would > ignore warnings without any investigation into > their actual validity and > could use this provision to prevent conserving > politically unpopular > species. > > PLEASE CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TODAY AND ASK THEM > TO OPPOSE H.R. 4840! > > For More Information Contact Bart Semcer at > [log in to unmask] > > Sample Letter > > Dear ______: > > I am writing to ask you to oppose H.R. 4840, a bill > that would radically > weaken America's ability to conserve it's Threatened > and Endangered > species. H.R. 4840 was recently passed out of the > House Resources > Committee and is on it's way to a floor vote. > > H.R. 4840 would limit the ability to use the best > available science in > implementing the Endangered Species Act by requiring > some forms of science > to be given greater weight over others, even if > those preferred forms were > known to be flawed. This bill would prevent > scientists working to > implement the ESA from deciding what is and is not > good science and instead > leave that decision to bureaucrats and political > appointees with little or > no scientific training. > > H.R. 4840 gives special rights to industry, allowing > them special access to > the Secretaries of Interior and Commerce when their > activities are being > reviewed for ESA compliance. It would not give this > same access to > individuals and communities who may be impacted by > those activities and the > species declines that may result. > > H.R. 4840 will add cost, delay and bureaucracy to > implementing the ESA. > H.R. 4840 sets the bar so high for implementing > species recovery plans that > it is likely that most of them will never be > implemented. H.R. 4840 > increases the amount of paperwork wildlife managers > must complete when they > do not choose to try and conserve species the way > industry would prefer. > > Finally, H.R. 4840 limits the ability of citizens > and scientists to be > active partners in endangered species conservation. > It establishes a > system where citizens and scientists working to > alert the government that a > species might be threatened or endangered with > extinction could be > arbitrarily ignored by the government if it feels > the warnings are not > supported by "clear and convincing" evidence. The > government could ignore > warnings without any investigation into their actual > validity, as is > currently done. > > Please oppose H.R. 4840. > > Sincerely, > > > Your Name > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > - - - - - - > To get off the CONS-WPST-ESA list, send any message > to: > [log in to unmask] __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Sign up for SBC Yahoo! Dial - First Month Free http://sbc.yahoo.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]