Today, leaders in the U.S House and Senate introduced bills to block the Trump Administration’s recent rules weakening the Endangered Species Act – our most effective law for protecting wildlife in danger of extinction. The bill. H.R. 4348, is called the ‘‘Protect America’s Wildlife and Fish in Need of Conservation Act of 2019’’ or the ‘PAW and FIN Conservation Act of 2019 (H.R. 4348)’’ (House cosponsors and Senate cosponsors). Here is our statement supporting these critical efforts by Congressional leaders:
“The ‘Trump Extinction Plan’ issued last month makes it harder to protect our nation’s imperiled wildlife, such as the monarch butterfly, sea turtles, and wolverines,” said Leda Huta, Executive Director of the Endangered Species Coalition. “We know Americans strongly support wildlife and the Endangered Species Act, and we are heartened to see that support reflected in the bills introduced today by Representative Grijalva and Senator Udall and co-sponsored by 29 additional Members of Congress.”
Background
On August 27th, the Trump Administration published its final Endangered Species Act regulations, which have been widely condemned by conservationists and scientists in the United States. Approved by embattled Secretary of Interior David Bernhardt, these regulations will have real-world negative impacts for the country’s most imperiled plants and wildlife, such as the monarch butterfly, sea turtles, manatees, wolverines, and hundreds more.
The new regulations will make it more difficult to protect wildlife, fish and plants on the brink of extinction, while weakening critical habitat protections for species designated as “threatened.” The regulations were finalized despite the overwhelming opposition of American citizens–more than 866,000 submitted comments opposing the new regulations. A decade of polling has consistently shown that the American public strongly supports the Endangered Species Act–90 percent in the most recent poll. And in 2017, more than 420 conservation organizations signed a letter to Congress opposing any weakening of the Endangered Species Act.
The Act has a 99% success rate. Species such as bald eagles, American alligator, humpback whale, Santa Cruz island fox, Tennessee purple coneflower and many more have recovered thanks to the Act. Hundreds more species have seen an incredible resurgence including the grey wolf, Grizzly bear, black-footed ferret, and Whooping crane.
The Endangered Species Act was a landmark conservation law that passed with overwhelming bipartisan support: 92-0 in the Senate, and 394-4 in the House. In 2017, more than 400 organizations signed a letter to members of Congress opposing efforts to weaken the Endangered Species Act, noting the law has a 99 percent success rate, including some of the country’s most exciting wildlife recoveries, like the bald eagles, humpback whales, American alligators, Channel Island foxes, Tennessee purple coneflowers, and more.
15 comments on “Statement on Bills to Block Trump ESA Rollback:”
The vast, VAST MAJORITY of the American people want the ESA as it was originally passed! To weaken it is AGAINST our citizens’ WISHES! The ONLY possible reason the Trump Adm. would do this is to foist EVIL on 250+ MILLION of our ANIMAL LOVING PEOPLE
PROTECT OUR WILDLIFE!!!! PASS THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT!
Protect Our Endangered Species and all species before it is too late.
Dear Senator Toomey,
We have 13 grand children and 2 great grand children. I hope you will voite for this bill to save the endangered species so they will be able to wildlife too!
I strongly support increased protection for endangered species. Reverse the Trump administration’s changes to the act now.
We just visited the Redwoods Nat Park and were awed by it’s beauty. I love birds and mourn their loss. With our help maybe we can assist them to recover.
PLEASE DO NOT BLOCK ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT. PLEASE PROTECT THEM.
It is important to care about the endangered animals. Please help protect them! Please.
The animals on the Endangered Species Act cannot protect themselves. WE must be active in this process. Please recognize the large numbers of US residents as well as members of the House and Senate support the ESA. The value of these animals for future generations cannot be overlooked.
I love ❤️ our natural world. I am sad to see it going because of overpopulation and over exploitation. Birds , insects , fish , and trees . All vanishing before my eyes
save widllife, save farm animals, save birds, save the oceans, stop human predation. it is all vanishing. the world will be so barren and on the way to extinction.if they are gone
i have been fighting to save animals lives for 25 years. i see others joining this movement. i see films that show the absolute horror that is gonig on. we need to get the masses and stop the predation
Animals are more than ever a test of our character. How we treat them defines us. We need to do better on their behalf.
we must active in this process please help protect animals
There are billions of people apposed to the wanton destruction of natures pivotal beings in the vital wild life chain. We are all connected to this living connective chain of life, that is the foundation of life itself. We the people both American and world wide, expect govt to reverse derogatory dismantling of protection to wild life habbitat and wild life creatures that are all part and parcel of a spiral and myriad of species, plants, trees, and foundation est and meadow wild flower and pollonating insect that pollinate our crops and food we eat. At the top of this cascade are ultimately essential keystone animals, The Wolf, the bears, grizzlies, and cougars, and coyotes and many more whom are threads in this delicate tapestry, of life that are being exploited, and killed and culled en mass,, under the guise of management and conservation of which it is not. and to the contrary is agenocide. We ask that you take responsibility, to protect these endangered species that are under siege, and save them from extinction by keeping The endangered species Act in tact. This is a matter of ultimately necessity, and impacts us all. Nature has its own dictates and laws of management and control and needs no added affliction from those whom exploit it for destructive business perogatives. Nature is the bedrock and foundation, of life to whom we all depend on. Extinction is forever, and has a ripple impact.
Please Protect all Endangered Species and all animals and plants trees etc.