GOP leaders in Congress are targeting the Endangered Species Act with new bills in both the House and Senate. “The House Natural Resources Committee discussed five bills whose effects would include allowing the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to use economic costs to deny listing a species as threatened, require the agency to prioritize input in listing decisions from states, remove the gray wolf from the endangered list and limit payouts of attorneys’ fees in Endangered Species Act (ESA) litigation,” says The Hill.
Also this week, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, considered legislation that would increase hunting and fishing on public lands, while including a provision to delist the gray wolf.
“In short, the ESA doesn’t work,” said Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah). “We have to find a way to reform it so that it actually solves problems, not just continues on the process. Hopefully, working with our colleagues in the Senate and the administration, we can lay a foundation for ESA reform that will do us well.”