Endangered Species Act is obstacle to jobs, says Republican chairman
Created during the Nixon era, the Endangered Species Act "is not working today," said Sen. John Barrasso, chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in opening a hearing modernizing the law. The Washington Post says the hearing brought "round after round of criticism from Republican lawmakers who said the federal effort to keep species from going extinct encroaches on states’ rights, is unfair to landowners and stymies efforts by mining companies to extract resources and create jobs."