Danger! Endangered Species Act Threatened

Sen. James Inhofe
Chair, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
453 Senate Russel Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-3603

I believe every living species deserves the protection outlined in the Endangered Species Act. I am gravely concerned that the efforts of this administration and some in Congress aim to dilute the Endangered Species Act to something that barely protects any living species.

The bill introduced by Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA) tries to significantly weaken existing requirements for the designation, and thereby protection, of habitat necessary for the recovery of an imperiled species, and Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) has introduced a bill that seeks to undercut the use of the best science in protecting endangered species.

H.R. 2933, “The Critical Habitat Reform Act of 2003,” ignores the vital necessity to protect the homes of fish, plants, and wildlife. The bill tries to make the designation of critical habitat, the very places endangered species need to recover, voluntary rather than mandatory. Rather than developing helpful, creative solutions to protecting natural habitats, this bill seeks to increase the likelihood that America’s endangered species will be managed by politics instead of biology.

We owe it to our children and grandchildren to be good stewards of the environment and leave behind a legacy of protecting endangered species and the special places they call home – once they are gone, we cannot bring them back. As a concerned American, I urge you to actively oppose any legislation that would weaken the safety net provided by the Endangered Species Act.

Sincerely,