Endangered Species Act
The Bush administration is moving ahead with its goal to overhaul the nation's landmark law for wildlife protection.
A leaked document shows potential revisions to the Endangered Species Act that could give states more authority over imperiled species, limit the use of some federal safeguards and curb the autonomy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Two environmental groups made the 114-page document public, the Center for Biological Diversity and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. The document gives the public its first glimpse into the administration's process.
The draft's online publication caught officials at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service off-guard and heartened groups interested in removing some of the species act's protections, which they say trample private-property rights.
The changes may complicate efforts to protect species such as the polar bear, whose habitat is jeopardized by greater melting of sea ice. In December, the Fish and Wildlife Service proposed giving the bear threatened status.
The species law is widely viewed as flawed for various reasons, such as the litigation that it generates and the small number of species that have fully recovered as a result of its protections.
A study by the Fish and Wildlife Service said 6 percent of federally protected species were improving and 27 percent were stable as of late 2004. Twenty-two percent were declining, and the agency couldn't determine the status of 42 percent of imperiled plants and animals.
Last week, for instance, the Fish and Wildlife Service said Yellowstone grizzly bears were thriving and no longer needed federal protection. In addition, the agency is expected to officially remove the bald eagle from the list by July. Despite all the discussion about the law, there's little agreement between conservationists and property-rights groups about how to change it.
March 29, 2007 6:40 AM | Category: Animals