WASHINGTON, April 23, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- On the eve of Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton's testimony before the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, the Endangered Species Coalition demands an explanation from the Secretary concerning the Administration's attacks on the Endangered Species Act (ESA). A small paragraph imbedded deep within the President's budget proposal would have a drastic effect on the protection of critically imperiled species in America. The Bush Extinction Rider would not only remove the deadlines to list species as threatened or endangered as required by the ESA, but would also render citizens' lawsuits on behalf of species meaningless by not funding any court orders after the provision is enacted.
"If the Bush Extinction Rider is included in this year's Interior Department funding bill, when Secretary Norton is given sole discretion over the listing of endangered or threatened species, the Endangered and Threatened List will be replaced by the Extinction Waiting List," stated Brock Evans, Executive Director of the diverse Endangered Species Coalition. "The listing of species should be based on the best science available and not the political climate of the day. If citizens' right to sue is made moot and the deadlines are removed, it is inevitable that politically and economically controversial species will not be given protection under the Act."
In the 1980s, 34 species went extinct while idling in the decision-making process required for listing. An additional 5 species were lost forever in this manner during the 1990s. Without the basic protections granted to species at the time of listing under the Endangered Species Act, species will continue to decline and America's biological library will lose many valuable books.
"The Bush Administration's action will close the door to Noah's Ark and America's natural heritage will be lost forever for the short-term gain of a few select corporations and individuals," said Evans.
"The solution to this problem is not to kick citizens out of the process, which is truly an un-American and cowardly action; rather, the solution is to fully fund the listing programs of the Fish and Wildlife Service," Evans explained. "Although, the Bush Administration increased the funds for this area by $2 million, it does not even begin to scratch the surface of the $80-120 million the Service admits it needs just to catch up on the listing and critical habitat backlog."
Due to the chronic under-funding of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's programs, conservationists -- in a desperate attempt to forestall extinction -- have been forced to turn to the courts to get species listed. And, in a final crippling blow to the Act, the Administration's budget even seeks a legislative amendment, or rider, which would effectively negate citizen enforcement and make all listing decisions voluntary, creating political, not scientific, decisions. The budget's proposed funding for the ESA thus becomes just another attempt to use smoke and mirrors to cover up its acquiescence in emasculating the Act by denying sufficient funding to effectively implement the law's key provisions.
"Secretary Norton has stated that the Fish and Wildlife Service must spend its money protecting species and not on lawyers. Unfortunately, because the Service so consistently fails to act, lawyers have been required to ensure the protection of our nation's most critically imperiled species," added Evans. "The numerous court battles over the listing of species are but a symptom of a terribly ailing patient. Endangered species programs in this country have been chronically underfunded and our nation's wildlife is suffering because of it."
"It is critically important that Senators and Representatives demand that one of our nation's most visionary environmental laws is fully carried out and not undermined," concluded Evans.
The Endangered Species Coalition, founded in 1982 and based in Washington, D.C., represents more than 430 environmental, religious, scientific, sporting, and business organizations. Its purpose is to defend, strengthen and improve biodiversity protections in the United States, including the defense of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, our country's strongest environmental law. For more information on endangered species funding, the ESA or the ESC, please visit www.stopextinction.org.
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CONTACT: The Endangered Species Coalition
Brock Evans, Executive Director
(202) 682-9400 x132
Leslie Catherwood, Communications Coordinator
(202) 682-9400 x133
www.stopextinction.org