Eliminating Species Act: Congress Threatens Wildlife and Wild Lands

WASHINGTON – Members of the Congressional Western Caucus today announced a legislative package that threatens to undermine the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Today’s introduction is the latest in dozens of recent legislative attacks that seek to weaken or dismantle the ESA.

Statement by Bart Melton, Northern Rockies Regional Director for National parks Conservation Association

“From grizzly bears in Glacier to Desert tortoise in Mojave National Preserve, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) plays an integral role in conserving national park wildlife. National Parks Conservation Association opposes any attacks to this legislation, which currently supports the restoration of more than 500 plant and animal species with habitat in our national parks. The Endangered Species Act works and has saved more than 99 percent of species listed. The package of bills that House members released today, coupled with the draft legislation introduced by Senator Barrasso, are the most drastic of the dozens of anti-ESA bills introduced this Congress. These bills would turn the bedrock legislation into the ‘eliminating species act’ and threaten the long-term conservation of American wildlife and wild lands, and the parks that call them home.”

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About National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its 1.3 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.