This afternoon at 2:00 PM, the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries will hold an oversight hearing on the “ESA at 50: The Destructive Cost of the ESA.” The hearing will focus on how the Endangered Species Act is being implemented, its success in recovering listed species, and its costs. The ESA was enacted 50 years ago this December, and Congress is analyzing the law’s successes, failures, and potential improvements. Hearing witnesses include: Janet Coit, Deputy Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Martha Williams, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Justin Jahnz, CEO of East Central Energy in Minnesota; Sean Vibbert, the owner of Obsidian Seed Company in Oregon; Jonathan Wood, Vice President of Law and Policy at the Property and Environment Research Center; and Dan Ashe, CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (and former Director of the FWS).
SCI is advocating for small amendments to the ESA—which was last amended in the 1980s—that will have a large impact on making the law’s implementation more effective and more consistent with Congress’ original intent.
