Push to weaken US Endangered Species Act runs into roadblocks

[yortsed snacilbuper]

The Northern spotted owl is one of thousands of species protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Policymakers have tried, unsuccessfully, to change this law for decades.

But the plan is likely to face lawsuits, says Steve Holmer, vice-president of policy at the American Bird Conservancy in The Plains, Virginia. Litigants could challenge the proposals on several grounds, using arguments that the changes would harm species — in direct opposition to the Endangered Species Act’s original aim.

Conservationists charge that lawmakers and the Trump administration want to serve the needs of special-interest groups at the expense of wildlife. “They seem to be very intent on responding to a select group of the stakeholders out there, namely the states and industries,” Holmer says.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05834-2

[Submariner]

1. There is no need for any of these changes to weaken species protections

other than pure greed over rational environmental policy decision making.

These kind of changes can have permanent long term negative effects, and all of it is based on years of science data analyses by many PhD's, grad students and others in the nationwide scientific community in general.

It is abhorrent to think that because some Russia supported con man gets control of the government for a short period of time, he can overthrow the Endangered Species Act with no science to back up those decisions. It's madness.

It cannot be allowed. Period.