Legislation Proposed by Wyoming's Congressional representatives to Boost Endangered Animal Recovery Procedures
The Endangered Species Recovery Act, a new legislation introduced by Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY), aims to rename and refocus the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The bill emphasizes the goal of returning species to healthy, sustainable populations that don't require the Act's protections.
The proposed Act aims to rename the Endangered Species Act to the Endangered Species Recovery Act to better reflect its original intent. According to David Willms, associate vice president, public lands at the National Wildlife Federation, the focus should be on outcomes over process.
The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, Wyoming Game and Fish, the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, and James L. Cummins, Executive Director, Wildlife Mississippi, are among the supporters of this new legislation. Judy Camuso, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and President of the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, supports the Act, stating that it allows limited resources to be focused on the species most in need of attention.
The intent behind the original Endangered Species Act is to recover species and return the management of the species to state wildlife agencies. However, under the current Act, only a small fraction of listed species have been fully recovered and delisted. The Endangered Species Recovery Act aims to make recovery efforts more efficient and effective by shifting the focus toward actual species recovery and reducing regulatory burdens.
Rep. Hageman stated that the Endangered Species Act has operated under a misleading title and a failed model, with only 3% of listed species ever delisted. Sen. Lummis' legislation aims to focus the ESA more on recovery. Angi Bruce, Director of Wyoming Game and Fish, supports the Act, stating that it is necessary to refocus how we think about listed species and better reflect its original intent.
Sen. Lummis stated that Washington bureaucrats have lost sight of the original mission of the Endangered Species Act. The ultimate goal of federally listing a species as endangered or threatened, according to Judy Camuso, is the recovery of that species to a level where the species is no longer imperiled and can thrive without the need of federal protections.
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) are Senate cosponsors of the Endangered Species Recovery Act. To learn more about the bill, click here.
- The Endangered Species Recovery Act, a new legislation, aims to shift the focus of the Endangered Species Act from process to outcomes, as it aims to recover species and return management to state wildlife agencies, thus focusing on actual species recovery and reducing regulatory burdens.
- The proposed Act, supported by various organizations such as the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, Wyoming Game and Fish, and the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, is a step towards refocusing environmental-science policies and legislation, aligning with the general-news discourse that highlights the need for more efficient and effective recovery efforts in the realm of politics.
