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Endangered Species Act:
For over 30 years, the Endangered Species Act has been the landmark law providing critical protections for endangered species and their habitats. Recently, House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo (R-CA) and several of his colleagues announced plans to introduce legislation that will weaken the Act. These legislators are undoubtedly well aware of how important protection of threatened species is with the public, so they have disguised their efforts by stating the proposed legislation will “modernize” the law. However, the real goals, such as increasing the amount of scientific evidence needed before a species can be listed as endangered or an area can be designated as a habitat, will work only to dilute the protections provided by the Act. If anything, the Act needs to be strengthened, as rates of extinction have only risen over time—mostly because of interference by humans. Still, without its protections, even more animals and their environments may have been lost over the past three decades. The Act has contributed to the survival of over 30 spectacular species, including the Bald eagle, the Peregrine falcon and the American alligator.
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