Reform the Endangered Species Act

To:  President Bush and the House Resources Committee

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 needs amending. We believe the Act since inception has;

· Failed to conserve endangered and threatened animals and plants as intended.
· Discouraged, hindered, and prohibited effective conservation and habitat stewardship of our lands.
· Created perverse incentives, thus promoting the destruction of ESA habitat privately owned.
· Wasted scarce conservation resources mostly on litigation and the courts rather than benefits to the species most in need of protection.

The Endangered Species Act has failed in large part because it has started a regulatory regime that has:

· Violated the rights of individuals, particularly property rights.
· Destroyed jobs, devalued property, and depressed human enterprise on private and public lands.
· Hidden the full cost of conserving endangered species by applying those costs on private individuals.
· Imposed significant burdens on State, County, and local governments.
· Become a burden on the Fish & Wildlife Services ability to properly address needed species.

Endangered Species Act needs to be amended based upon these principles:

· Animals and plants should be responsibly conserved for the benefit and enjoyment of mankind,
· Elimination of subspecies and varieties from the ESA that are of the same taxonomic family,
· The primary responsibility for conservation of animals and plants should be reserved to the States,
· Federal conservation efforts shall rely entirely on voluntary, incentive-based programs to enlist the cooperation of America's landowners and invigorate their conservation ethic,
· Federal conservation efforts shall encourage conservation through commerce, including the private propagation of animals and plants,
· Specific safeguards shall ensure that this Act cannot be used to prevent the wise use of the vast federal estates and the taking of private property only under Constitutional guidelines,
· Federal conservation decisions shall incur the lowest cost possible to citizens and taxpayers,
· Federal conservation efforts shall be based on sound peer-reviewed science (not "best available" information) for listing of species as endangered or threatened,
· Immediate full compensation to private property owners for full or partial loss of use at their property,
· Designation of critical habitat for those only listed as endangered,
· Promotion of private stewardship for conservation of endangered and threatened species,
and
· The Recognition that we cannot "save" every species, sometimes nature will take its course.

We the undersigned demand a full review of the Endangered Species Act. We believe that the recovery of only 12 out of 1300+ listed species (.01%) is a monumental failure and waste of taxpayers monies. We believe that reform based on the above points, along with a full review of all species currently listed as threatened or endangered is long past overdue.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Reform the Endangered Species Act Petition to President Bush and the House Resources Committee was created by Citizens for ESA Reform and written by Greg Gorman.  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

Send this to a friend