Environmental Defense Fund opposed HR 3824

In a 9/19/05 press release, EDF stated three reasons to oppose the Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005 (TESRA). They are “(1) it will make the recovery of endangered species less likely, rather than more likely; (2) it will weaken, rather than strengthen, the quality of scientific decision-making under the Endangered Species Act (ESA); and (3) it will drain tax dollars away from already short-changed conservation efforts.”

EDF concluded that the bill will “tie endangered species recovery in an endless supply of bureaucratic red tape and starve it of the resources it needs to succeed. Congressman Pombo has criticized the ESA for being a bureaucratic, oppressive and ineffective law. His bill would make those claims true.”

Here are some major challenges from EFD:

· The 90-day review period is not sufficient for related agencies to review possible harm of a proposed action. As a result, environmentally harmful actions can proceed without proper review, and hence make species recovery unattainable.

· The bill eliminates requirements for the protection of threatened species.

· Added obstacles in implementing recovery plan will hinder recovery efforts.

· The bill weakens the scientific foundation for decision-making, and consolidates power to the Secretary of the Interior.

· Funding for species protection will be diverted to activities that are not likely to benefit the species.

The full report is available on http://www.edf.org/pressrelease.cfm?contentID=4785.