Several bills may adversely affect the Endangered Species Act
Jun 2, 2011
According to a new report from The Natural Resources Defense Council, several new bills may have adverse effects on the Endangered Species Act.
Elly Pepper, a legislative advocate for the NRDC, writes that three bills in particular are putting endangered species at risk: the Polar Bear Delisting Act, the "DELIST Act" and the H.R. 1251 proposition concerning salmon and smelt populations.
Some of the other animals that are currently in danger include gray wolves in Arizona and New Mexico, as well as salmon such as the Central Valley spring-run salmon and the Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon. According to multiple sources in recent news, fraudulent labels on fish sold to the public make it even more difficult to help save some endangered species of fish.
The Endangered Species Act, passed into law under Nixon in the 1970s, is overseen by both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as well as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. About 1,400 plants and animal species are currently under the protection of the ESA, according to the New York Times.