Defenders of Wildlife and More Than 100 Conservation Groups Ask Biden, Congress to Oppose ESA-Riders in Interior Appropriations

Defenders of Wildlife joined more than 100 other conservation groups urging President Biden and Democratic Congressional leadership to oppose poison-pill riders, that undermine the Endangered Species Act and protections for imperiled species in the Fiscal Year 2024 Interior Appropriations bill. 

“Willfully legislating extinction into law and willfully ignoring the catastrophic implications of the biodiversity crisis is a horrendous action for any of our elected leaders to take,” said Mary Beth Beetham, legislative director for Defenders of Wildlife. “The Endangered Species Act is our best tool to stave off the extinction of our nation’s imperiled wildlife and we urge Congress and President Biden to pass an appropriations bill that allows for its effective implementation.”

The House bill contains more than a dozen riders, many of which block or deny protections for species on the verge of extinction. The Senate bill also contains the long-standing rider that prevents ESA protection for the greater sage grouse.

 The letter to the President can be read here and the letter to Democratic Congressional leadership here.