Rep. Hastings’ Proposals Cripple Endangered Species Act and Increase Extinctions

Rep. Hastings’ Proposals Cripple Endangered Species Act and Increase Extinctions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 4, 2014

Contact: Melanie Gade, Defenders of Wildlife: mgade@defenders.org; 202-772-0288

WASHINGTON –Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wa.) today released a report and a set of proposals that would radically change the way the Endangered Species Act (ESA) works, severely curtailing the act’s ability to protect the nation’s most imperiled species.

Former Defenders of Wildlife President and CEO Jamie Rappaport Clark issued the following statement:

“Think twice anytime you hear someone in Congress with the anti-environmental voting record of Representative Doc Hastings say it’s time to ‘reform’ the Endangered Species Act. Almost always, the goal is to severely weaken the act’s ability to save imperiled species. The truth is, his proposals would cause more species to go extinct.

“Conservation of our nation’s precious natural heritage and imperiled wildlife used to be a value embraced by Americans from coast to coast and across the political spectrum. But more and more, members of Congress like Representative Hastings seem to have abandoned those values and forgotten their responsibility as stewards of our natural resources. His proposals would simply lead to more extinctions and a completely ineffective Endangered Species Act. This is not credible conservation ‘reform’; it’s an anti-environmental corporate wish list.”

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