Charleston Leader

U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) have recently penned an op-ed in the Washington Examiner, highlighting the flaws of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and offering a comprehensive roadmap to address them. The op-ed emphasizes that while the ESA was originally intended to protect species on the brink of extinction, it has deviated from its purpose and has become a tool used by the Left to appease environmental activists.

The senators point out that since its enactment 50 years ago, the ESA has failed to effectively recover species, with only 62 out of the 1,667 threatened or endangered species currently protected under the law being considered "recovered." Additionally, the recovery rates of these species are questionable, as approximately 60% of downlisted species seem to owe their improvement to data errors rather than the protections provided by the ESA.

The op-ed highlights the positive reforms implemented by the Trump administration in 2019, which aimed to strike a balance between protecting endangered species and ensuring the rights of landowners. These reforms allowed agencies to research and share the economic impacts of listing determinations under the ESA. However, the Biden administration's approach has reversed these reforms, giving unelected Washington bureaucrats more power and burdening landowners and communities with excessive red tape.

To address the shortcomings of the ESA, the bipartisan and bicameral Western Caucus Foundation has compiled a comprehensive report detailing the law's problems and failures. The report serves as a roadmap for commonsense reforms, aiming to modernize the ESA and empower landowners and businesses to be partners in preserving iconic species and landscapes.

The senators stress the urgent need for reform, as the ESA's current success rate stands at less than 5%. They argue that the law is ineffective in recovering endangered species on the verge of extinction, and its outdated policies have become a detriment to local communities. The op-ed concludes by expressing the senators' hope for collaboration in modernizing the ESA, preserving America's iconic species and landscapes, and ensuring the law benefits both the environment and the communities it impacts.

In summary, Senators Capito and Lummis have called attention to the flaws of the Endangered Species Act and put forth a roadmap for comprehensive reform. They emphasize the need to modernize the ESA, recover endangered species, and empower landowners and businesses to play a role in conservation efforts.