Even though the Endangered Species Act was passed unanimously by both political parties in Congress in 1973, under the new administration, it is set to be trashed by lawmakers.
Over the past eight years, Republicans tried in vain to block any legislation pertaining to protecting a species by closing lands for conservation, proposing dozens of alternative laws that were ultimately blocked by Democrats and President Obama. They complained the act hindered drilling, mining, and land development.
Right now, there are over 1,600 endangered plants and animals on the list, and only about 70 species have fully recovered. The 1973 act was amended to save the bald eagle population, but ABC News quotes House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT), who claims, “It has never been used for the rehabilitation of species. It’s been used for control of the land.”
And the government’s control of the land seems to be the gist of the argument being made to roll back the Endangered Species Act, especially by those lawmakers in states where oil and gas drilling and mining has been curtailed because of the conservation measures assured by the law.
Another bone of contention by many states is the protections afforded the gray wolf population in the U.S. Farmers and ranchers were opposed to the protection given to wolves, complaining they were losing livestock, while hunters alleged the wolves were decimating the Elk and deer populations.
In 2011, Montana and Idaho were successful in getting the gray wolf off the Endangered Species List in those two states. Last week, Wyoming Congressman Liz Cheney introduced a bill to remove wolves entirely from the Endangered Species Act.
And while the gray wolf is a prime example of what Republicans say is wrong with the act, there are other species that allegedly are halting or curtailing the freedom of states to allow drilling or fracking for oil and gas or to cut down more trees for logging.
Republicans are proposing that a limit is placed on the number of lawsuits that have been used to protect species on the endangered list. They also propose that for some species, a final determination is made on their status. They also want a limit placed on how many species can be protected.
And if that isn’t enough, one Republican lawmaker suggests that for every species placed on the list, another species be taken off the list. And states want more say on protecting endangered species within their borders.
There are dozens of species waiting to be placed on the endangered list, including the Pacific walrus and the North American wolverine, both victims of habitat loss due to climate change. Their status under a climate denier president is certain to be tossed by the wayside.
Wyoming Senator John Barrasso, the incoming chairman of the Committee on Environment and Public Works and Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, the chairwoman of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources are two GOP lawmakers environmentalists and advocates for the protection of endangered species need to keep their eyes on.
Both of these lawmakers are in favor of fewer regulations on the energy industry, something President-elect Trump has talked about all during the presidential campaign.
J.B. Ruhl is a Vanderbilt University law professor who is considered an expert on the Endangered Species Act. He says if the law is gutted, it will end up being nothing more than a paper that details limits on hunting of protected animals.
“There’s a lot of evidence that some species are conservation-reliant,” he said. Ruhl added that while political fights have gone on for years over the status of some species, we have discovered that recovering them from “the brink of extinction is a lot harder than we thought.”