To: Members of the U.S. Senate and Members of the U.S. House of Representatives

Started by: Jon Hunter

The Bush Administration has weakened how the federal government protects endangered species - but Congress can reject the changes.  Your voice is needed to keep the Endangered Species Act strong!

On December 11, 2008 the US Department of Interior announced that they were finalizing new rules on how government agencies implement the Endangered Species Act.  Prior to these rules, which should take effect in 30 days, when a federal agency considered building a highway, a dam, a mine, etc., they were required to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) or National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) about impacts that their projects might have on species.  Now, Federal agencies will get to decide for themselves whether they need to involve the Services, removing important checks and balances needed to keep our country’s fish, plants and wildlife safe.

The new rules purposely ignore global warming too.  Despite the fact that endangered species are some of the most at risk from the effects of global warming, the proposed regulations would redefine key words in the law to try to prevent any action being taken to fight global warming on the species' behalf.

These regulations must be rejected.  Congress has many tools to prevent these changes from being implemented.  Please contact your members of congress and ask for their help in protecting endangered species!