PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
  1. Signatures
    80 out of 100
    Petitioning
    1. Secretary of Interior (Dirk Kempthorne)
  2. Created By
    Center for Native Ecosystems
About this Petition Petition Letter

In its final days in office, the Bush administration is attempting to drastically weaken the Endangered Species Act. The Administration is proposing to largely do away with independent scientific consultations on the impacts of federal actions on endangered species and put these decisions squarely in the hands of political appointees. This represents the largest rewrite of the Endangered Species Act in 20 years, allows for zero congressional oversight, and would involve an inadequate 30-day public comment period before becoming law. These are many of the very changes that Congress soundly rejected just two years ago!

To ensure these proposals don't become law, Interior Secretary Kempthorne needs to hear from you. Please personalize the letter below and submit today.

The proposed changes by the Bush administration would either completely remove or drastically reduce the requirement for government agencies to consult with biologists before taking actions like building roads, dams, approving logging, mining and gas exploration on our public lands that may harm endangered species. Under the proposed arrangement, agencies would be allowed to decide for themselves whether a project is likely to impact a species. Currently, a review by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or National Marine Fisheries Service scientists is required before projects are approved. These reviews often result in projects being altered to protect endangered species and habitat.   

Read the Denver Post's recent editorial on the Administration's proposed changes to the Act, see what other editorial pages around the country are saying and download Center for Native Ecosystems' fact sheet here.

Recent Signatures

Help Us Save the Endangered Species Act

Dear Secretary Kempthorne,

I am writing to urge you to reject the Bush administrations' recent efforts to severely weaken the Endangered Species Act by greatly reducing or eliminating Section 7 consultations, an important system of checks and balances. The changes the Administration is proposing represent the single-largest overhaul in twenty years, come in Bush administration's final days in office and allow an inadequate public comment period and zero congressional oversight. Further, these are many of the very harmful changes that Congress refused to consider several years ago.  <br /><br />The Endangered Species Act is one of our country's heritage environmental laws, in part because it requires that decisions be based on the best available science. The Administration's proposed regulations would cut a hole in that that safety net, taking scientists out of the decision-making process and putting important scientific decisions in the hands of political appointees. The new regulations would do this by allowing agencies to decide for themselves if their actions would harm an endangered species - without consulting the scientific experts within the Fish and Wildlife Service or National Marine Fisheries Service. Many of these agencies do not even have biologists or other qualified staff to make such a determination.   <br /><br />The new regulations would also impose a brief 60-day review period, making it even less likely that anyone involved in the process will have the time or expertise to fully evaluate the potential harmful effects of a given project on sensitive wildlife or the habitat it needs to survive.   In summary, the drastic changes the Bush administration is trying to make in its final days in office with inadequate public scrutiny and no Congressional oversight, should not be allowed. Congress and the American public should have more input into these decisions, and a 30-day comment period without public hearings is completely unacceptable.   Our wildlife is one of our most precious natural resources. <br /><br />The Endangered Species Act is one of our most effective and important laws, protecting endangered plants, animals and fish like the Canada lynx, greenback cutthroat trout and greater sage-grouse. I strongly urge you to do whatever you can to stop these disastrous proposed changes (FWS-R9-ES-2008-0093 and 0808011023-81048-01, outlined in the Federal Register on August 15th).   Thank you for considering my comments. <br /><br />I look forward to your response,

[Your name]

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