Endangered Species Act Reform:
Help get legislation to the Senate floor
The House of Representatives passed H.R. 3824, the Threatened
and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005, by a vote of 229 to 193. This
is the first major rewrite of the Endangered Species Act in more than 30 years.
The measure now goes to the U. S. Senate for consideration.
The Issue:
To get Endangered Species Act reform to the floor for a vote in
the Senate, it must first get out of the Senate
Committee on Environment and Public Works - Fish, Wildlife and Water
Subcommittee. This subcommittee is chaired by Senator
Lincoln Chafee (R-RI). Rhode Island Republican Lincoln Chafee - is a
moderate with a markedly green record and a tough re-election race coming up. Senator Chafee needs to
hear from off-roaders so he knows how important sensible change to the
Endangered Species Act is to us.
Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.) is ready to step in with his
own Endangered Species Act proposal in the face of little progress from Senator
Chafee.
Take Action:
1. Contact Senator Inhofe and let him know that you support
his effort to get ESA reform moving in the Senate
How to contact Senator Inhofe
Washington DC Address:
The Honorable James Inhofe
United States Senate
453 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-3603
2. Please take a moment to let Senator Chafee and the rest of the
subcommittee know you support H.R.
3824 (Threatened
and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005):
How to contact Senator Chafee:
Washington DC Address:
The Honorable Lincoln D. Chafee
United States Senate
141A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-3903
Sample Letter (cut & paste into your document editor):
It is always more effective to customize your letter a bit so the same
exact letter doesn't get sent out multiple times. Please take a few
minutes to personalize your letter.
Date
The Honorable Lincoln D. Chafee
United States Senate
141A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-3903
RE: Please Support Endangered Species Act Reform
Dear Senator Chafee:
I am writing to urge you to take action on Endangered Species Act Reform.
As you know, H.R. 3824, the Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of
2005 was passed with bipartisan support in the House.
Over the past 30 years the Endangered Species Act has gone far off course
from its original intent. Today, species recovery is driven more by lawsuits
and court mandates than science—often at the expense of landowners. H.R.
3824 will require the application of peer-reviewed science to support the
recovery of species that are truly threatened or endangered.Additionally, H.R. 3824 will foster a more collaborative relationship
between all stakeholders in the species recovery process.
We desperately need your help to fix this outdated law.
ESA
rewrite unlikely
Helena Independent Record, MT -
April 24, 2006
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
Chairman James Inhofe, R-Okla., had vowed to produce a bill by the end of
March, but the deadline came and went without a deal.
`Pombo-ized'
endangered species bills worry lawmakers
Kansas City Star, MO - March
31, 2006
Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., the chairman of a key
subcommittee, has said he fears any Senate bill might be "Pombo-ized"
when it goes to a conference committee where House and Senate versions are
reconciled.
Still, Chafee and three other senators continue trying to
hammer out a bipartisan agreement even if chances are slim.
"But we'll keep working," Chafee told reporters
in Washington this week, according to Congress Daily. "I want to keep
the door open a crack."
Reform
endangered by Senate debates
Tracy Press, CA - March
24, 2006
A controversial bill by Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, is stalled in the Senate
Finance Committee. Instead, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., who chairs the
environment and public works panel, is to steer other ESA reform measures,
including a possible one of his own, through his committee.
Endangered
Species Act Reform
MichNews.com, MI - Feb
28, 2006
Meaningful ESA reform faces a big hurdle in the Senate, as the chairman of
the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Act is liberal Senator Lincoln
Chafee (R-RI).
Report
a boost for Pombo's ESA goals
Stockton Record, CA - Feb 23,
2006
Additionally, Eastern politicians tend to be hesitant about tinkering with
the ESA, which is sacrosanct among even many Republicans there.
Among them is Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee, chairman of the Environment
and Public Works Fisheries, Wildlife and Water Subcommittee and the senator
who commissioned the Keystone Group. Chafee faces a tough election road
ahead.
ESA
bill’s future in Senate uncertain
Capital Press - October 7, 2005
Although the U.S.
House quickly passed the newly proposed overhaul of the federal Endangered
Species Act, some U.S. senators are already saying the bill stops here.
Senate
unlikely to take up measure that drops requirement for saving critical
habitat San Francisco Chronicle - September 30, 2005
But the bill faces much tougher going in the Senate. Sen. Lincoln
Chafee of Rhode Island, a moderate Republican known for favoring
environmental protections, chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works
subcommittee that oversees the act. He has said he has no plans to take up
the legislation this year.
Sens.
Chafee, Clinton urge caution on Pombo's ESA bill
The leaders of a key Senate Environment and Public Works subcommittee on the
Endangered Species Act said they want to wait for a report from an
independent commission before considering changes to the law.
Environment
- Species rule changes advance Sacramento Bee - September 30, 2005
Ask the Senate. While the committee's action presages House approval,
senators have their own priorities and timelines. Notably, the chairman of
the Senate subcommittee who oversees the issue - Rhode Island Republican
Lincoln Chafee - is a moderate with a markedly green record and a tough
re-election race coming up. The League of Conservation Voters favored
Chaffee's voting record with a 77 out of 100 last year, while Pombo earned a
lowly 3 from the environmental group.
House
passes bill to overhaul endangered species protection
San Mateo County Times - September 30, 2005
The bill's future in the Senate remains
uncertain. Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., chairman of the Senate Environment
and Public Works subcommittee, said he has serious reservations about parts
of it.
Revised
Endangered Species Act could hit Senate hurdle Tracy Press - September 25, 2005
Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., is concerned about a provision in the House
overhaul that would eliminate the government’s ability to regulate areas
of land needed so endangered species can recover.
House
committee approves major rewrite of Endangered Species ActSan
Diego Union Tribune - September 22, 2005
Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., a moderate who chairs the wildlife subcommittee
of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has concerns about
removing critical habitat from the Endangered Species Act, a spokesman said.
House
panel passes overhaul of Endangered Species Act
Contra Costa Times - September 23, 2005
"There are some things (of concern) in the Pombo bill," said
Stephen Hourahan, a spokesman for Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I. "Actually
removing critical habitat -- that is something the senator has a great deal
of difficulty with."
Chafee chairs the Senate's subcommittee on fisheries, wildlife and water
and is the gatekeeper for any endangered species legislation in the Senate.
Hourahan said that even though Chafee is considering amendments to the
endangered species law and has already held a few hearings on the subject,
he has no timeline.
