For Release: May 9, 1995

Bob Walker 202/208-6416

Statement By Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt On Endangered Species Act Reform Bill (May 9, 1995)

The endangered species bill introduced today in the Senate can be summed up in seven words: it will repeal the Endangered Species Act. The bill abandons the goal of preventing wildlife from becoming extinct in the wild, and shreds the safety net for the 955 currently-listed species and for any species that may become endangered in the future. The bald eagle, the gray whale and the Florida manatee could all be put at risk, again

This bill is like a movie set for a western town. From the front it looks like the Endangered Species Act, but if you walk around to the back you'll find out it's a fake.

If this bill becomes law:

o No one -- not the Secretary of the Interior, not Federal agencies, not private landowners -- is absolutely required by the bill to do anything to conserve endangered species.

o There will be virtually no protection for a species after it is listed until a complicated conservation plan is developed, which could take 18 months or longer. During this period, landowners will have a significant incentive to destroy as much of a species' habitat as possible, thereby pushing it further toward extinction before even limited protections can begin.

o Federal agencies no longer need exercise responsibility for conserving endangered species. The requirement that Federal agencies "consult" with the Fish and Wildlife Service to avoid jeopardizing endangered species would be severely narrowed, allowing thousands of Federal projects that adversely affect listed species to avoid consultation completely. A Federal agency could bulldoze the habitat of the whooping crane, simply by declaring that the action was essential to that agency's mission.

o The process of listing and recovering endangered species will be buried under a mountain of red tape. The goal of protecting species will be bogged down in an endless stream of expensive public hearings, studies, cost-benefit analyses, and Federal Register notices.

U.S. Department of the Interior