The Fight Ahead For America’s Imperiled Wildlife

Wolverines were just one of the 260+ species that would have been denied protections had the 'Extinction Rider' passed.

Now that Congress is on recess until after Labor Day, it’s a good time to take stock of what has happened so far this session and,  more important, what battles are still to come.

Since the mid-term elections last fall, the 112^th Congress has introduced, debated and held hearings on at least 13 different provisions that would undermine protections for our nation’s endangered plants and animals. That doesn’t even count all the other awful anti-environmental legislation that would indirectly harm wildlife by fouling our air and water, depleting our natural resources and sacrificing our public lands.

The attacks on the Endangered Species Act—one of our nation’s most successful and forward-thinking environmental laws—have taken many forms. From barring protections for particular species to sweeping changes to how the law can be applied, these assaults strike at the very foundation of the law and thus our country’s great commitment to conserving all species for the benefit of future generations of Americans.

But even amidst all these attacks, there have been important victories. Just a few weeks ago, with the help of wildlife champions in the U.S. House of Representatives on both sides of the aisle and our supporters across the country, we were able to defeat the so-called “Extinction Rider.” This provision of the Interior appropriations bill would have blocked life-saving protections for more than 260 species that could be headed for extinction.

Peregrine falcons have made a tremendous comeback as a result of the Endangered Species Act.

Defeating the extinction rider was a major milestone for wildlife conservation and showed that there is still strong, bipartisan support for upholding the ESA and saving imperiled species from extinction. It is the first real win for the environmental community during this Congress, and one of just a few in the last several years.

Yet the fight is not over. While Congress is not likely to take up the rider-riddled Interior appropriations bill again, many of those damaging provisions could still get rolled into a larger omnibus appropriations bill or continuing budget resolution. We saw it happen last year with the wolf rider, and it could easily happen again.

Once closed-door negotiations begin, there’s little we can do to oppose bad environmental provisions until it’s too late. What’s worse, policy riders are often added without any public debate, short-circuiting our opportunity to weigh in.

That’s why it’s so important for all of us to take a stand now and hold our elected leaders accountable FROM THE START. We will be working hard in the coming months to make sure that no bad riders are included in budget bills, even before negotiations begin. And we need you to do your and tell Congress not to sell out America’s imperiled wildlife. Help us carry this message to Capitol Hill: HANDS OFF THE ESA!