To modernize the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), introduced legislation reauthorizing and modernizing the ESA by increasing transparency and giving more authority to states.
The Endangered Species Act Amendments of 2020 will give state wildlife agencies greater control and establish regulatory certainty for ranchers and landowners to participate in conservation measures.
“It is past time to modernize the ESA. The status quo is not acceptable,” said Barrasso in a press release. “Species that go on the endangered species list seem to stay there forever and never recover to the point of coming off the list. My bill promotes the recovery of species and will allow local economies to thrive.
“State and local experts need to be leading efforts to protect local wildlife. This legislation will increase local input and improve transparency in the listing process. It protects endangered species and helps communities invest in more conservation and recovery activities.”
To assist state authorities, the legislation would require the Secretary of Interior to conduct a periodic review of threatened or endangered species to determine whether to delist, down list, or up list based on the species’ recovery goals. Conservation efforts authorized by the states, tribes, local governments, and private landowners would be under the Secretary of Interior’s guidance. The states would lead the recovery teams and plans with relevant federal land and wildlife management agencies, including modifications to the recovery plan and recommendation of delisting or down listing once the established recovery plan criteria for the species have been satisfied.
The legislation establishes a priority system of one through five established by the Secretary of Interior, with one being the highest priority, to be designated as critically imperiled and in need of immediate action. The priority system will be based on “the urgency of a species’ circumstances, conservation efforts, and available data and information so that resources can be utilized most effectively,” according to an overview of the bill.
Lastly, the bill reauthorizes the ESA since funding authorization expired in 1992. It authorizes appropriations to the Department of Interior in the amount of $160 million in fiscal year (FY) 2021 and an increase each subsequent year to $180 million in FY 2025. It also authorizes appropriations to the secretary to assist in implementing recovery plans of $214 million for each of FY 2021 through 2025.
The EPW committee will hold a hearing on Barrasso’s bill on Sept. 23, 2020, with Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) invited to testify.
NCBA support
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Public Lands Council (PLC) applauded the legislation, stating it will clarify species conservation and address ESA failures.
“This legislation is about improving an outdated law so that it meets current needs. It is about helping every American cattle producer that has lost a calf to a federally protected bear or wolf, and for landowners who face stringent regulation that doesn’t meet the habitat needs on the ground,” said NCBA President Marty Smith. “Thank you to Senator Barrasso for taking on the big task of updating a law that is almost three decades old. I am glad to see a bill recognize that the best conservationists are the ranchers and farmers on their operations every day taking care of the land and feeding the country.”
Ranchers and landowners have long been conservationists, and this legislation takes this into consideration for recovery plans of ESA determination.
“For too long, ranchers have been forced to deal with an antiquated law that does not recognize the expertise or the conservation done by those who actually live, work, and manage our rangeland,” said PLC President Bob Skinner. “Ranchers are the original conservationists, and nowhere is that more true than in the West where millions of acres are managed primarily by ranchers whose daily presence on the landscape allows them to sound the alarm when species need additional help.
“This bill values the contributions of ranchers and other state experts who will develop stronger recovery plans together. Thank you to Chairman Barrasso for all the work he has done to fix a bill that was in dire need of updated tools.” — Charles Wallace, WLJ editor
