From sea to shining sea, some of America’s most beloved—and beleaguered—wildlife has been protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The gray whale. The American alligator. The bald eagle. After years of conservation under the Act, these species recovered and were delisted with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), exemplifying the ESA’s effectiveness and importance for both animals and ecosystems.

The ESA is no less necessary today than when President Nixon signed the law into effect in 1973—many endangered and threatened animals (and plants) still urgently need protection. 

But a new threat to vulnerable species has emerged in the U.S. Capitol, a building crested with the seal of the very bird that exists only because it was protected by legislators four decades ago. Recent House and Senate bills contain provisions that weaken the ESA’s implementation, in some cases by craftily targeting the Act through bills that have little to do with wildlife.

The annual National Defense Authorization Act, for example, is meant to outline the Department of Defense’s budget—but the House’s approved 2016 version (HR 1735) contains anti-environmental clauses that are unrelated to military appropriations. One such section prevents the greater sage-grouse from being listed until 2025; another makes exemptions to ESA protections for sea otters off the coast of Southern California; and others still delist the lesser prairie chicken and American burying beetle.

If you find it difficult to understand what problems sage-grouses and beetles pose to national defense, you're not the only one. But these provisions are just the first in a long line of attacks on the ESA. Eight other Senate bills have similar clauses that chip away at protections for various endangered species.

In early May, the National Resources Defense Council and Sierra Club, along with 22 other conservation groups, responded to these bills by sending the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) a joint opposition letter. The document criticizes how the eight Senate bills undercut the ESA by “obstructing the listing process, prioritizing short-term economic gains above conservation in all cases, hindering development and use of the best available scientific research, squandering agency resources, and chilling citizen enforcement of the Act.”

During May 6 hearings, the EPW addressed these bills, with Senator Barbara Boxer, ranking member of the committee, saying what others have come to echo: “The Endangered Species Act should not be repealed in this backdoor way.”

In light of these recent legislative digs at the ESA, it’s important to continue affirming the protection of our wildlife and wild spaces—both in and out of Congress.

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