Update Endangered Species Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, when the Endangered Species Act was signed into law in 1973, its goal was simple: safeguard endangered species and assist in the recovery of their population.

Until last week, no recent attempts have been made to reform this essential piece of legislation. Over the past several years, the Congressional Western Caucus has been working together to determine what parts of the Endangered Species Act are broken and to develop solutions to repair this law.

The Endangered Species Act is in dire need of modernization and reform, which is why, last week, the Western Caucus, which I am proud to belong to, rolled out some solutions; among them is to address the broken litigation process that incentivizes litigation for profit at the expense of the taxpayer, address the lack of clear listing and delisting criteria, addressed the lack of transparency in Endangered Species Act decisionmaking and data collection, consider the needs of States more seriously, and address the unnecessary impediments to economic development and land management that affect endangered species.

Mr. Speaker, as far as statutes that require costly litigation, the Endangered Species Act was the third most expensive for the Department of Agriculture and the most expensive for the Department of the Interior.

Endangered Species Act litigation cost the Department of Agriculture and the Federal taxpayers $1.63 million from 2000 to 2010. It cost the Department of the Interior $22 million from 2000 to 2010, all at the expense of the taxpayer. These frivolous lawsuits have severe consequences on local economies.

Additionally, the absence of State consultation weakens the overall data that can be used to justify the Endangered Species Act listings and recovery plans, a complete lack of transparency. State and local expertise is needed to strengthen and streamline the Endangered Species Act listing and delisting process.

I am happy to say that these issues are addressed in some of the bills that were introduced last week. I proudly cosponsored a number of the bills that will make progress on this front, including the LOCAL Act, which was introduced by my colleague Scott Tipton. This bill would set up new incentives and opportunities for voluntary conservation by establishing a private party conservation grants program and a habitat conservation planning loan program for State and local governments. These programs will save the taxpayers money while boosting conservation.

Mr. Speaker, we know that the majority of the recent species that have been delisted happened not as a result of the Endangered Species Act or the Fish and Wildlife Service, but through voluntary conservation with the leadership of the Department of Agriculture.

The LAMP Act, introduced by my colleague Congressman Don Young, permits the Secretary of the Interior to enter into cooperative management agreements with States, local governments, Tribes, and other non-Federal persons in order to better manage species and improve habitat conservation. The bill also empowers States with robust species conservation programs already in place to take the lead in managing and preserving such species when meeting certain qualifying conditions.

Mr. Speaker, these are just two examples of great pieces of legislation that have been introduced in the House to upgrade, modernize, and bring into the 21st century the Endangered Species Act.

The Endangered Species Act is in dire need of modernization, and I am eager to work with my colleagues to address these needs and reform this outdated law. I urge my colleagues to examine these commonsense bills, look at the facts behind them, and cosponsor them today.

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