Tell your Representative: Don’t gut the Endangered Species Act!

A new bill was just introduced in Congress that would overhaul and dismantle the Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act is a bedrock environmental law that protects animals at risk of extinction and their habitat. This bill would be a disaster for bees, butterflies, birds, wolves and other valuable wildlife.

But all of this is at stake. The GOP wants to gut the Endangered Species Act and put many critical species at risk. We can’t let that happen.

Dear Representative,

As a constituent, I am writing to express my strong opposition to Representative Barrasso’s proposal to overhaul the Endangered Species Act. The bill would be disastrous for threatened and endangered species that are critical to our environment. I urge you to reject this bill and stop it dead in its tracks.

The bill would make the role of the federal government smaller and increase the role of states when determining how to protect threatened and endangered species. The bill is meant to take away the role of scientists and wildlife experts tasked with making decisions to help protect threated and endangered species and give this role to states -- but the federal government has not funded those states with adequate resources or legal authority to thoroughly protect critical species.

Decisions regarding our environment and wildlife protection should be grounded in science and not motivated by special interests. I’m deeply concerned that the real motivation behind Rep. Barrasso’s bill is the campaign contributions he has received from the oil and gas industry. From 2011 to 2016, he received over $450,000 from the oil and gas industry, plus, over $240,000 from the mining industry.

We must not weaken the Endangered Species Act, which is more important than ever as scientists say we are in the midst of the “6th great extinction” largely due to human activities. For example, in the last 20 years, the number of monarch butterflies has declined by 90 percent and monarchs would need a 5-fold increase to recover from risk of quasi-extinction. A key factor in their decline is glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide in the world. It is also widely used among the monarch’s migration route -- virtually wiping out milkweed, the only food young monarchs eat. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently considering listing the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act to help give it the support it needs to rebound to safe levels. If we weaken the Endangered Species Act, we may lose the monarch butterfly and countless other iconic American plants and animals.

A poll conducted in 2015 found that regardless of political, regional and demographic lines, 90 percent of American voters support the Endangered Species Act. I urge you to reject any attacks on the Endangered Species Act, which is widely supported by U.S. voters and essential to maintaining a healthy environment for future generations.

Sincerely,

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