ESA Reform Bill Passes House

<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />Washington, DC, September 29, 2005—The Competitive Enterprise Institute commends the U.S. House for passing much-needed reform of the Endangered Species Act. The Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act (H. R. 3824) passed late this afternoon 229-193. Representatives also defeated an amendment which would have gutted property rights protections.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” />

 “A decade after the GOP was swept into power in 1994 on a pledge to reduce the regulatory burden of ineffective and oppressive environmental laws on the American people—especially family farmers, ranchers, tree farmers, homeowners, and small businesses—a bipartisan coalition of Republicans and Democrats, led by Richard Pombo (R-CA) finally succeeded in reforming the Endangered Species Act,” said R. J. Smith, Senior Environmental Scholar at CEI.  “No longer will the Act be able to take a farmer's land or prevent him from harvesting his crops without paying him compensation for the taking of his property for public use, as mandated by the Bill of Rights and the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution. This will at last create a law which will be good for people and therefore good for species.”

“Congressman Pombo, the staff of the House Resources Committee, and everyone else who worked so hard on the Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act are to be commended for getting it passed,” said Myron Ebell, director of International Environmental Policy at CEI and a longtime advocate for ESA reform. “For too long landowners’ rights have been violated and the ESA has not been effective in recovering species. We hope the Senate will follow the House’s lead and also pass much-needed reform.”