07.16.15

Grijalva Highlights Endangered Species Risks as House Republicans Pass Drought Distraction Bill, Double Down on Extinction Agenda

Washington, D.C. – For the third Congress in a row, House Republicans have forced through legislation disguised as drought relief that would weaken conservation laws while doing nothing to solve the California water crisis. Republicans also rejected a commonsense Democratic amendment to increase water supplies by funding water recycling projects, and added over strong Democratic objections an amendment that would undermine protections for endangered fish species in the Klamath River basin.

“House Republicans never miss an opportunity to blame environmental laws for problems they are afraid to face head-on, and today was no exception,” said Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee. “Sadly, this bill is just another example of House Republicans ignoring the will of the American people and driving the extinction of American fish and wildlife one species at a time.”

H.R. 2898 would weaken Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for the threatened Delta smelt and several runs of endangered and threatened salmon and steelhead, foreclosing on the opportunity to recover these species. Ironically, House Republicans often complain about slow progress in recovering species under the ESA. Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) recently told Bloomberg BNA that despite the clear language in the ESA requiring recovery plans, he believes the goal of the Act “is not to recover species, it’s merely to list them and keep them in a state of limbo forever.”

“Under this drought distraction bill, ‘limbo’ is the best-case scenario for threatened and endangered fish in California,” Grijalva said. “House Republicans pay lip service to recovering species, but their real intention is clear. Even the sponsor of this bill stated last month that he wants to repeal the Endangered Species Act.”

H.R. 2898 also assaults the National Environmental Policy Act, a bedrock conservation statute that gives citizens an opportunity for input into government constructed and permitted projects. Provisions in the bill that shorten timelines for public review of water projects under NEPA effectively shut out communities that could be impacted by the construction and operation of new facilities built with their tax dollars.