02.05.16

Ahead of March 1 DOI Budget Hearing, Expert Panel Next Wednesday Will Debunk Myths on Endangered Species Act Regulatory and Military Impacts

Washington, D.C. – Ahead of a scheduled March 1 House Natural Resources Committee hearing with Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on departmental and programmatic budgeting, Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) will speak at a Capitol Hill briefing next Wednesday, Feb. 10, on how an important provision of the Endangered Species Act is implemented and on the Endangered Species Act’s compatibility with military readiness. The discussion will be led by Major General Michael Lehnert, USMC (ret.), who was responsible for environmental stewardship at seven major Marine Corps installations during his 36-year career, and by Ya-Wei Li, Senior Director of Endangered Species Conservation at Defenders of Wildlife.

The discussion – the first in a projected series of Democratic briefings and Hill events on the Endangered Species Act and wildlife issues over the course of 2016 – will highlight the many ways in which, contrary to long-debunked Republican talking points, the Endangered Species Act improves military readiness, environmental quality and economic activity.

The Feb. 10 event comes soon after the end-of-year 2015 spending omnibus firmly rejected multiple Republican efforts to weaken the Endangered Species Act and related environmental laws through riders on sage grouse habitat and other issues. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) and his allies are likely to redouble those efforts this year.

Li recently coauthored a paper on the ESA’s impacts on military and federal operations.

This presentation will focus on two major topics:

  1. How the Endangered Species Act allows our military to achieve a high level of readiness while maintaining protections for endangered and threatened species and the ecosystems upon which they depend
  2. How Federal agencies work to ensure actions they permit and carry out promote species conservation

The event is being held in collaboration with Animal Welfare Institute, Born Free USA, Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, Endangered Species Coalition, Humane Society Legislative Fund, League of Conservation Voters, National Audubon Society, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and the Humane Society of the United States.

Event Details

What: Expert panel discussion and briefing on “The Endangered Species Act, Military Readiness, and Federal Projects”

When: Wednesday, Feb. 10 from 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Where: 421 Cannon House Office Building

Who:

  • Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee
  • Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.)
  • Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Ranking Member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee
  • Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Federal Lands Subcommittee
  • Ya-Wei Li, Senior Director of Endangered Species Conservation, Defenders of Wildlife
  • Major General Michael R. Lehnert (Ret.), Chair of the Advisory Board of Directors, Endangered Species Coalition

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Press Contact

Diane Padilla

(202) 225-6065 or (202) 226-3522

Diane.Padilla@mail.house.gov