It was 32 years ago the Congress enacted the Endangered Species Act. Decades rolled by, many flourishing species have been catapult to the endangered species list – be the people or nature deserve the blame. Several species have, too, returned from the brink of extinction. The Congress for the first time has decided to rewrite the Endangered Species Act in the law’s 32-year history to make it more friendly to landowners and builders, a move decried by conservationists and welcomed by developers. To the environmentalists, the act is a signature accomplishment that has been vital in protecting the nation’s natural heritage.
But critics of the 1973 legislation have long charged that it shows less concern for workers and property owners and more for the northern spotted owl and snail darter. The House passed a bill to significantly rewrite the law in September, expecting that the Senate will adopt at least some of those changes. The House bill would require, for example, that the government pay developers if the act prevents them from building, and it would eliminate the government’s ability to designate a creature’s “critical habitat” where building is forbidden.
Via: Yahoo News