GOP lawmakers target endangered species law

Republicans in Congress on Tuesday called for an overhaul to the Endangered Species Act to curtail environmentalists’ lawsuits and give more power to states, but experts say broad changes to one of the nation’s cornerstone environmental laws are unlikely given the pervasive partisan divide in Washington, D.C. A group of 13 GOP lawmakers representing states across the U.S. released a report proposing “targeted reforms” for the 40-year-old federal law, which protects imperiled plants and animals. Led by Rep. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Rep. Doc Hastings of Washington state, who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee, the Republicans want to amend the law to limit litigation from wildlife advocates that has resulted in protections for some species. And they want to give states more authority over imperiled species that fall within their borders. Also among the recommendations are increased scientific transparency, more accurate economic impact studies and safeguards for private landowners. Vanderbilt Law School professor J.B. Ruhl said previous attempts to reform the Endangered Species Act in the 1990s and again last decade failed. Regardless of the merits of the late...more

Oh, come on Republicans, do you really think the ESA needs amending?  After all that illustrious public servant Richard Nixon signed it into law and I'm sure you wouldn't want to tarnish his legacy.  I notice your amendments are "targeted".  I would propose only one amendment that would read something like "strike everything after the short title".  But to get back to reality and my original question, is there really a need to amend the act?  Let's see what the last 48  hours of news tells us.