105 Citizen Groups Criticize Anti-Democratic Rulemaking

For Immediate Release

August 21, 2008

 

Contact: Jon Hunter, Endangered Species Coalition (202) 476-0669

 

WASHINGTON-- Today, representatives from 105 conservation and scientific organizations representing millions of American’s submitted a letter to Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne and Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez calling for increased transparency and opportunities for public participation on a new rule proposal. The rule, published by the Bush administration in the federal register last week, would radically weaken the Endangered Species Act. The administration is only accepting public comment for 30 days.

 

“Rather than a narrow tweaking of the regulations, the proposal represents a back-door attack on the Endangered Species Act. The American people deserve and expect a full public process to vet such far-reaching changes to this landmark conservation law,” said Leda Huta, Director of the Endangered Species Coalition.

 

The administration is also refusing to accept e-mail comments or hold public hearings on the proposed rule. Instead, comments will be accepted by mail, or through a government Web site [1] that warns reviewers their personal information will be posted on the internet for public dissemination.

 

“It appears as if the administration is doing whatever it can to discourage participation in the democratic process,” said John Kostyack, of the National Wildlife Federation. “I think we can expect more sneaky assaults like this on our public land and wildlife laws as this Administration heads for the exits.”

 

The Associated Press [2], reporting on leaked documents, revealed last week that the Bush administration plans to weaken the Endangered Species Act. The proposed changes are intended to eliminate the requirement that federal agencies consult with independent wildlife experts and to prohibit consideration of the impacts of global warming on wildlife.

 

"The Bush administration proposal eliminates the critical checks and balances needed to protect imperiled birds and cuts species experts from the process of making decisions that need to be science-based," said Mike Daulton, with National Audubon Society.

 

 

“The Endangered Species Act is a safety net for our nation’s wildlife, fish and plants on the brink of extinction. The Bush administration’s proposed regulations will cut a giant loophole in the safety net,” said Bill Snape of the Center for Biological Diversity. “We have a responsibility to future generations to be good stewards and protect endangered species and the special places they call home.”

 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded last year that nearly one-third of plant and animal species on Earth are at an increased risk of extinction due to global warming.

 

“Animals on the brink of extinction need consideration and protection guided by the best experts in the federal government: US Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service biologists,” said Susan Holmes of Earthjustice.

 

The proposed regulatory changes came out in the eleventh hour of the Bush administration. The abbreviated timeline and restrictive commenting options raise serious concerns that the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce is attempting to rewrite a bedrock environmental statute without allowing for adequate public involvement.

 

The proposed regulatory changes were published August 15, 2008, while Congress was out for recess and many Americans were enjoying the summer holiday.

 

Sean Cosgrove with the Conservation Law Foundation agrees, “For one of our nation’s most important and successful environmental laws, the thirty-day comment period is woefully inadequate for the public to review and comment on this critical proposal.” 

 

The coalition is urging DOI and DOC to extend the comment period to 120 days, allowing the public adequate time to address the breadth and depth that these changes to the Endangered Species Act regulations will have on protecting our most imperiled wildlife. 

 

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August 21, 2008

 

Honorable Dirk Kempthorne

Secretary, Department of the Interior

1849 C St., NW

Washington, DC 20240

 

Honorable Carlos M. Gutierrez

Secretary, Department of Commerce

1401 Constitution Ave., NW

Washington, DC 20230

 

 

Dear Secretary Kempthorne and Secretary Gutierrez,

 

On behalf of the millions of members our organizations represent, we are deeply concerned by the process being used to collect public comments on the proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act regulations. We plan to submit comments on the more substantive issues in the proposed regulations at a later date, but are writing today to address concerns with the timing and process for submitting public comments. The abbreviated timeline and restrictive commenting options raise serious concerns that the Department of the Interior is attempting to rewrite a bedrock environmental statute without allowing for adequate public involvement.

 

The proposed regulatory changes were published August 15, 2008, while Congress was out for recess and many Americans were enjoying the summer holiday. For one of our nation’s most important and successful environmental laws, the thirty-day comment period is woefully inadequate for the public to review and comment on this critical proposal. We urge you to extend the comment period to one hundred and twenty days, allowing the public adequate time to address the breadth and depth that these changes to the Endangered Species Act regulations will have on protecting our most imperiled wildlife.  

 

In addition, the Department of the Interior and Department of Commerce should increase the public’s opportunities to comment. The agencies should hold field hearings around the country, thus giving citizens the opportunity to learn, understand and comment on the proposed changes directly. 

 

Finally, toallow more of the public to provide input on this far reaching proposal,we request you also make it easier to submit comments by allowing for e-mail and fax submissions.

 

The proposed regulation changes may have a profound effect on how the Endangered Species Act is implemented. The American people need the appropriate length of time and means of opportunity to comment on them.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Leda Huta

Executive Director

Endangered Species Coalition

 

Nicole Rosmarino, Ph.D.

Wildlife Program Director

WildEarth Guardians

 

Scott Hoffman Black
Ecologist/Entomologist
Executive Director
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

 

Bill Snape

Senior Counsel

Center for Biological Diversity

 

Bethanie Walder

Executive Director

Wildlands Center for Preventing Roads

 

Andrew Fahlund

Vice President for Conservation

American Rivers

 

Josh Pollock

Conservation Director

Center for Native Ecosystems

 

Andrew E. Wetzler

Director, Endangered Species Project

Natural Resources Defense Council

 

Emily B. Roberson, Ph.D.

Director

Native Plant Conservation Campaign

 

Daryl DeJoy
Executive Director
Wildlife Alliance of Maine

 

Daniel Patterson
Ecologist & Southwest Director
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility

R. Nicole Cordan
Policy & Legal Director
Save Our Wild Salmon

 

William F. "Zeke" Grader Executive Director
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA)

 

Dan Silver
Executive Director
Endangered Habitats League

 

Jym St. Pierre

Maine Director

RESTORE: The North Woods

 

Chuck Willer
Executive Director
Coast Range Association

 

Gale Dupree

Director

Nevada Wildlife Federation

 

Sean Cosgrove
Campaign Director
Conservation Law Foundation

 

William W. Rossiter
President
Cetacean Society International

 

Buffalo Bruce

Vice-Chair

Western Nebraska Recources Council

 

Chuck Willer
Executive Director
Coast Range Association

 

Mike Petersen
Executive Director
The Lands Council and the

National Forest Protection Alliance 

 

Dr. Shirley McGreal, OBE

Chairwoman
International Primate Protection League

 

Robert R. Alexander, PhD
Associate Professor of Environmental Studies
Department of  Environmental Studies
Sweet Briar College

 

Rainer W. Bussmann, Ph.D.
William L. Brown Curator of Economic Botany
Head, Wm. L. Brown Center for Plant Genetic Resources
Missouri Botanical Garden

 

D.J. Schubert
Wildlife Biologist
Animal Welfare Institute

 

Henk van der Werff

Curator and Deputy Head of Research Missouri Botanical Garden

 

Heidi H. Schmidt

Managing Editor

Flora of North America

Missouri Botanical Garden

 

Peter F. Stevens

Department of Biology

University of Missouri

 

Thia E. Artemis

Director

ANIMAL ANSWERS International, LLC

 

Howard J. Brown

Director

Rhode Island Interfaith Power and Light

 

Elizabeth Hurst-Waitz

President
Central New Mexico Audubon Society

 

Dr. C. Mark Rockwell, D.C.
V.P. Conservation, Northern Calif. Council,
Federation of Fly Fishers

 

Jack Clarke

Director of Public Policy & Government Relations

Massachusetts Audubon

 

Bob Lukinic

President

Southern Maryland Audubon Society

Shane Jimerfield
Executive Director
Siskiyou Project

 

Kevin J. Roe

Conservation Committee

American Malacological Society

 

Cynthia Sarthou

Executive Director

Gulf Restoration Network

 

Tracy Davids

Executive Director
Wild South

 

Peter C. Hoch
Curator

Missouri Botanical Garden

 

Arlene Montgomery

Program Director
Friends of the Wild Swan

 

Greg Dyson

Executive Director

Hells Canyon Preservation Council

 

John Kostyack
Executive Director

Wildlife Conservation and Global Warming
National Wildlife Federation

 

Dan Brister, MS
Project Director
Buffalo Field Campaign

 

Nina Bell, J.D.

Executive Director

Northwest Environmental Advocates

 

Doug Olander

Editor in Chief

Sport Fishing

 

Richard Delaney 

Executive Director
Center for Coastal Studies

Michael Stocker

Director

Ocean Conservation Research

 

Kathy Fletcher

Executive Director
People For Puget Sound  

 

Paulette Hammond

President

Maryland Conservation Council, Inc.

Convenor, Episcopal Diocese of Maryland Committee on the Environment

 

Tony Langbehn

Convenor

Maryland United for Peace and Justice, Inc.

 

Leah Elwell

Conservation Coordinator

Federation of Fly Fishers

 

John Passacantando

Executive Director

Greenpeace USA

 

Bill Akin
President
Concerned Citizens of Montauk

Tim Dillingham

Executive Director

American Littoral Society

 

Dave Ferrell
Editor

Marlin magazine

 

Susan A. Holmes
Senior Legislative Representative
Earthjustice

 

Duane Short
Wild Species Program Director
Biodiversity Conservation Alliance

 

Brett Matzke

Wild and Native Trout Manager

California Trout, Inc.

 

Jerry R. Boggs, Ph.D.

Executive Director

Selkirk Conservation Alliance

 

Greer S. Goldman
Assistant General Counsel
National Audubon Society

 

Peter Hart

Conservation Analyst/Staff Attorney

Wilderness Workshop

 

Dan Morse

Public Lands Director

High Country Citizens' Alliance

 

Mary Beth Beetham

Legislative Director

Defenders of Wildlife

 

Cindy Lowry

Executive Director

Alabama Rivers Alliance

 

Veronica Egan

Executive Director

Great Old Broads for Wilderness

John M. Fitzgerald, J.D.

Policy Director

Society for Conservation Biology

 

Hilary White
Director
Sheep Mountain Alliance

 

Lydia Miller

President                                             

San Joaquin Raptor/Wildlife Rescue Center 

Bill Jennings

Chairman and Executive Director
California Sportfishing Protection Alliance           

 

Bill Hatch

Board Member

San Joaquin Valley Conservancy

 

Maureen McCorry

Director
San Joaquin Et Al

 

David Wade
President

Endangered Small Animal Conservation Fund

 

Janet Ellis
Program Director
Montana Audubon

 

Tom Sobal

Coordinator

Quiet Use Coalition

 

Meade Cadot,
Executive Director

The Harris Center for Conservation Education

 

Cindy Claus

Director

Jenkinson's Aquarium

 

Scott D. Kraus, PhD.

Vice President of Research

New England Aquarium

 

Francesca T. Grifo, Ph.D

Director and Senior Scientist

Scientific Integrity Program

Union of Concerned Scientists

 

Timothy Donaghy, Ph.D

Analyst

Scientific Integrity Program

Union of Concerned Scientists

 

Ileene Anderson

Conservation Committee member

California Native Plant Society

 

Allison Ford

Program Associate

The Otter Project

 

Debbie Sease
Legislative Director
Sierra Club

 

Greg King

Executive Director

Northcoast Environmental Center

 

Dionna Humphrey

Associate Director of Advocacy
National Parks Conservation Association

 

David Godfrey

Executive Director

Caribbean Conservation Corporation

 

Cindy Shogan

Executive Director

Alaska Wilderness League

 

Matt Auten

President.

Environment Council of Rhode Island 

 

Michael Sutton

Vice President & Director

Center for the Future of the Oceans

Monterey Bay Aquarium

 

Paul G. Johnson

President

REEF RELIEF

 

Elizabeth Murdock
Executive Director
Golden Gate Audubon Society

 

Dr. John W. Grandy,

Senior Vice-president for Wildlife and Habitat Protection

The Humane Society of the U.S.

 

Lois Barber

Director

EarthAction

 

Jenn Burns Gray

Staff Attorney and Advocate

Maine Audubon

 

Carol Witham

Director

VernalPools.org

 

Byron Leydecker, JCT

Chair

Friends of Trinity River

 

Florence M LaRiviere

Chairperson

The Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge

 

Rob Fisher

Executive Director

Ecological Conservation Organization

 

 

 

Regna Merritt
Executive Director

Oregon Wild

 

Robert Stack

Executive Director

Jumping Frog Research Institute

 

Beth Lowell

Federal Policy Director

Oceana

Camilla H. Fox
Director, Wildlife Consultant
Project Coyote

 

Franz J. Camenzind, Ph.D.

Executive Director

Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance

 

Sophie Osborn

Wildlife Program Manager

Wyoming Outdoor Council

 

Vicki Cornish
Vice President, Marine Wildlife Conservation
Ocean Conservancy