WASHINGTON — Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne is defending proposed changes to the endangered species law, saying they will ensure the statute is not used as a “back door” to regulate the gases blamed for global warming.
Kempthorne said today the proposal would allow federal agencies to move forward with some projects without consulting government scientists and would implement the 1973 law “more efficiently and avoid misusing it to regulate global climate change.”
The changes would apply to any project a federal agency would fund, build or authorize. Government wildlife experts currently perform tens of thousands of such reviews each year.
“If adopted, these changes would seriously weaken the safety net of habitat protections that we have relied upon to protect and recover endangered fish, wildlife and plants for the past 35 years,” said John Kostyack, executive director of the National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Conservation and Global Warming initiative.
Under current law, federal agencies must consult with experts at the Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service to determine whether a project is likely to jeopardize any endangered species or to damage habitat, even if no harm seems likely. This initial review usually results in accommodations that better protect the 1,353 animals and plants in the U.S. listed as threatened or endangered and determines whether a more formal analysis is warranted.
The Interior Department said such consultations are no longer necessary because federal agencies have developed expertise to review their own construction and development projects, according to the 30-page draft obtained by the AP.
“We believe federal action agencies will err on the side of caution in making these determinations,” the proposal said.
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