FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, June 25, 1996
CONTACT:
Eric Glitzenstein, (202) 588-5206, EGlitz@aol.com
Christine Wolf, (301) 585-2591, ChrisW@fund.org
WASHINGTON, DC -- On Tuesday, June 25, at 11:00 AM, in Room 1324 of the Longworth Building, the House Committee on Natural Resources heard testimony on listing provisions of the Endangered Species Act. Eric Glitzenstein, attorney for The Fund for Animals, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Biodiversity Legal Foundation, testified on the settlement reached in Fund for Animals et al. v. Lujan and recommendations regarding the process for listing endangered and threatened species.
Mr. Glitzenstein testified that the Clinton Administration is failing even to meet the requirements of a settlement agreement reached during the Bush Administration. Says Mr. Glitzenstein, "Because Congress and the Clinton Administration are at odds, entire species are suffering. They should stop playing political football with the listing process while species continue to spiral toward extinction."
Due to the pitifully slow rate of listing imperiled species, The Fund for Animals and other conservation groups filed suit in federal district court in 1992, and soon reached a settlement agreement with the Service. The heart of the settlement was that the Service would make final decisions whether to list 443 of the most imperiled "Category 1" species by September 1996.
This settlement more than doubled the rate of species listing, and the Service reported in February 1995 that "we currently expect to meet all of the obligations of this settlement agreement in the allotted time frames." Months later, Congress imposed a listing moratorium, and the Clinton Administration refused to take a high-profile stand against the moratorium when it could have been removed or avoided.
Some of the most egregious cases of political factors interfering with species listing have been: (1) The Service proposed listing the Alabama Sturgeon, but due to pressure from Alabama's Congressional delegation, withdrew the proposal and claimed that the species was already extinct. Although Alabama Sturgeon have been caught, the Service has still refused to protect this critically endangered species. (2) Service biologists prepared a proposal to list the Canada Lynx, but the Service's Washington office never published the draft on the absurd grounds that the Lynx are plentiful in Canada. Even though they are facing grave threats in the U.S., the Lynx continue to be trapped for sport and profit. (3) Service biologists wanted to list the Alexander Archipelago Wolf, which is biologically threatened but still being hunted, but Service officials refused because they did not wish to offend the Alaskan delegation to Congress.
To see a copy of Mr. Glitzenstein's written testimony, please click here.