Congress considering revisions to Endangered Species Act
The US House Resources Committee is considering possible changes to the Endangered Species Act (pdf), which has been in effect for 32 years. Rep. Richard Pombo has introduced the bipartisan Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005 (TESRA) (pdf), and the House committee is expected to vote on the bill Thursday. The act would not require the government to set aside critical habitat for threatened plants and animals, which makes many environmentalists worry about taking away a key to many species’ survival. Pombo has said the bill compensates for the elimination of critical habitat by strengthening the focus on species recovery. AP has more.
