Congressman John D. Dingell

December 13, 2008

Washington, DC - Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) made the following comments on the Bush Administration’s finalization of the rule that significantly weakens protections for plants and wildlife under the Endangered Species Act. 

“When I authored the Endangered Species Act 35 years ago, I was aware of the profound impact the law would have on our natural habitat.  More than two dozen species of plant and wildlife have been saved by the ESA, including the Bald Eagle and the Gray Wolf, making our world a better and richer place to inhabit.  Yesterday, the Bush Administration further proved its desire to leave its own environmental legacy, one that will be regarded in years to come as backward and destructive.”

The final rule, published this week in the Federal Register, changes the requirement for Federal Agencies to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service (Services) about the impact of a proposed project on plant and wildlife. 

Dingell said, “The Services have unparalleled scientific expertise to make judgments about potential dangers to fish and wildlife.  Individual agencies do not have the resources, nor at times, the will to employ equally expert science when embarking on a new project.  The regulations have the capacity to greatly harm species we have spent years protecting and recovering.  It is also clear the Bush Administration ignored the law and the will of the American people in issuing these 11th hour regulations: there were literally hundreds of thousand of public comments opposing the rule.”

Shortly after the rule was proposed in August, Congressman Dingell sent a letter with his colleagues to the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce requesting an extension of the comment period.  In September, Dingell and his colleagues sent another letter urging the withdrawal of the proposed rule.

“Although the Bush Administration moved forward and finalized the rule, they will not be able to claim victory for long.  I intend to work in the next Congress to reverse this catastrophic, environmentally destructive rule,” said Dingell.