FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Steve Moyer, Vice President of Government Affairs, (703) 284-9406, smoyer@tu.org

U.S. House of Representatives Approves Amendment to Uphold Endangered Species Act

Bipartisan amendment removes rider from appropriations bill.

Arlington, Va.— Trout Unlimited (TU) applauds the U.S. House of Representatives’ approval of a bipartisan amendment to uphold Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection during consideration of an Interior and Environment appropriations bill yesterday.

The amendment removed a rider in H.R. 2584 that would prevent the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from implementing its species listing program or from designating habitat critical to the recovery of listed species.

“From Atlantic salmon in Maine, to Lahontan cutthroat trout in Nevada, Trout Unlimited has worked with agencies and other partners for decades to protect and recover imperiled species,” said Steve Moyer, Trout Unlimited’s Vice President for Government Affairs. “During that time, the Endangered Species Act has been an essential tool for conserving fish and wildlife resources. TU thanks Representatives Norm Dicks (D-WA), Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Mike Thompson (D-CA) for their leadership on this bipartisan amendment to uphold the Endangered Species Act.”

The ESA is one of the nation’s most vital natural resources laws. Once listed as threatened or endangered, nearly extinct species receive critical protections for individual members of the species and their habitat. The ESA rider would have prevented the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from spending any money in Fiscal Year 2012 on listing new plants and animals under the ESA, designating critical habitat, or upgrading species from threatened to endangered. It would increase the risk of extinction of imperiled plants and animals, including species like the Rio Grande cutthroat trout.

TU also thanks Representatives Ron Kind (D-WI), Charlie Dent (R-PA), Jim Langevin (D-RI), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) for delivering strong floor speeches in support of the amendment.

“The Interior appropriations bill is still a harmful piece of legislation laden with bad policies and excessive funding cuts,” said Moyer. “But the approval of the Dicks-Fitzpatrick amendment gives us hope of a return to bipartisan support for conservation.”