On September 29, 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that will significantly weaken protections for our nation's fish, plants, wildlife, and the places they call home and will dismantle the Endangered Species Act. The bill passed by a vote of 229 to 193, with 158 Democrats and 34 Republicans opposing the bill.

The bill's sponsor, Representative Richard Pombo (R-CA), is a former rancher and City Council member from Tracy, California. Mr. Pombo has made property rights and opposition to the Endangered Species Act the lodestar of his political career.

Although the bill is laced with soft-sounding words like "update", "enhance", and "modernize," Pombo's desire to dismantle one of our nation's strongest conservation laws is well known. In June 2005, the Wildlands Project was the subject of a special hearing by the House Energy and Minerals subcommittee, which Pombo chairs. Although the hearing was titled "Impact of the Endangered Species Act on energy and mineral development: The Wildlands Project," we were only given three days advance notice of the hearing. This short notice prevented a personal appearance by staff. Instead, written testimony for the Wildlands Project was introduced into the record during the hearing by committee member Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ).

According to a news release distributed by Pombo's office prior to the hearing, the Wildlands Project was chosen for testimony due to its efforts to organize a "land grab that will lock up energy-rich lands in the U.S." Only one of the five witnesses invited to testify before the subcommittee represented pro-Endangered Species Act interests.

In its testimony, the Wildlands Project reiterated its full support for a "stronger Endangered Species Act that has as its centerpiece scientifically credible requirements for critical habitat protection", and reminded the subcommittee that the work of the Wildlands Project to create connected systems of wildlands was designed to "protect vulnerable species where they live before they become endangered."

If passed by the Senate, HR 3824- Representative Pombo's deceptively titled "Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act" will:

• Eliminate habitat protections
• Repeal protections against hazardous pesticides
• Politicize scientific decision-making
• Eliminate the vital check-and-balance of consultation
• Require taxpayers to pay developers, oil and gas companies, and other industries for complying with the law

The New York Times has called the bill "one of the most far-reaching reversals of environmental policy in more than a decade" (September 30, 2005 p. A24). Leading House Democrats have also said it creates an unlimited financial entitlement for landowners.

The Endangered Species Act has been successful in preventing the extinction of the American bald eagle, the California condor, the Pacific Northwest salmon, the gray wolf, and the American alligator, as well as many other species. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to be good stewards of the environment and leave behind a legacy of protecting endangered species and the special places they call home. We urge all U.S. Wildlands Project supporters to contact their representatives in the house and senate to oppose this devastating bill.