APNewsBreak: Changes sought for endangered act

[flowers]

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/apnewsbreak-changes-sought-endangered-act

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Republicans in Congress say a 40-year-old law meant to protect animals and plants from extinction has become bogged down by litigation and needs to be updated.

A group of 13 GOP lawmakers released a report Tuesday detailing their proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act, one of the nation's cornerstone environmental laws.

Proponents credit the act with staving off extinction for hundreds of species — from the bald eagle and American alligator to the gray whale. President Richard Nixon signed it into law in December 1973.

Republicans say only 2 percent of protected species have been declared recovered, despite billions of dollars in federal spending. They want to curtail lawsuits from environmentalists and give states more say over proposed protections.

[happyg]

The federal government needs to step aside, as if that will happen, and let the states take care of themselves.

[EC]

Read a study that showed being put on the endangered species list is likely to lead to a reduction in the number of animals.

You got a farm, you find one of these beasties. Do you report it and have your entire livelihood shut down? Or do you shoot it and bury it deep?

[Chieftain]

The federal government needs to step aside, as if that will happen, and let the states take care of themselves.

Great idea, but "States Rights" died with the advent of the 17th Amendment.