Use the Congressional Review Act to block Gutting of Endangered Species Act

 

Senator Dianne Feinstein

SF Office: (415) 393-0707
DC Office: (202) 224-3841
LA Office: (310) 914-7300
Fresno Office: (559) 485-7430
San Diego Office: (619) 231-9712

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Senator Kamala Harris

SF Office: (415) 981-9369
DC Office: (202) 224-3553
Sacramento Office: (916) 448-2787
LA Office: (213) 894-5000
San Diego Office: (619) 239-3884

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Speaker Nancy Pelosi

SF Office(415) 556-4862

DC Office: (202) 225-4965

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Rep. Jackie Speier

San Mateo Office(650) 342-0300

DC Office(202) 225-3531

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Call Script

My name is __________. I am a constituent, and my zip code is _______. I am a member of Indivisible SF.


I strongly urge you to immediately invoke the Congressional Review Act to block implementation of the new rule weakening the Endangered Species Act.


Context

The rule gutting the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is clearly and explicitly intended to privilege the economic interests of petroleum, mining, and timber corporations and investors over protection of the environment. The ESA currently protects some 1600 plant and animal species and has prevented the extinction of 99% of them. The current rule requires decisions to be made based only on the best available science “without reference to possible economic or other impacts of such determination.” The new rule reverses those priorities. Because endangered species are the most vulnerable to pollution, toxic waste, loss of habitat, and other environmental dangers by protecting them the ESA also protects us and our children from greed-driven environmental contamination.

Now that this rule been promulgated (over overwhelming public comment opposing the change), under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) the House and the Senate have 60 days to block them. If both chambers pass a CRA resolution (and it's not vetoed) the rule cannot go into effect. Immediately after the 2016 election, for example, the Republican-controlled Congress used the CRA to overturn a number of Obama-era regulations. While it is unlikely that the Republican-controlled Senate will pass CRA resolutions blocking the new rule, it is politically important to put our MoC on the record by forcing them to vote on this issue. And if the House passes CRA resolutions that will materially aid the inevitable court challenges to this rule.

Science Loses Ground to Economics With New Endangered Species Act Rules, Audubon Society 8/12/19

U.S. Significantly Weakens Endangered Species Act, NY Times, 8/12/19

Trump administration announces changes to Endangered Species Act rules, Ars Technica, 8/12/19

Congressional Review Act, Ballotpedia


 

This Week's US Congressional Call Scripts: