Daily Yopp! 3.10.17 - Save the Endangered Species Act

Sorry for the last two missed Yopps! So much happening on many fronts. I feel quite overwhelmed.
Along with all the affronts to humanity and decency, our leaders are also looking to dismantle the Endangered Species Act. Here's what's on the Sierra Club website:

Republican lawmakers have had their sights set on the Endangered Species Act for years, and now see an opportunity with the Trump administration to reduce much of the law's influence. They've long claimed it is a hindrance to economic development, including mining and logging. The proposed reforms would place a cap on how many species could be protected, put limits on lawsuits used to maintain protections, and allow states to have a greater leverage on the process.  

This landmark 1973 law has protected thousands of species over the decades, and is essential to fighting back against mass extinctions caused by climate change and environmental degradation.  

Changes to the Endangered Species Act could potentially cause the removal of vulnerable species from the list to pave the way for development in their habitats. It could make it more difficult to add species experiencing habitat loss due to climate change.  

Take action now to stand in opposition to the gutting of the Endangered Species Act!

The next thing they ask for is money, so if you want to donate to the Sierra Club, go ahead and follow the link to their website. I'm hoping you'll give a call to your MoC about protecting the Endangered Species Act. Here's an excerpt from a Salon article that lists some of the bills being considered by this Congress:

Some of the most significant bills that have been introduced this year that would impair the ESA include:
• The Stopping EPA Overreach Act. This bill, sponsored by 122 House Republicans, would amend the Clean Air Act to prevent the federal government from regulating the greenhouse gases that cause climate change. The bill stipulates that the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act and several other environmental laws cannot regulate climate change in any way.
• 21st Century Endangered Species Transparency Act. Sponsored by seven Senate Republicans, this bill would require federal agencies to make public all scientific data forming the basis for the government’s decision to list wildlife as threatened or endangered. The bill is the result of Republicans’ claim that poorly conducted science forms the basis of government determinations that a species is threatened or endangered, a position vigorously disputed by ESA supporters who say critics are trying to politicize science.
• Federal Land Freedom Act. A Senate bill, sponsored by climate denialist Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., and seven other Republicans, would give states control over fossil fuel development on federal land, exempting oil and gas development from the ESA and any environmental review by the federal government.
• Listing Reform Act. A House bill sponsored by four Republicans, the Listing Reform Act aims to reduce the economic impact of listing a species as endangered by preventing the federal government from considering proposals for protecting a species based on how urgent it is to protect it from extinction. Instead, the bill requires the government to consider proposals in the order they were received.

Anyway...I know the above bills are about the environment in general, but as anyone with any sense knows, the environment and animal life are connected. Duh.

So please pick one or more of the above bills and let your MoC know that you want them to vote on the side of our planet and its biodiversity.

TWO SENATE BILLS: Federal Land Freedom Act (NO!) &  21st Century Endangered Species Transparency Act (NO!)

TWO HOUSE BILLS: Listing Reform Act (NO!)  &  Stopping EPA Overreach Act (NO!!)

Yours in Solidarity.

(Thanks go to Jake McRae for the image.)