Endangered Species Act Amendments of 1978

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was first passed in 1973 and forms the basis of biodiversity and endangered species protection in the United States. The original purpose of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 was to prevent species endangerment and extinction due to the human impact on natural ecosystems.U.S. Congress (1979). “Endangered Species Act Amendments of 1978, Legislative History.” U.S. Code Congressional and Administrating News Volume 7. St. Paul, Minnesota: West Publishing Co.] The three most powerful sections of the ESA are Sections 4,7 and 9. Section 4 allows the Secretaries of Interior and Commerce to list species as threatened or endangered based on best available data.Petersen, Shannon (2002). [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3854/is_/ai_n9202681 Acting for Endangered Species: The Statutory Ark.] Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas.] Section 7 requires federal agencies to consult with Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) or National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) before taking any action that may threaten a listed species. Section 9 forbids the taking of an endangered species. The first amendment to the ESA was passed by the 95th United States Congress in 1978 to “introduce some flexibility into the Endangered Species Act."

The Snail Darter

The Snail Darter case was important for the ESA because it made Congress realize how powerful the ESA really was. In 1966, the Tennessee Valley Authority began construction on the Tellico Dam on the Little Tennessee River. For years, environmentalists tried to shut down the project, but their actions were unsuccessful until the discovery of the snail darter, a small fish that feeds off aquatic snails. The snail darter was listed as an endangered species in 1975 and part of the Little Tennessee River was designated as critical habitat. The completion of the Tellico Dam threatened the survival of the snail darter, which was thought to be native only to the Little Tennessee River. In 1976, battle in the courts between the Tennessee Valley Authority and environmentalists began over the fate of the snail darter. Over the next three years, the decision was appealed all the way to the United States Supreme Court. The courts sided with the environmentalists and it was decided that the Tennessee Valley Authority was not exempt from Section 7 requirements.

Weakening the ESA

Starting in the spring of 1977, several attempts to pass legislation that would weaken the ESA were made by members of Congress. Many large business interest groups, including the mining and timber industries, also spoke out against the power of the ESA. Beginning in April 1978, the Senate Subcommittee on Resources Protection began debating and developing a proposed bill that would create a committee with power to exempt federal actions from Section 7 requirements. On April 12, 1978 Senator Culver and Senator Baker introduced a bill that would create a seven member cabinet level committee that would have the authority to exempt a federal agency from Section 7 requirements. In 1978, both the House of Representatives and Senate vote to amend the ESA and on November 10, 1978 President Carter signed the amendment into law.

The Amendment of 1978

The 1978 amendment to the ESA “attempts to retain the basic integrity of the ESA, while introducing some flexibility which will permit exemptions from the Act’s stringent requirements.” The amendment clarified the ESA of 1973 in many ways including clearly defining the term critical habitat, clearly defining penalties for non-compliance and determining the future appropriation of funds.U.S. Congress (1979). “Endangered Species Act Amendments of 1978.” U.S. Code Congressional and Administrating News Volume 2. St. Paul, Minnesota: West Publishing Co.] The most important change that was brought about by the 1978 amendment was the creation of the Endangered Species Committee also known as the God Squad.

The God Squad is a committee composed of seven cabinet level members: Administrator of EPA, Administrator of NOAA, the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, a representative from the state in question, and the Secretaries of Agriculture, Army, and Interior.Abrams, Robert H., William Goldfarb, Robert L. Graham, and Zygmunt J.B. Plater (1998). Environmental Law and Policy: Nature, Law, and Society. St. Paul, Minnesota: West Publishing Co.] . This committee has the authority to allow the extinction by exempting a federal agency from Section 7 requirements. In order to exempt a species, five of the seven members must vote in favor of the exemption. The following conditions must be met in order to consider a species for exemption:
# there must be no reasonable alternative to the agencies action
# the benefits of the action must outweigh the benefits of an alternative action where the species is conserved
# the action is of regional or national importance
# neither the federal agency or the exemption applicant made irreversible commitment to the resources.

Also, mitigation efforts must be taken in order to reduce the negative effects on the endangered species.

The God Squad and the Northern Spotted Owl

The God Squad was once again called into session in the case of the Northern Spotted Owl. It started in 1991, when a federal judge ordered the halting of logging in Pacific Northwest national forests due to the threat it caused to the Northern Spotted Owl.Hart, Emily (2001). The God Squad and the Case of the Northern Spotted Owl. Oley, Pennsylvania: Bullfrog Films.] Following this action, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) filed for exemption from Section 7. The Northern Spotted Owl is a medium sized bird that is dependent on old growth forest and large territories for survival. The BLM came up with a solution in order to continue the logging in the area, which included the sale of 44 timber tracks of land to the logging industry. The 44 tracks totaled 4400 acres (18 km²) of land. The God Squad convened and discussed the issue. In a 5:2 vote, the God Squad voted for approval of the exemption in thirteen of the sales where there was no reasonable alternative to the sale. The environmentalists and the BLM came up with a compromise, in order for the timber sale to continue, the BLM would develop a Long Range Forest Management Plan that would need to be approved by the FWS before any future timber sales. When the Clinton administration came into office, they withdrew the exemption request and convened a conference where they developed the Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment Team (FEMAT). The FEMAT was created in order to protect the owl while managing the forest. FEMAT and the Clinton administration agreed to protect 10 million acres (40,000 km²) of old growth forest for the owl, while limiting logging to 1 billion board feet (2 million m³) per year.

References

External links

* [http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en.html Bureau of Land Management]
* [http://www.fws.gov/ Fish and Wildlife Service]
* [http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/ NOAA Fisheries Service]