AFBF Supports Proposed Changes to the Endangered Species Act

Smith: New legislation is aimed at providing improvements and updates to the Endangered Species Act. Shelby Hagenauer, senior director of government affairs for the American Farm Bureau Federation, said the organization especially appreciates the updates help to incentivize early adoption of actions that would help wildlife.

Hagenauer: Things like Conservation Benefit Agreements. So, if landowners agree to take certain actions that would benefit a species that could be listed in the future, if it does get listed, the landowners are protected from additional restrictions. It also updates the way federal agencies like the Western water-providing Bureau of Reclamation consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service about potential impacts of activities on a listed species.

Smith: Hagenauer said the Endangered Species Act was first passed with good intentions in 1973 to protect species in peril.

Hagenauer: Unfortunately, it has not been substantially updated in decades, and so the time is now. In the absence of updates to the law by Congress, federal agencies are rewriting regulations every four or eight years, depending on the policy priorities of the administration in power. This kind of back and forth is very uncertain for farmers and ranchers who rely on a stable regulatory environment.

Smith: After a potential House vote this week, the bill will move on to the Senate.

Hagenauer: A Senate committee held a broad hearing on how to update the Endangered Species Act recently, and so we encourage them to move towards legislative action now.

Smith: Chad Smith, Washington.