House Natural Resources Committee Republicans will introduce long-awaited legislation Tuesday to overhaul the Endangered Species Act.
The bill is coming at an active time for Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), who released National Environmental Policy Act legislation last week. During a chat with reporters Monday, he also discussed his views on Republican plans for the Inflation Reduction Act.
The “ESA Amendments Act of 2024,” obtained by POLITICO, would require agencies to analyze the economic and national security impacts of listings. The legislation would also limit lawsuits and take greater account of state, tribal and local government input.
“It’s obvious over the course of the last 50 years the well-intentioned ESA has been anything but successful. It’s being used … almost a weapon as something that can help stop development under the guise of protecting endangered species,” co-sponsor Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), the Western Caucus chair, told POLITICO.
