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Fifty years ago, the Endangered Species
Act (ESA) was signed into law by President Richard Nixon with the intention of establishing a clear process for recovering species on the
verge of extinction. In the years that have passed since its enactment, this well-intended
law has taken on a life of its own and dramatically shifted from its original purpose to the point where it does far more harm than good to Wyoming
communities with virtually no improvement to the species it aims to recover. Since its passage, 1,667 species have been protected under the ESA. Of those 1,667 species, only 62 have successfully been delisted during a
50-year span. What is even more concerning is 36 species were only delisted because of data errors, such as when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
listed the Monito Gecko because scientists could not find enough geckos during their daytime search. Once they realized it was a nocturnal species,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife went back at night and found the Monito Gecko to be a thriving species and promptly removed it from the list.
The failure to recover species has not stopped the ESA from enacting harsh restrictions on
ranchers, landowners and many businesses across Wyoming. The Western
Caucus Foundation marked the ESA’s 50th anniversary by compiling a comprehensive report. It details the problems and failures of the ESA and plans to create
a road map for commonsense reforms that ensure the ESA is more effective in saving impacted species and less harmful on people living and working in
Wyoming. I value the good intentions of the ESA to preserve our nation’s iconic
species and landscapes, but change is desperately needed to modernize this antiquated policy in a way that actually recovers endangered species
without destroying the communities around them. Happy Trails,  |
Senator Lummis' Week in Pictures | |
This week, I got to meet with
Florian Hilmer, a German exchange student studying in Powell as part of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange. This program is jointly offered by the
U.S. and German governments for high school students and recent high school graduates. I enjoyed visiting with him about his experience in Wyoming, showed him the Jackelope on my wall and told him to keep an eye
out for them in Powell.
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GRANT OPPORTUNITIES FOR
WYOMING |
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it is accepting grant applications for the Rural Innovation Stronger Economy
(RISE) program. The RISE program is a community-driven initiative that will help
create high-wage jobs and new businesses in underserved rural communities. The program is making approximately $2 million available to partnerships of local governments, investors, industry,
institutions of higher education and other public and private entities in rural areas. To see if you are eligible and to learn more,
click here. |
| WYOMING SHOUT
OUT | ||
For most people, saying they conquered a mountain is a figure of speech, but not for Dr. Joe McGinley. On Monday, the Casper
mountaineer summited Mount Vinson, Antarctica’s tallest peak. McGinley and his
team fought through a brutal storm with -50-degree windchill on their way to the top of the 16,050-foot summit. He has now successfully climbed the
tallest peaks on six of the world’s seven continents. In addition to
Mount Vinson, McGinley has conquered Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mount Elbrus in Europe, Denali in North America, Mount Aconcagua in South America and the
Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia. Way to represent Wyoming all
around the world, Dr. McGinley!
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OFFICE LOCATIONS |
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