Threatened Species Shouldn't be Treated Same as Endangered

Recently the Washington Cattlemen's Association joined Pacific Legal Foundation in a lawsuit to challenge the federal government's regulation that imposes harsh Endangered Species Act restrictions for as many as 150 species that Congress did not intend to automatically be covered --- including the Oregon spotted frog and the spotted owl — both species that have greatly impacted ranchers.

PLF Staff Attorney Jonathan Wood says that when Congress enacted the Endangered Species in 1973 it expressingly limited the take prohibition to only endangered species NOT threatened species — however the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service has really gone above and beyond what was intended with the original act.

Over the last few years in the Obama Administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has engaged in many efforts to try and reform how they implement that statute recognizing that it imposes unnecessary and counter-productive burdens for property owners and isn't contributing to species recovery. So they have had quiet a few initiatives to improve that and we think this should be a part of that. It is true the regulation has been in place for more than 40 years, but the consequences of it grow every time a new species is added to the list.

Often times the agency's imposed punitive actions impact the threatened species in a negative way rather than providing incentives to help improve habitat.