Green Daily

The Department of the Interior has proposed some big changes to the Endangered Species Act. The Sierra Club believes these changes radically weaken the Act, and are rallying conservationists to bring their opposition to the attention of the DOI.

At the core of the changes is an amendment that removes the current requirement for an agency doing a project, such as the Army Corp of Engineers, to consult with experts at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The Sierra Club believes that this is a serious problem because the knowledge of these experts is often vital to making informed decisions about protecting wildlife.

The DOI is rushing through the changes, and are only accepting public comments until September 15. They are also not accepting email comments, so the Sierra Club is compiling the comments and delivering them on behalf of those who want to protest. They set up a website and provided talking points to help concerned people draft comments.

It does seem crazy to cut out the experts, unless you're trying to get away to doing something -- or not doing something. Sort of like... if you want to cut down the kind of tree that endangered hawks like to nest in, but there isn't an expert to identify it, can we get away with chopping it down anyway?

I think we all know that the answer is "You're bad to try and it makes Mother Nature cry."

Help keep the experts! Go write a letter!