Representative Lummis Introduces Endangered Species Act Transparency Bill
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) Working Group introduced a suite of bills Thursday that specifically targets areas of the ESA that the Working Group found outdated during eight months of field hearings and forums.U.S Representative Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), co-chair of the Working Group with Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA), introduced H.R. 4316: the Endangered Species Recovery Transparency Act.
The bill would require the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to track, report to Congress, and make available online: 1) funds expended to respond to ESA lawsuits; 2) the number of employees dedicated to litigation; and 3) attorneys fees awarded in the course of ESA litigation and settlement agreements.
The other bills include:
H.R.4315, 21st Century Endangered Species Transparency Act (Rep. Hastings, R-WA)
H.R. 4317, State, Tribal, and Local Species Transparency and Recovery Act (Rep. Neugebauer, R-TX),
H.R. 4318, Endangered Species Litigation Reasonableness Act (Rep. Huizenga, R-MI)
The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a Full Committee legislative hearing on these bills on Tuesday, April 8.