Newhouse: ESA Must Move Forward Not Back

Some in the Ag community are concerned discussions about rolling back changes made to the Endangered Species Act during the Trump Administration, are politically motivated all while making it more challenging to protect threatened species.

“I think we need to take a step back, make sure that the things that we do actually are positive and actually help recovery of species, and truly engage those people that should be our allies in making this successful instead of making it harder,” said Dan Newhouse is chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus.

Newhouse noted a good example of where community input was key was the gray wolf conversation.

“So, we’ve seen across the country a lot of success stories, as it relates to the recovery of the gray wolf, and other species too. When local business groups, local communities, state governments, local governments, and tribes come together, they can tailor-make the recovery plans and how to coexist with these species.”

Newhouse acknowledged while there is no one perfect answer for every situation, he said local input on regional solutions is critical, so he’s hopeful the Biden Administration will “move forward, not back”.

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