Neugebauer Bill Included in House Passed Endangered Species Act Reform Package

WASHINGTON – Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-TX), a member of the Endangered Species Act Congressional Working Group, today applauded the House for passing H.R. 4315, the 21st Century Endangered Species Transparency Act, to reform the ESA listing process by making it more accountable and transparent. H.R. 4315 includes Neugebauer’s bill, the State, Tribal, and Local Species Transparency and Recovery Act to require the federal government to share the data used to justify ESA listing decisions before a listing is finalized, and incorporate state data into listing decisions. Neugebauer issued the following statement after House passage:

“Landowners, businesses, and families in West Texas and the Big Country have seen firsthand the sweeping negative consequences of an endangered species listing. While our neighbors are forced to navigate through increased compliance costs and frivolous lawsuits, these listings are decided by bureaucrats in Washington, often without making sure the scientific data used to support the decision is accurate and transparent. My bill fixes this Washington-knows-best approach and empowers state and local experts who have a much better understanding of West Texas and the Big Country. This is a first step towards putting Texans back in charge of conservation efforts in their own backyard, and working to recover species instead of just adding them to a list. I thank Chairman Hastings for including my bill in this ESA reform package, and I applaud the House for passing these much-needed reforms.”

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