Washington, D.C. – As part of the Endangered Species Act Reform Working Group, Sens. Craig Thomas and Mike Enzi, both R-Wyo., will strive for meaningful reform for an act that has a significant impact on Wyoming’s economy.

“The Endangered Species Act is not working and needs to be changed,” said Sen. Craig Thomas. “We’ve had more than 1,300 species listed and only a handful have been recovered. Our goal with the working group is to improve the act so it makes use of the best available science to recover species and delist them,” Thomas said. “We are not meeting the need and the intent of the law. The act must work for its intended purpose – recovering species.”

“It is well past time to modernize the Endangered Species Act,” said Enzi. “While the original goals of the ESA are noble, it has become more of a tool to lock up land than a tool used to protect and recover species. As part of this bipartisan working group, I’m working to make the ESA more beneficial for landowners, states and the species themselves.”

The Endangered Species Act Reform Working Group is made up of a bipartisan group of eight senators working on legislation to bring meaningful reform to the Endangered Species Act.

“I’ve received tremendous input through hearings and through meetings in the state over the past several years. I will continue to push legislation that addresses Wyoming folks’ concerns about endangered species,” Thomas said.

The proposed legislation for this Congress looks to do six main things:

1. Require a recovery plan at the time a species is listed

2. Increase states’ roles in listing decisions

3. Reform the critical habitat provisions of the Act

4. Require better science for listing decisions

5. Provide incentives to landowners (including direct payments) to conserve wildlife

6. Increase overall program funding and create more accountability for annual spending

Senator Thomas will lead the group in authoring the recovery title to the ESA reform bill. The focus will be on reform with respect to species recovery. Thomas and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, organized the working group.

Thomas sponsored an ESA reform bill in the last Congress, called the Endangered Species Listing and Delisting Process Reform Act of 2003. It would have required a detailed recovery plan, set minimum requirements for listing petitions, require the use of sound science for listing decisions, require greater notification and consultation with states on listing decisions, and require sufficient biological evidence exists to support a recovery program before listing.

Enzi has been actively involved in working to include language that would create incentives for landowners to help species that may be found on their property to recover.

Enzi introduced his Endangered Species Funding Act last Congress, S. 1178, which would amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to require the federal government to assume all costs relating to implementation of and compliance with that Act. It would include covering for all costs relating to the establishment of a state management plan, monitoring, consultation and administration, surveys, conservation agreements, land acquisitions, losses from predation, losses in value to real or personal property or any other cost imposed for mitigating management of a species covered by the ESA.

Mark Rey, Undersecretary for Agriculture, will hold a listening session Thursday about the 2007 Farm Bill at the Wyoming State Fair in Douglas. Thomas and Enzi will speak Wednesday at the Cattleman’s Conference and will present awards at the Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame.