DATE:
April 21, 2003
BACKGROUND: Since 1970, April 22 has been recognized as
Earth Day. The environmental left will mark the date with press
releases, rallies and other activities calling for additional
government regulations and more private and public expenditures
to "save the planet."
"Loggers losing their jobs because
of spotted owl legislation is, in my eyes, no different than
people being out of work after the furnaces of Dachau shut down."1
This quote from the late David Brower,
founder of Friends of the Earth and the first Sierra Club executive
director, is one of many statements made over the years by environmentalists
who support radical legislation to protect certain species of
plants and animals.
Since 1973, the flawed Endangered Species Act (ESA) has been
cited by environmental groups across the country as the only
way to save species on the brink of extinction.
TEN SECOND RESPONSE: Endangered Species Act regulations
have not been a successful tool for saving species threatened
with extinction, but it does place a large burden on American
property owners, the economy and residents of many states.
THIRTY SECOND RESPONSE: Environmentalists tout the necessity
of protecting plants and animals through vigorous enforcement
of the Endangered Species Act. Preserving species is a noble
goal, but the ESA isn't doing the job. Of the 1,254 species listed
as endangered since the ESA enacted in 1973, only 33 have been
taken off the endangered list. Twelve of the 33 were removed
due to erroneous population counts or data entry errors.2 That
means less than one percent of listed species were recovered
over the last 30 years. Meanwhile, ESA enforcement is estimated
to cost consumers and taxpayers more than $1 billion a year in
litigation, lost profits, lost jobs and rising business and governmental
operational costs.3
DISCUSSION:
David Brower's comparison of loggers to Nazi death camp workers
may sound extreme, but Brower was one of the environmental movement's
leading figures until his death in 2000. The environmental left
has a rich legacy of extreme claims and wild predictions of environmental
devastation. These environmentalists typically agree that reforms
to the ESA that seem commonsense are unacceptable. Examples include
proposals to base ESA regulations on more rigorous, peer-reviewed
scientific analysis and proposals to compensate landowners who
lose the use of their land because of ESA regulations.
We do our environment a disservice if we observe Earth Day with
the belief that all claims peddled by the environmental left
are true. Similarly, we need not support every program and law
backed by environmental advocacy groups. These programs aren't
always the best way to meet environmental challenges, and sometimes
even cause more harm than good.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
For more information on Earth Day, please
visit the Earth Day Information Center at http://www.nationalcenter.org/EarthDay98.html.
See also:
Biodiversity and Endangered Species section
of the Earth Day 2003 Information Center's "Myths and Facts
About the Environment" at http://www.nationalcenter.org/EarthDay03Myths.html#F
Smart Growth and Land Use section of
the Earth Day 2003 Information Center's "Myths and Facts
About the Environment" at http://www.nationalcenter.org/EarthDay03Myths.html#C
Energy section of the Earth Day 2003
Information Center's "Myths and Facts About the Environment"
at http://www.nationalcenter.org/EarthDay03Myths.html#B
Global Warming section of the Earth Day
2003 Information Center's "Myths and Facts About the Environment"
at http://www.nationalcenter.org/EarthDay03Myths.html#A
Air and Water Quality section of the
Earth Day 2003 Information Center's "Myths and Facts About
the Environment" at http://www.nationalcenter.org/EarthDay03Myths.html#D
Chemicals section of the Earth Day 2003
Information Center's "Myths and Facts About the Environment"
at http://www.nationalcenter.org/EarthDay03Myths.html#E
by Christopher Burger
Program Coordinator
John P. McGovern, MD Center for Environmental and Regulatory
Affairs
The National Center for Public Policy Research
Contact the author at: 202-543-4110 or [email protected]
The National Center for Public Policy Research
501 Capitol Court, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20002