Florida Republican lawmakers scuttled a planned House vote to advance a major overhaul of the Endangered Species Act, raising questions about whether the long-time GOP priority can still succeed.
The development was a blow to House Natural Resources Committee Republicans who see the overhaul as one of their top priorities. They want to make sure protecting species doesn’t get in the way of energy projects and other development.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) pulled the “ESA Amendments Act,” H.R. 1897, from consideration Wednesday and later explained he did so at the behest of “a few subsets of members.”
“I’m trying to get a better understanding of that,” Johnson said Wednesday evening. “You can go to any of the Floridians, and they’ll tell you they have a lot of issues down there with some of the endangered species, and they just had concerns that we weren’t aware of in advance.”
He added, “We’re going to wait a little longer and work on it some more.”
A half-dozen lawmakers from Florida and other states cited concerns about whether changes to the bedrock environmental law could also open coastal waters to oil and gas drilling.
Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), the bill’s main sponsor, told POLITICO’s E&E News that he expects the bill will return to the House floor in the coming weeks.
“I know there are a few provisions we need to continue working on,” Westerman said, although he declined to discuss which sections of the bill could be altered.
He also pointed to the White House’s support for updating the law, “Fixing the ESA has been a Republican priority for a long time.”
Westerman’s noted that his bill received some bipartisan support when it passed out of committee in December, although that vote was largely along party lines.
The measure would give greater weight to the economic impacts of listing animals and plants as endangered while also limiting environmental group litigation.
“There are just some things that we need to work on that we are engaged on and constructively trying to get to a good point,” he said, acknowledging that he is unsure how many of his fellow Republicans are opposed to the bill as it stands.
‘God squad’ worries
Florida Republican Rep. Kat Cammack said her concerns with the bill are centered on the bill’s language expanding the use of the “God Squad,” a group of high-level officials that can waive ESA mandates in favor of development projects, even when protected species could be put at risk.
“I want to see some improvements made before we’re willing to support the bill, but we fully agree that there needs to be updates to the Endangered Species Act,” Cammack said. “It hasn’t met the mark in terms of what it was intended to do.”
But Cammack pointed to the legislation’s Section 506, the provision expanding the use of the Endangered Species Committee. It’s known as the “God Squad” for its ability to make decisions that can potentially eliminate endangered species.
The Natural Resources Defense Council has described that language as converting “a seldom-used safety valve into an all-purpose trump card.” In fact, the panel met last month, marking its first use in more than 30 years to exempt Gulf of Mexico drilling from ESA requirements.
“What we’re concerned about is opening up any potential avenues for drilling in the Gulf,” Cammack said. “We have very sensitive ecosystems that we want to protect and ecotourism is a huge part of our state’s economy, and so there’s real concerns that we want to see addressed.”
She continued, “We think that our suggestions could improve the bill, and we’re working towards a way that everyone can be satisfied with the language at the end of the day.”
The Trump administration is proposing to open more Gulf waters to oil and gas development. Florida would still have a buffer but the state’s lawmakers want to keep the status quo.
Among the other apparent ESA bill opponents is Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R), who on Tuesday posted an image of a Gadsden Flag featuring a sea turtle on social media, with the text: “Don’t tread on my turtles. Protected means protected. #EndangeredSpeciesAct.”
Luna’s office did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Other Republicans who raised objections include Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar and New York Rep. Andrew Garbarino, according to a person familiar with the discussions. Neither lawmaker responded to requests for comment.
Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who often sides with Democrats on environmental issues, also told his GOP colleagues there was “no sound justification for weakening a law with such a proven record of success and broad public support,” an aide said.
“Congressman Fitzpatrick saw this bill for what it was: not thoughtful reform, but a direct threat to the protections that have helped prevent extinction and safeguard America’s wildlife for generations,” said Fitzpatrick spokesperson Casey-Lee Waldron.
“This legislation would have moved us in exactly the wrong direction, weakening core safeguards, undercutting science-based decision-making, and putting imperiled species in greater jeopardy.”
Reporters Mia McCarthy and Meredith Lee Hill contributed.
