The Endangered Species Act will go from the backrooms to center stage Tuesday when a House panel takes up draft legislation intended to update the 1973 law.
Roughly a year in the making, the 38-page discussion draft is a product of a working group established last July by Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.).
“The ESA is a well-meaning bill. We don’t want to do away with ESA; we want to make it something that actually works for endangered species,” Westerman said at the time.
Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), who chairs the Western Caucus, was also behind the working group. He has introduced several House measures to roll back Biden administration endangered species regulations.