WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives today gave its approval to H.R. 3824, the Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act, legislation to update and improve the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which was enacted in 1973.

H.R. 3824 passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 229 to 193 and moves to the Senate for consideration.

“America is a vastly different place in 2005 than it was in 1973,” stated Putnam, a member of the House Rules and Budget Committees. “Unfortunately, after three decades of implementation, the ESA has failed to live up to its purpose of recovering endangered species to healthy and sustainable populations.”

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the ESA gas achieved a less than 1% success rate for species recovery. In addition, only 6% of all listed species are classified as improving. Fully 77% of all listed species have achieved less than 25% of their recovery goals.

“We can and must do better,” Putnam added. “This legislation addresses a number of significant unintended consequences of the ESA that have caused significant conflict between landowners and local communities.

Highlights of the bill include:

•           replacing the critical habitat program with a more integrated recovery planning process that includes the identification of specific areas that are of special value to the conservation of the species which are then given priority in the recovery plans;

•           increasing the role for states, Indian tribes, counties and local governments;

•           establishing new incentives for voluntary conservation efforts;

•           providing certainty for private property owners by allowing them to request a written determination as to whether their land use activities will violate the Act’s prohibitions, and compensating them for the fair market value of loss of use; and

•           providing for annual and biennial reports to Congress on the status of listed species, as well as expenditures for species recovery efforts.

“Passage of this bill brings more than 30 years of updated science and experience to the species recovery process,” Putnam concluded. “We need a 21st Century approach to conserving our natural resources, and I believe that this law takes a giant step in the right direction.”