Endangered Species Act congressional testimony

Last week, I testified before the House Natural Resources Committee on the federal government’s maladministration of the Endangered Species Act.  Most of hearing, however, focused on United States Fish & Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe.  Just a few days before the hearing, the Inspector General’s office of the Department of Interior issued a letter sharply criticizing Director Ashe for failing to discipline several supervisors who had retaliated against agency whistle-blowers.

The hearing revealed the usual partisan divide on Endangered Species Act reform, except in one respect.  Both sides of the aisle seemed open to requiring that the data on which Service decisions are made be made available to the public.