Articles

PLF notches another ESA delisting

February 26, 2014 | By TONY FRANCOIS

Today, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it will finally propose to remove two plant species from the Endangered Species Act’s protections, 20 years after originally determining that the Eureka Valley dunegrass and Eureka Valley evening primrose were no longer endangered. Similar to the Service’s recent announce ...

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Prodded by PLF lawsuit, feds finally propose delisting Modoc Sucker

February 12, 2014 | By TONY FRANCOIS

Today the Klamath Falls office of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service announced that is proposing to remove the tiny Modoc sucker from the list of endangered species, touting the delisting as a successful recovery of imperiled wildlife under the Endangered Species Act.  A self-congratulatory press release implies that the Service arrived a ...

Articles

The ESA at 40

December 19, 2013 | By DAMIEN SCHIFF

Next week, the Endangered Species Act turns 40 (we’ve already hosted a blogfestschrift on the topic).  Nature has a conversation piece this week featuring the thoughts of four prominent wildlife and conservation experts on the ESA’s track record.  Usually these pieces tend to overplay the statute’s successes and minimize or igno ...

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Ninth circuit should re-examine flawed ESA precedent in re-hearing drakes bay appeal

October 25, 2013 | By TONY FRANCOIS

This morning PLF, joined by the California Cattlemen’s Association and the Building Industry Association of the Bay Area, filed an amicus brief in support of Drakes Bay Oyster Company’s petition for rehearing en banc of the Court’s September decision in their case. That opinion upheld the trial court’s denial of an injunctio ...

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Lax listing practices reveal government’s disregard for science

October 23, 2013 | By BRIAN HODGES

Today we continue with our Endangered Species Act theme by focusing on the government’s listing practices.  By now, Liberty Blog readers know that the ESA requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service to list plants and animals as endangered or threatened, based on evidence of threats to the species & ...

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So, now google is causing species extinction?

October 21, 2013 | By TONY FRANCOIS

The good people at Google have attracted attention for their investment in research on extending human life.  Seems they think that it is a good thing for people to live longer.  And readers may be familiar with government citing premature death statistics as reasons to impose regulations.  The California Air Resources Board says that its ̷ ...

Articles

The Endangered Species Act at 40

September 26, 2013 | By DAMIEN SCHIFF

This year, the ESA turned 40, and many conferences around the nation are convening to determine whether the ESA needs an update or perhaps more radical change.  In that vein, the California Environmental Law & Policy Center at University of California Davis School of Law is hosting next Friday “The Endangered Species Act at 40:  … ...