This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Did I read that right? Speaking of the Endangered Species Act, Rep. Rob Bishop said, "It has never been used for the rehabilitation of species. It's been used to control the land." Is Bishop being willfully obtuse or is it a case of staggering stupidity?
The Endangered Species Act is both popular and successful. Since its passage in 1978, this bill has aimed to protect 2,270 species that are endangered or threatened.
According to the Center for Biological Diversity, more than 200 species would have gone extinct without the act, and it saved more than 99 percent of species under its protection from extinction.
Bald eagles, peregrine falcons, alligators, grizzly bears, whooping cranes and California condors, to name a few, were all saved by the ESA.
Bishop has made it abundantly clear that his allegiance is to the extractive (oil, gas) industry only. Don't let Bishop and the Republicans get away with gutting this crucial environmental law.
Susan Christensen
Salt Lake City