I am very upset to learn that near the 30th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) your agencies are rewriting and weakening the very laws that protect our endangered wildlife and their habitat.
I am particularly concerned about your proposal to allow the Environmental Protection Agency to make its own decisions regarding the use of dangerous and highly toxic pesticides instead of consulting with the Federal agencies charged with protecting endangered plants and animals and their habitats.
It concerns me that this policy would only benefit the chemical and pesticides industries to the detriment of the environment and the health of American citizens. Last year, the same rat poison that killed several San Joaquin Kit Foxes and Golden Eagles in California was responsible for most of the over 48,000 reported poisonings of children under six.
Pesticides kill millions of birds and other species each year. Piping Plovers in Florida and San Joaquin Kit Foxes, Golden Eagles, and salmon in the Pacific Northwest are just a few of the species that have suffered due to pesticide and rodenticide applications in recent years. Your proposal would undermine the strict protections that are afforded to endangered wildlife in our nation.
I believe that it is important to care for our environment both to safeguard our own health and safety and to protect the plants and animals that live in the wild. I urge you to withdraw the proposed rule change that would allow the EPA to decide for itself whether pesticides would be harmful to endangered species.
Thank you for your consideration.
