The Amendment of 1978 and The "God Squad"
The 1978 amendment to the ESA "attempts to retain the basic integrity of the ESA, while introducing some flexibility which will permit exemptions from the Act's stringent requirements." The amendment clarified the ESA of 1973 in many ways including clearly defining the term critical habitat, clearly defining penalties for non-compliance and determining the future appropriation of funds. The most important change that was brought about by the 1978 amendment was the creation of the Endangered Species Committee, known as the "God Squad" because of the substantial impact of its decisions on the natural world.
The God Squad is a committee composed of seven Cabinet-level members: The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the administrator of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, a representative from the state in question, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Army, and the Secretary of the Interior. This committee has the authority to allow the extinction by exempting a federal agency from Section 7 requirements. To exempt a species, five of the seven members must vote in favor of the exemption. The following conditions must be met for a species to be considered for exemption:
- there must be no reasonable alternative to the agencies action
- the benefits of the action must outweigh the benefits of an alternative action where the species is conserved
- the action is of regional or national importance
- neither the federal agency or the exemption applicant made irreversible commitment to the resources.
Also, mitigation efforts must be taken to reduce the negative effects on the endangered species.
Read more about this topic: Endangered Species Act Amendments Of 1978
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