Endangered Species Act Amendments of 1978 - Weakening The ESA

Weakening The ESA

Starting in the spring of 1977, members of Congress made several attempts to pass legislation that weakened the ESA. Many large business interest groups, including the mining and timber industries, also spoke out against the power of the ESA. Beginning in April 1978, the Senate Subcommittee on Resources Protection began debating and developing a bill that would create a committee with power to exempt federal actions from Section 7 requirements. On April 12, 1978 Senators John Culver and Howard Baker introduced a bill that would create a seven-member Cabinet-level committee with the authority to exempt a federal agency from Section 7 requirements. In 1978, both the House of Representatives and Senate vote to amend the ESA and on November 10, 1978 President Carter signed the amendment into law.