Concerned about the lack of government transparency regarding the implementation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-3) today voted in support of legislation he co-sponsored that is designed to reform the ESA to improve how the government implements and administers the law.

The legislation, the 21st Century Endangered Species Transparency Act, would implement a number of good-government reforms including requiring the publication of the data used to make ESA listing decisions on the internet; requiring that federal agencies work with and listen to states, tribes and local governments when formulating a listing decision; and requiring the tracking and publication of ESA-related litigation expenses, including taxpayer-funded attorneys’ fees.  The legislation would also cap attorney fees for litigation filed under ESA at $125 an hour. 

“Any person with common-sense can tell you that the government’s current approach to species management and preservation is not working and yet it has been 25 years since Congress reauthorized or made any significant improvements to the ESA so after hearing from a wide-range of folks from across the country, I fully supported this effort to reform the law and bring it up-to-date,” Luetkemeyer said. “While the ESA was created with the best intentions, it has failed to live up to its promise and this bill is a good first step towards making the changes necessary to help both the animals and the people the ESA was designed to serve.”

Luetkemeyer is a member of the Endangered Species Act Working Group which was formed to examine the law’s impact on species and people over the last 40 years and to find potential improvements going forward. The working group’s membership includes Members of Congress from each region of the United States and Luetkemeyer is the only member of the Missouri delegation in the group. After a series of hearings and a thorough review of the current law, members of the working group came together to help draft parts of the legislation passed today.