An Endangered Law

The federal Endangered Species Act came in for a lot of unwarranted ridicule during the celebrated Tellico Dam dispute back in 1978. Construction of the Tennessee Valley Authority dam was suspended for a time because it threatened a little fish called the snail darter, which happened to be protected by the 1973 law. Congress created a Cabinet-level committee with authority to exempt projects from the act if controversies could not be resolved. So far, Tellico Dam is the only project that has received such an exemption.

That does not mean all is well with the program. Congressional supporters are fighting for the very survival of the program right now. Legislation to reauthorize the program has passed the House 399 to 16, but the bill has been held up in the Senate the past three years, in part over a controversial program to reintroduce timber wolves to Yellowstone National Park.

The Endangered Species Program has had some major successes. The law is believed to be largely responsible for saving the bald eagle, the grizzly bear, the peregrine falcon and the American alligator from extinction. At present 485 plants and animals are protected by the law, but that does not guarantee their survival. The last California condor and the remaining black-footed ferrets now are in captivity. The one surviving dusky seaside sparrow died in 1987. About 80 species became extinct while they were awaiting formal designation under the law.

Conflicts between development and species go on. But increasingly, private developers and wildlife agencies have been able to negotiate compromises that permit the projects to proceed while providing alternate habitat for the plants, animals or birds. The Reagan Administration constantly has sought to cut back federal funds for the program, and opposes the law’s renewal, but Congress has managed to maintain financing at roughly the same level as in 1981--although the work load has increased significantly--and to reauthorize the program on a year-to-year basis.

The major hurdle to reauthorization of the program is Sen. Alan K. Simpson (R-Wyo.), who has vigorously opposed, on behalf of Wyoming stock growers, the reintroduction of the wolf to Yellowstone. Federal officials should be able to assure ranchers that roaming wolves that prey on domestic livestock will be quickly identified and shot, or trapped and transplanted. This single issue is no excuse for delaying renewal of the entire program.

Scientists still have not completed an inventory of all the plant, animal, bird, fish and insect life in the 50 states. Some species are becoming extinct before they are even catalogued. The Endangered Species Act is vital to the nation’s understanding of its own biological diversity and the maintenance of ecological systems such as Yellowstone with a balanced population of game and predator. The renewal bill should be passed and approved by the President this year so there is no interruption in this vital work.