WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — New US government regulations are endangering the existence of hundreds of plants and animal lives because they enable federal agencies not to restrict the harm done on rare animals from federal projects like oil and gas drilling, the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) stated in a press release.
“New Endangered Species Act (ESA) regulations finalized by the Obama administration put hundreds of plants and animals at greater risk of extinction by allowing federal agencies to avoid quantifying and limiting harm to endangered species from federal projects such as timber sales, oil and gas drilling, or other activities,” the release said on Monday.
The US federal government is putting these animals at the risk of extinction, by allowing their death-by-a-thousand cuts, according to the release.
Hartl added that the new regulation ensures the problem will continue, as it allows federal agencies to “rubber-stamp projects,” that may individually inflict a “minor wound” but could cause a “mortal blow” when combined with hundreds of others.
The purpose of the ESA is to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend.
As of September 2012, ESA protects 1400 domestic species and 614 foreign species, according to US Fish and Wildlife Services.
By contrast, approximately 1,200 animals and 750 plants were listed as endangered or threatened in North America in 2009.
The Center for Biological Diversity is a non-profit organization dedicated to securing a future for all species hovering on the brink of extinction, according to organization’s website.
