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US govt. misses legal deadline to protect loggerhead sea turtles |
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Washington - The US government has failed to issue a final ruling that would grant additional protections for the loggerhead sea turtle, a ruling required by a court-ordered settlement between conservation groups and the government over prior delays.
The legal ruling was required after a March 16, 2010 proposal by the government to list loggerheads as endangered, the response resulting from a court-ordered settlement over previous delays. It had been given one year to issue its final ruling.
“While the government dragged its feet, loggerhead sea turtles have drowned in fishing gear and oil from the BP spill. Meanwhile, larger threats from global warming and sea-level rise are mounting,” said Catherine Kilduff, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD). “Endangered Species Act protections are needed to promote the recovery of loggerheads and protect nesting beaches from rising seas. Delaying these additional protections only puts these rare turtles at increased risk of extinction,” she added in a CBD press release.
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HASTINGS: Time to improve the Endangered Species Act
May 18, 2012 - When the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was signed into law in 1973 by President Nixon, he spoke about the importance of preserving “the rich array of animal life with which our country has been blessed.” I believe that goal is as important today as it was back then. However, after nearly 40 years, it’s time to take a fresh, honest look at the law and consider whether there are ways it could be improved to do a better job of protecting and recovering species.
