Guest Opinion: Endangered Species Act should be allowed to keep working

Statistics give a roaring, howling, chirping yes. And this is important, for reasons beyond the fact it is saving gray wolves, peregrine falcons, humpback whales and that most American of species, the bald eagle, from disappearing forever.

It says sensible, progressive environmental action can have positive results. It’s not too late to protect the planet in ways that do not cost jobs, cripple business or hurt the economy.

Whether it be signs that the ozone layer is healing, or data that shows American alligators, peregrine falcons and the aforementioned other species can be saved, timely action can protect and maintain a balance of life and biodiversity that is far more delicate and interconnected than we often consider.

The Center for Biological Diversity credits the Endangered Species Act from preventing the extinction of hundreds of wildlife species and helping thousands more recover. Bald eagles were removed from the endangered list in 2007 and humpback whales soon followed.

Recent political movements have regrettably made the act’s advocates worry that the next endangered “species” may be the 1973 act itself. Despite the act’s acknowledged success in saving more than 225 species, some in Congress have allowed business lobbies, shortsighted political agendas and an illogical lack of trust in science — on which the foundation of the act was built — to attempt to weaken its influence.

That would be a mistake, nationally and worldwide. The Endangered Species Act’s influence has encouraged international efforts to protect giant pandas, tigers and other species.

Fortunately, some in and out of government are pushing back against the act’s opponents, who appeared to be making inroads in the late 2010s.

Had the U.S. government kicked the can down the road in 1973, experts say most or all of those 225 species would probably be gone today — and forever. It’s never too soon or too late for sensible environmental action to make a difference.

Lawmakers should resist the motives to render the Endangered Species Act ineffective, which would kick the conservation can down the road and make it the next generation’s headache, when it may be too late.

— The Republican, Springfield, Mass.