The Endangered Species Committee essays

The Endangered Species Committee essays The Endangered Species Act of 1973 established the Endangered Species Committee to oversee applications for immunity from certain agency obligations. In short, this committee is responsible for the important decisions which affect every aspect of the act itself. The committee can hold hearings, issue subpoenas, receive testimony and evidence, and proceed with any action sanctioned by the government. The committee may also promulgate rules, regulations and procedures, and may issue orders it deems necessary (ESA, as amended, U.S. Congress 1973). The committee consists of the following seven members: Secretaries of Agriculture, Army and the Interior, the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, the Administrators of the EPA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and a Presidential appointment representing each state affected by an application. Secretary of the Interior chairs the committee and meetings take place by request of the chair or five members. All meetings are open to the public, and any federal agency has the ability to help the committee or supply information when needed. The current Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton, is the first woman to head the 154-year-old Department of the Interior. She was sworn in as Secretary in January 2001. Norton has made what she calls the Four Cs the foundation of her tenure. The Four Cs stand for communication, consultation and cooperation, and are all in the service of conservation. At the core of Nortons Four Cs is the feeling that for conservation to work properly, the government must take into consideration the people who live and work on the land. To put her plan into motion, Norton has reached out to states, tribes, and local communities, businesses, conservation organizations, and private citizens in a number of different ways. Norton has made the focus of her career revolve around building cooperation and consensus. I...