WASHINGTON— Over the past five years, Republicans in Congress have launched 164 attacks on the Endangered Species Act — a 600 percent increase in the rate of annual attacks over the previous 15 years, according to a new analysis by the Center for Biological Diversity.
The report, Politics of Extinction, also identifies five Republicans responsible for nearly a quarter of legislative attacks who have received millions of dollars in campaign contributions from special interests opposed to Endangered Species Act protections: Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah).