Introduction
Introduction
Since the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed in 1973, more than 1,200 animals and plants have been listed as threatened or endangered — a designation designed to protect species on the brink of extinction. But the landmark legislation has been controversial from the start, pitting environmentalists against property-rights advocates in a protracted debate over the ESA's economic costs and environmental benefits. The ongoing controversy has prevented Congress from reauthorizing the law since 1992, but the Republican-dominated Congress is considering rewriting it, complaining that less than 1 percent of listed species have recovered under the law. Wildlife protection groups, however, claim that proposed, so-called sound-science requirements could end up gutting the law. Meanwhile, the Bush administration says it is committed to encouraging voluntary conservation initiatives ...