Poll: Most Americans want Endangered Species Act overhauled

An August poll conducted by Morning Consult shows that 63 percent of Americans believe the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which was created in the 1970s, is outdated and should be revised.

“The intent of the Endangered Species Act is inspiring, but results have been less so,” American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman said. “Farmers, ranchers and environmentalists agree that we must save wildlife facing preventable extinction, but the current recovery rate of less than 2 percent shows the law is a failure."

Other results from the Morning Consult poll include 69 percent saying the federal government should provide resources to third-party efforts toward species recovery, with 49 percent saying state or local authorities should lead most of the recovery work. Only 31 percent said the federal government should lead such efforts.

“Today, many landowners hesitate to establish habitats that would help endangered species,” Stallman said. “That’s so because the law itself makes it impractical for them to use their land once they have made the effort to help in the first place. The ESA can and must be modernized to protect endangered species and respect private property rights. Neither agriculture nor the endangered species have time to wait.”