Resolution opposing the Trump Administration’s changes to the Endangered Species Act.

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Res. No. 1094 ..Title Resolution opposing the Trump Administration's changes to the Endangered Species Act. ..Body By Council Member Powers Whereas, According to The United Nations Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, one million species face imminent extinction if actions are not taken to mitigate habitat destruction and the consequences of global warming; and Whereas, The Endangered Species Act (ESA or the Act) was enacted in 1973, with the goal of protecting the ecosystems that endangered species and threatened species depend upon; and Whereas, The Act currently protects over 1,400 foreign and domestic species of plants and animals, and protections are enforced by the United States (U.S) Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service (also known as the National Marine Fisheries Service or NMFS); and Whereas, Since 1973, the ESA has resulted in a 90% recovery rate for over 100 species within the United States; and Whereas, Protection under the ESA has been credited with saving such iconic American animals as the bald eagle, grizzly bear, California condor, American alligator, Florida manatee, and the gray wolf from extinction; and Whereas, The Act has assisted 21 listed species in achieving 1000% percent or more increases in their population sizes; and Whereas, Remarkably, the ESA has assisted the El Segundo Blue Butterfly in achieving a 22,312% increase in its population size between its listing in 1984 and 2011; and Whereas, ESA protections have helped prevent the extinction of 99% of listed species between 1973 and 2013; and Whereas, The recovery of the peregrine falcon, once protected and listed as endangered under the ESA, has been so successful that the falcons are commonly seen nesting on the sides of skyscrapers and bridges in New York City (the City); and Whereas, Local beaches in the City are known to be critical breeding grounds for the Atlantic piping plover, a threatened species currently protected under the ESA; and Whereas, Further, the City's coastal waters are also home to many endangered sea creatures, hosting four species of sea turtle including the critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle, and multiple marine mammals like the sei whale, blue whale, finback whale, and the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale; and Whereas, In 2018, 96 Kemp's ridley sea turtles hatched from a nest on a New York City beach, the first recorded instance of the species nesting this far up the East Coast; and Whereas, Recent practical changes proposed under the current federal Administration would allow economic considerations to be a factor in determining whether a species warrants protection; and Whereas, The proposed changes would enable the FWS and the NMFS to ignore the effects of climate change when considering whether to impose protections upon threatened or endangered species; and Whereas, Weakening certain critical habitat protections for threatened or endangered species would also have impacts upon other species that benefit from those habitat protections, including humans; and Whereas, Species for which critical habitats have been designated under the ESA are more than twice as likely to show improving population trends than those for which no critical habitat has been set aside; and Whereas, Further, permitting the fossil fuel industry to mine or drill on land critical to protected species would jeopardize these vulnerable species through the depletion and deterioration of natural habitats as well as hasten the damaging effects of climate change; and Whereas, The ESA enjoys broad support with the American public across the spectrum; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York opposes the Trump Administration's changes to the Endangered Species Act. NRC LS# 12042 10/02/19

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