Yesterday, the House Committee on Natural Resources held a second hearing regarding implementation and impacts of the Endangered Species Act. Today's hearing was titled: Transparency and Sound Science Gone Extinct?: The impacts of the Obama Administration's Closed-Door Settlement on Endangered Species and People. In a summary description issued before the hearing, the Committee stated that it anticipated the hearing would "highlight how the lack of data transparency is leading to increased numbers of species being listed and critical habitat being designated under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)." The witnesses included, among others, representatives from the Pacific Legal Foundation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
For a general discussion of the Committee and the first hearing, see our posts dated May 21, 2013 and June 4, 2013.