For Immediate Release,
October 9, 2019
WASHINGTON— Activists in endangered species masks will deliver more than 500,000 petition signatures supporting the Endangered Species Act on Thursday, October 10, to more than 70 in-district congressional offices in 25 different states.
The petition deliveries, organized by the Center for Biological Diversity, will take place from California and Washington to North Carolina and Florida.
Activists will call on their U.S. House representatives to pass H.R. 4348 — the PAW and FIN Conservation Act — to repeal the Trump administration’s new rules that cripple the implementation of the Endangered Species Act.
What: Endangered Species Day of Action with petition deliveries to local congressional offices.
When: Thursday, October 10; most petition deliveries will happen at noon.
Where: 70 different U.S House districts in 25 different states. See map of events here.
Background
In August 2019, the Trump administration finalized rollbacks to regulations implementing key provisions of the Endangered Species Act. The new rules severely weaken protections for threatened and endangered species across the country.
The changes, which could lead to extinction for hundreds of animals and plants, were developed under the supervision of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, a former fossil fuel industry lobbyist.
Congressional Democrats introduced H.R. 4348 to repeal the Trump administration’s new Endangered Species Act regulations. The bill already has more than 20 co-sponsors in the House and Senate. It was introduced by House Natural Resources Chairman Raúl Grijalva of Arizona and Senate Interior Appropriations Ranking Member Tom Udall of New Mexico.