For Immediate Release, October 9, 2019
Contact: |
Ash Lauth, (847) 340-4570, alauth@biologicaldiversity.org |
Activists to Deliver Endangered Species Act Petitions With 500,000 Signatures to Speaker Pelosi’s Congressional Office
SAN FRANCISCO— Activists in endangered species masks and accompanied by a marching band will parade from Union Square to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office on Thursday to deliver 500,000 petition signatures supporting the Endangered Species Act. The wildlife advocates will be carrying colorful signs and giant puppets.
The delivery is part of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Save Endangered Species national day of action. The campaign will present petitions to more than 70 in-district congressional offices in 25 different states.
The activists will join Extinction Rebellion and other groups to parade and rally with speakers from the Center for Biological Diversity and the local community. They will call on Speaker Pelosi to pass H.R. 4348 — the PAW and FIN Conservation Act — to repeal new Trump administration rules that cripple the implementation of the Endangered Species Act.
What: Animal parade and petition delivery to Speaker Pelosi’s congressional office.
When: Thursday, October 10, at 11 a.m.
Where: Union Square (corner of Geary and Powell Streets), parading along Powell and Market Streets, to 90 7th Street, San Francisco.
Background
In August, 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.
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.6 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.