Tell Congress: Don’t Exempt the Military from the Endangered Species Act

Why this Matters

Some of the best wildlife habitat in the country sits behind military fences. Because many installations have been spared from heavy development, they shelter hundreds of threatened and endangered species. The Endangered Species Act is the law that keeps it that way, and it already lets the military train and carry out its mission while protecting those species.

Now Rep. Andy Biggs has revived his push to carve the Department of Defense out of the Endangered Species Act, offered as an amendment to this year's National Defense Authorization Act. It would punch a sweeping loophole in the country's most effective law against extinction, trading science and accountability for political convenience.

That same law protects the wildlife of our own coast: the western snowy plover that nests on our beaches and the marbled murrelet in the inland old growth. Oregon has military ground too, including Camp Rilea on the Clatsop shore. Weakening the Endangered Species Act anywhere weakens it for the species here.

Last year tens of thousands of people spoke up and the House rejected this proposal. The vote could come again as soon as this week, and Congress needs to hear from us once more.

Steps to Take

Step 1

Open the Endangered Species Coalition's action form at Tell Congress: Don't Exempt the Military from the Endangered Species Act. It finds your U.S. Representative from your address.

Step 2

Add your name and contact information so your message reaches the right congressional office.

Step 3

Send the letter, and personalize it if you can. A line in your own words about why the coast's wildlife matters to you carries more weight than the default text.

Step 4

Pass it on. Share the action with a neighbor or two. Last year's win came from tens of thousands of people taking a few minutes each.

Sample Text

Option 1

As your constituent, I urge you to oppose Rep. Andy Biggs's amendment to exempt the Department of Defense from the Endangered Species Act. The Act already lets the military carry out its mission while protecting imperiled wildlife. Carving out the Pentagon would open a sweeping loophole in our most effective law against extinction. Please defend the Endangered Species Act and reject this amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.

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Option 2

Please oppose the Biggs amendment exempting the military from the Endangered Species Act. Military readiness and wildlife protection already coexist under current law. Stand up for science, accountability, and the species this law keeps from going extinct.