Attempts by sponsors to have a House vote this week on House Bill 1576 (Pyle-R-Armstrong), which would remove significant protections for threatened and endangered species during environmental permit reviews, suffered a setback this week as a nearly united coalition of sportsmen and environmental groups worked to oppose the bill.
The Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA and many other groups opposed the bill because it would do nothing to address the real permit review issues of concern to many while significantly limiting protection for species.
“House Bill 1576 makes no actual changes to the current permit review process – instead, it places political hurdles in front of new species listings, and imposes unclear standards on listing determinations and data sharing. It also systematically drops hundreds of species of concern from the permit review process, irrespective of their status in the state, welcoming potential federal listings in the future,” said John Walliser, Vice President, Legal & Government Affairs for PEC.
But this issue isn’t over.
House Bill 1576 remains on the House voting schedule for next week.
