Marking the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act
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WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act into law 50 years ago on Thursday. The law promised to protect endangered plants and animals across the United States, and it passed with bipartisan support.
In a statement released by the White House, President Joe Biden said the law has “safeguarded the incredible biodiversity across our Nation, supported the recovery of imperiled species, and conserved the habitats they depend on.”
Before the act was signed into law in 1973, federal law did not protect species facing extinction. It allows species to be listed as endangered without consideration for the economic consequences, which some say is controversial.
The White House credited the act with preventing 99% of all fish, wildlife, and plants under its protection from going extinct.
“Because of these protections, nearly 300 species have avoided extinction—from the American alligator to the bald eagle,” President Biden said in a statement.
The Endangered Species Act was just one of several pieces of environmental legislation passed beginning in the mid-1960’s, including the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Wilderness Act and the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
The Endangered Species Act has been described by the Supreme Court as “the most comprehensive legislation for the preservation of endangered species enacted by any nation.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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