Proponents of the Endangered Species Act claim it saves species but offer little evidence beyond the number of threatened or endangered species listed each year, as if listing instead of delisting were the real purpose of the law. In reality, the protection of species at risk has been hampered by the ESA’s perverse incentives and lack of prioritization.
Randy Simmons is a Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute, and Professor of Economics at Utah State University.
Energy and the EnvironmentEnvironmental Law and Regulation
Other Independent Review articles by Randy Simmons
Fall 2015 Tapping Water Markets
Winter 2010/11 Bootleggers, Baptists, and Political Entrepreneurs: Key Players in the Rational Game and Morality Play of Regulatory Politics
Spring 1999 Fixing the Endangered Species Act