Republicans try to block protection for imperiled mussels
A Texas lawmaker has reinforced Republican-led efforts to roll back Endangered Species Act protections with new legislation that targets seven kinds of fresh-water mussels with funny names. In the latest Congressional Review Act salvo focused on ESA listings, Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) introduced H.J. Res. 169 to erase the Guadalupe fatmucket, Texas pimpleback and five other mussels from the list of threatened and endangered species. Arrington’s resolution, introduced with two co-sponsors Friday, comes about three weeks after the Fish and Wildlife Service announced the final decision listing the seven species and designating 1,578 river miles as critical habitat… In making the listing decisions, the Fish and Wildlife Service cited water diversions from the Colorado River, Rio Grande and other river networks as leading threats to the species, along with drought, flooding and pollution. But on a more positive note, the administration also pointed to conservation measures undertaken by the Brazos River Authority, the Lower Colorado River Authority and the Trinity River Authority.
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