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The ESA at 50: Successes, Shortcomings, and a Discussion of What’s Next
October 27, 2023 @ 4:00 am - 5:30 pm AEDT
An ELI Public Webinar
December 28th will mark 50 years since the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was signed into law. The statute protects and recovers imperiled species deemed either “endangered” or “threatened” and the ecosystems on which they depend. Over the years, the ESA has proven resilient to numerous legal challenges and has saved many species from extinction. But its overall success has been debated, as the list of endangered and threatened species continues to grow, while only 54 species have been recovered and taken off of the list completely.
Join the Environmental Law Institute and expert panelists—including some contributors to the recent Debate published in The Environmental Forum about the ESA’s effectiveness—to explore the successes and shortcomings of the statute. Panelists will also turn to the future of the ESA and discuss what might happen next as climate change increases the risk of extinction. How well has the ESA been working? How might it work better, and what can agencies do to increase its effectiveness? What potential regulatory updates are on the horizon? We will discuss these questions and many more.
Panelists:
Sharmeen Morrison, Senior Associate Attorney, Biodiversity Defense Program, Earthjustice, Moderator
Derb Carter, Senior Attorney, Southern Environmental Law Center
J.B. Ruhl, Co-Director, Energy, Environment, and Land Use Program, Vanderbilt Law School
Sean Skaggs, Partner, Ebbin Moser + Skaggs LLP
Melinda Taylor, Senior Lecturer, University of Texas School of Law