Washington, DC (July 29, 2014) Today, Congressman Steve Pearce was proud to be a part of a historic move by the House to improve the Endangered Species Act, one of the most wasteful and economically devastating laws that impact New Mexico.

"New Mexico's cattlemen, oil producers, landowners and farmers live under the ugly shadow of the corrupt system that the Endangered Species Act has become. Today's vote to bring transparency and common sense back to the ESA can only serve to better the hard-working people from every corner of our state," said Pearce. "ESA has only achieved a 2 percent recovery rate, yet has cost our citizens time, money and, for some, their very livelihoods. It is time to stop the secretive sue-and-settle tactics that imposed the new listings of the prairie chicken and jumping mouse. For years, New Mexicans have also feared for their safety as wolves roam through their property, tormenting children, and killing livestock. I do not want this for the rest of the country."

New Mexico leaders joined Congressman Pearce Tuesday in applauding the passage of The Endangered Species Transparency & Reasonableness Act.

"Ranchers in Western New Mexico fear for the safety of their cattle and families due to Mexican Wolf predation," said Luna County Commissioner Joe "Oleo" Milo, Jr. "Farmers near the Middle Rio Grande have lost water because of the Silvery Minnow, and now economic activity is under threat from the listing of the Prairie Chicken. Our economic livelihood as a state is at risk because of special interest lawsuits and a listing process that completely lacks transparency. I thank Congressman Pearce and the US House of Representatives for taking these steps to modernize and improve the Endangered Species Act to benefit people and species."

"The Endangered Species Act has a 2 percent recovery rate, which unacceptable," said Otero County Commissioner and longtime County Commission Chairman Ronny Rardin. "Today's bill is an attempt to stop taxpayer funded trial lawyers from dictating policies that hinder economic growth, and clearly do not benefit at-risk species. In Otero County, ranchers have been denied access to the water they own due to the listing of the Meadow Jumping Mouse. We can protect water rights and the mouse at the same time. H.R. 4315 will help us to strike the right balance to grow jobs and ensure species are able to recover."

"Local and state officials often do not have a seat at the table when it comes to Endangered Species listings," said Chaves County Commissioner Greg Nibert. "Throughout the listing process for the Lesser Prairie Chicken, county officials, conservationists, and statewide wildlife experts stated that the voluntary conservation efforts were working. Yet the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was forced by trial lawyers to ignore the monumental achievements we made on behalf the Chicken, and local stakeholders. H.R. 4315 ensures that local officials, who understand conservation better than any bureaucrat, will have a seat at the table in crafting these decisions that impact our environment and economy."

NOTE: H.R. 4315, The Endangered Species Transparency & Reasonableness Act, focused on sensible, targeted updates to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the areas of transparency and species recovery, passed the House of Representatives today by a bipartisan vote of 233 to 190. The ESA was created four decades ago, in1973. Since then, more than 1,500 US domestic species and sub-species have been listed. Only 2 percent have been recovered. The last renewal of the ESA by Congress occurred in 1988.