Mention the federal Endangered Species Act almost anywhere outside the beltway or its expanding orbit, and you can expect to see eyes harden and jaws tighten. The act, which is considered by many to be America’s landmark environmental protection law, is intended as a backstop to prevent the extinction of diminishing populations of animals and plants. But its very purpose has demonized it in many of the places where these rare species live, as well as among the humans who hold the keys to recovery or disappearance.
Along with Internal Revenue Service agents, the Endangered Species