Rep. Amodei joins group looking at Endangered Species Act updates

Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., has joined other House Republicans in a project to examine how the federal Endangered Species Act is working and how it could be updated.

The act has been a topic of discussion recently because of concerns that the sage grouse may be listed as endangered, which could cause serious problems not only for the mining and livestock industries, but for recreational activities.

“It is my hope this forum will enable me to further convey the negative impact the looming sage grouse listing would have on Nevada and the west, as well as to identify tools to prevent it,” Amodei said in a statement.

He said the working group will look at a long list of issues including how to best measure how well the act is working, whether litigation is driving those decisions, the role of state and local governments in recovering species and the act’s impact on property and water rights.