According to a press release today by by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) and the Center for Biological Diversity, the draft regulations for the Endangered Species Act would:

“Remove recovery of a species or population as a protection standard

Allow projects to proceed that have been determined to threaten species with extinction

Permit destruction of all restored habitat within critical habitat areas

Prevent critical habitat areas from being used to protect against disturbance, pesticides, exotic species, and disease

Severely limit the listing of new endangered species and

Empower states to veto endangered species introductions as well as administer virtually all aspects of the Endangered Species Act within their borders.”

Related documents from PEER:

Read the side-by-side comparison (prepared by PEER and CBD) of current regulations versus Bush plan

View the plan to delegate more ESA authority to the states

Look at plans to rewrite future status definition and consultation rules

See proposed ESA listing changes

Scan proposed permit regulations

Track the timetable for “issues to deal with”