ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT A quick look

U The Endangered Species Act was signed into law on Dec. 18, 1973, by President Nixon. It replaced two earlier, less effective laws.
U There are currently 1,263 U.S. plant and animal species and 558 foreign plant and animal species listed as threatened or endangered under the act. An additional 31 species have been formally proposed for listing.
U Only 37 species have been removed from the threatened or endangered lists in the three decades since the law was enacted. Seven were removed because they recovered, seven became extinct and the rest were determined to be improperly listed.
U Among the species removed from the list because they have recovered are the American alligator, the Peregrine falcon and the Aleutian Canada goose. Among those removed because they have become extinct are the blue pike, Sampson's pearly mussel and two types of sparrows.
U The law is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
U Species can be listed directly by the secretary of the interior or through citizen petition.
U The law withstood a key challenge in 1978 when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld protection of the endangered snail darter fish against completion of the multimillion dollar Tellico dam in Tennessee.
U In the wake of the snail darter controversy, Congress authorized a special Cabinet-level committee informally known as "the God Squad" which has the power to waive the protections of the act if they decide the benefits of an activity outweigh the benefits of preservation of a particular species.
U The law was due for reauthorization in 1992, but renewal legislation has not yet been enacted. Congress has appropriated funds each year to keep the program running.
Sources: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, World Wildlife Fund