The Washington Post reports the House Resources Committee approved a rewrite of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) yesterday by a vote of 26-12, eight Democrats supported the measure. The bill aims to lessen the regulatory burdens imposed by the Act and provide incentives to landowners. (I have not yet read the bill text, so cannot give more detailed comments, but Amy Ridenour posted on it here.)

What happens in the Senate is key to whether the ibll actually becomes law. On that note, this part of the Post story is interesting:

Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee (R-R.I.), who chairs the Senate subcommittee charged with overseeing endangered species law, said yesterday he will not decide how to proceed until he hears back from an advisory group of environmentalists, landowners and government officials meeting in Keystone, Colo.

The House, Chafee said, "is moving quickly," adding that once the Keystone group reports to the Senate in 2006, he would be comfortable drafting a bill. Offering financial incentives to landowners will be key, he added. "If you care about protecting private property rights and protecting species, it's going to revolve around funding issues," Chafee said.