Guest guest Posted September 23, 2005 Report Share Posted September 23, 2005 > Major rewrite of Endangered Species Act approved > > By ERICA WERNER > Associated Press Writer > > WASHINGTON - A House committee on Thursday approved a sweeping rewrite of > the Endangered Species Act that hands major new rights to property owners > while limiting the federal government's ability to protect plant and > animal > habitat. > > The bill by House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Calif., > bars > the government from establishing " critical habitat " for species where > development is limited, and sets deadlines for property owners to get > answers from the government about whether their development plans would > hurt > protected species. > > If the government doesn't answer in time, the development could go > forward. > If the government blocks a development, the property owner would be > compensated. > > The bill " will place a new emphasis on recovery and eliminates > dysfunctional > critical habitat provisions, " Pombo said. " It's about a new era in > protecting species and protecting habitat at the same time we protect > property owners. " > > Pombo's committee approved the bill on a 26-12 vote, over objections from > some Democrats and moderate Republicans who said it would disfigure the > landmark 32-year-old law that environmentalists credit with preserving > species like the bald eagle and California sea otter. > > " It is a drastic mistake to eliminate the provisions that have to do with > the protection of habitat for endangered species, " said Rep. Jim Saxton, > R-N.J. " It is my opinion that the Endangered Species Act is 99 percent > about > protecting critical habitat. " > > Saxton offered an amendment to restore critical habitat protections to the > bill, but it failed on a voice vote. > > The bill now goes to the full House, where Pombo says he has a commitment > from Republican leaders to schedule a floor vote as early as next week. > About a decade ago, Pombo failed to get the House to approve a rewrite of > the Endangered Species Act, but he said he anticipates success this time. > > Even if it passes the House, the bill has an uncertain future in the > Senate. > > > Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., a moderate who chairs the wildlife > subcommittee > of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has concerns about > removing critical habitat from the Endangered Species Act, a spokesman > said. > > > Conservatives and property-rights supporters like Pombo disagree bitterly > with environmentalists and many Democrats about whether the Endangered > Species Act has been a success. Pombo often notes that only about 15 of > 1,830 threatened and endangered species have been taken off the list > because > they've recovered. Supporters of the law counter that an even tinier > number > - nine- have gone extinct. > > The act is " a safety net for wildlife that's edging toward extinction, " > said > Michael Hirshfield, chief scientist at Oceana, an ocean and marine > wildlife > protection group. > > But even some supporters agree that changes are needed, particularly to > critical habitat. Because the law requires critical habitat to be > designated > at the same time a species is listed as endangered or threatened, Fish and > Wildlife officials say they often have too little information to make a > good > decision. > > As a result, critics say, critical habitat is established without much > thought, and often not until an environmental group sues to make it > happen. > A much-criticized California proposal would set aside 4.1 million acres - > or > parts of 28 of the state's 58 counties - for the red-legged frog. > > The bill was amended to address concerns from Assistant Interior Secretary > Craig Manson, head of the Fish and Wildlife Service, and others, that the > government wouldn't have enough time to respond to landowners seeking > determinations about whether planned developments would hurt species. > Pombo's original bill set a 90-day deadline; the amended version gives the > government up to a year. > > Eight committee Democrats joined Pombo in supporting the bill; two > Republicans voted no. > > (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. .) > __________ > > Marcus C. England > > Endangered Species Ecologist | GIS Specialist | Project Manager > Natural Resource Consultants > Los Angeles, California Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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