figures, his name is CRAPO..another assault on endangered species

[Guest guest]

Senator Crapo (R-ID) Introduces Bill to Undermine Endangered Species Act

 

December 16, 2005 — By Center for Biological Diversity

 

WASHINGTON — Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced a bill today aimed at

undermining protections for endangered species. The Senate bill, S. 2110,

cynically titled the “Collaboration and Recovery of Endangered Species Act,â€

would completely derail the endangered species listing program, remove

protections for the endangered species habitat and cut federal oversight of

projects that threaten endangered species. (Overview of the Crapo bill follows

below. The text of the bill is available at www.biologicaldiversity.org).

 

The Crapo bill pays lip service to encouraging landowners to conserve endangered

species on private land, an idea long supported by conservation organizations.

However, the Crapo bill focuses on giving large tax breaks to large-scale land

developers and eliminating habitat protections rather than encouraging or

enabling conservation on private land.

 

Perhaps the most blatant attack on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is the

provision of the Crapo bill that would eliminate mandatory timelines to place

species on the endangered list or designate critical habitat, instead giving the

Secretary of the Interior complete discretion to indefinitely postpone listings

and habitat designations.

 

“Senator Crapo’s proposal alone would be a disaster for endangered species

conservation,†said Melissa Waage, legislative advocate for the Center for

Biological Diversity. “But the bill introduced today is part of an even bigger

plan to gut the Endangered Species Act by teaming up with Rep. Pombo to adopt

the worst provisions of Pombo's House bill behind closed doors.â€

 

On September 29, the House passed H.R. 3824 by Rep. Pombo (R-CA) — a bill that

would repeal entire sections of the Endangered Species Act. (A detailed analysis

and the text of the Pombo bill are available at www.biologicaldiversity.org).

ESA bills that pass the Senate this year would be referred to a conference

committee to be merged with the Pombo bill from the House. The two leaders of

such a conference committee would be Rep. Pombo and Senator Inhofe (R-OK), who

has an environmental voting score of 0 according to the League of Conservation

Voters.

 

Crapo told E & E TV on October 6: “I think the House Poll ID Pombo does not

exist. bill is a very good bill and although we may not be able to get the

necessary 60 votes for every part of the House bill, and I don't know that yet,

that doesn't, that wouldn't change my support for the whole bill as is. I mean

it's a good bill [the Pombo bill], but my objective here is to make sure that we

get a bill that has as much of those reforms that the House [Pombo bill] has and

maybe even some more, that we can get consensus on, through the Senate.†Crapo

also has an environmental voting score of 0 according to the League of

Conservation Voters.

 

" Crapo has sponsored a poorly written bill with the worst intentions and

terrible implications for wildlife, " said Kieran Suckling, policy director of

the Center for Biological Diversity. " The Endangered Species Act is the safety

net for America's imperiled plants and animals. This bill rips down endangered

species protections and creates road blocks to endangered species recovery. "

 

The Fisheries, Wildlife and Water Subcommittee, under the leadership of Sen.

Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), is considering ESA reauthorization of its own, but has

committed to developing such legislation only after gathering adequate

information and hearing from agencies, experts and stakeholders. The

introduction of the Crapo bill today appears to be a rush to purposely sidestep

that deliberative process.

 

The Endangered Species Act protects 1,300 of America's most endangered plants

and animals. Originally created in 1973, it has a saved over 99 percent of these

species from extinction including the Bald Eagle, Gray Wolf, Sea Otter and

Grizzly Bear.

 

Overview of Crapo Bill

Overview of S.2110, the “Collaboration and Recovery of Endangered Species

Act†Introduced by Senator Crapo (R-ID) Thursday, December 15, 2005.

 

Makes Habitat Protection Completely Discretionary (pages 18-19)<br> The Crapo

bill would eliminate mandatory timelines to designate critical habitat for

endangered species, instead giving the Secretary of the Interior complete

discretion to prioritize designations based in part on “minimizing

conflicts†with “construction, development…or other economic

activities.†Even then the Secretary would not be required to implement the

schedule, and citizen groups would be banned from seeking court orders to

implement any critical habitat schedules or deadlines. All existing court orders

to designate critical habitat would be overruled by the bill.

 

Makes Species Listing Completely Discretionary (pages 18-19) As with habitat

protections, the Crapo bill would eliminate mandatory timelines to place species

on the endangered list, instead giving the Secretary of the Interior complete

discretion to prioritize listings. Even then the Secretary is not required to

implement her schedule and citizen groups are banned from seeking court orders

to implement any listing schedules or deadlines. All existing court orders to

list species would be overruled by the bill.

 

Killing One Species in Exchange for Another (pages 36-41)

The Crapo bill would create a system allowing developers to buy and sell credits

for destroying endangered species habitat. This senseless system would allow

developers to destroy the habitat for one species (e.g. Coho salmon) because

they have purchased credits to protect another (e.g. Mount Hermon june beetle).

It would result in the destruction of tens of thousands of acres of essential

habitat areas.

 

Undermines Recovery Plans (pages 21-28)

The Crapo bill would create a new convoluted recovery planning process that

allows industry to rewrite and overrule the decisions of wildlife experts. A

newly created “executive committee†made up of industry interests would make

final edits and revisions to the recovery plan developed by scientists and

agency biologists. Furthermore, the Crapo bill explicitly makes recovery plans

“non-binding and advisory.â€

 

Creates Roadblocks to Listing Endangered Species (pages 16-18)

The Crapo bill would create an ambiguous priority system for listing endangered

species that includes industry interests. Current law requires endangered

species listings to be based solely on the biological needs of the species.

 

Eliminates Federal Oversight of Endangered Species (page 15)

The Crapo bill would require Fish and Wildlife Service to provide a

“provisional permit†for any project on private property (except for

“ground clearingâ€) if there is no recovery plan in place. The permit would

remain in effect until a habitat conservation plan (HCP) is approved. This would

allow activities like mining and logging in endangered species habitat to

proceed indefinitely with no federal oversight.

 

Restricts Wildlife Agencies from Improving Conservation Agreements (pages 50-53)

The Crapo bill would take “No Surprises†— a highly controversial

administrative regulation — and make it law. The Fish and Wildlife Service

would be unable to update or revoke a permit (HCP) that authorizes harm to an

endangered species, even if new information indicates that the original plan was

inadequate and even if it is causing the extinction of the species.

 

Pays Off Developers to Not Violate the Law (page 56)

The Crapo bill would create tax breaks to compensate private landowners for

conservation work done on private property. However, the Crapo bill fails to

limit these tax breaks to landowners who engage in active conservation—the

creation or enhancement of endangered species habitat. Therefore, land

developers who are required to set aside some portion of their land from

development would also be eligible for these tax breaks. That is, instead of

paying private landowners to create new habitat, the Crapo bill would primarily

be paying developers to comply with the law, creating no new habitat.

 

 

 

Contact Info:

Melissa Waage

mwaage

202-736-5760

 

Brian Nowicki

bnowicki

520-623-5252 x311

 

 

 

Website : www.biologicaldiversity.org

 

 

When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a

cross.

-Sinclair Lewis