Issues
IPAA comments on Interior’s flaw land-use plan. Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced the greater sage-grouse did not warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act while simultaneously announcing new plans to limit land use activities on millions of acres of sagebrush habitat in the West. In response to the announcement, the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) published an op-ed in The Hill, noting that the federal government’s plan would place major restrictions on the companies at the “backbone of the western economy.” From IPAA President Barry Russell:
“Unfortunately, regardless of the motivation behind these efforts, the federal government’s plans would place new restrictions on industries that make up the backbone of the western economy. These plans largely ignore the great strides made by state regulators, local officials, ranchers, and energy developers alike to protect the sage-grouse and its habitat.
“Local stakeholders and state officials best understand their own lands and have carefully constructed a thoughtful approach, balancing both conservation and critical energy and economic development. These agencies are working each day with local stakeholders, from ranchers to energy developers, to protect the environment and ecosystems we all care about and the land they understand and know.”
IPAA also responded to the Interior’s announcement last week, noting the government’s land use plan is unwarranted. Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Political Affairs Dan Naatz stated, “We firmly believe that the greater sage-grouse can be protected without the economic harm that results from these unworkable land management plans.”
Western Governors Testify at Senate Hearing on ESA Reform. Wyoming Governor Matt Mead (R) and Montana Governor Steve Bullock (D), chair and vice-chair, respectively, of the Western Governors Association, testified before part of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Tuesday to share their views on how to improve the Endangered Species Act (ESA). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe also testified at the hearing.
Though only Republican senators attended the briefing, Senator Sullivan (R-AK) noted that there is a bipartisan desire to reform the ESA. He remarked that since the Act was signed in 1973, 1,600 domestic species have been listed, while only 16 have been recovered and delisted. Director Ashe countered that the ESA has successfully saved 99 percent of listed species from extinction. There was consensus at the hearing that the Act needs to be modified and greater resources provided to better facilitate the recovery of species. The governors also suggested that state governments have greater expertise in managing their local wildlife than federal agencies, and therefore their input deserves greater weight in the Service’s listing decisions. According to Governor Mead, “Endangered Species Act is broken and changes need to be made…Western Governors have particular expertise in natural resources. We continue to work with our Congressional delegations on these issues.”
The Governors also requested more consistent consultation from the Service, and proposed that those who petition to have species added to the endangered species list be required to gather the necessary scientific data to justify a listing before submitting their petition. Gov. Mead and Bullock also requested that petitioners be limited to petitioning a single species at a time and that greater certainty be provided following delisting decisions. View an archived webcast of the full hearing HERE.
ESA provisions not included in NDAA defense policy bill. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2016 will no longer include provisions related to the Endangered Species Act, including the greater sage-grouse and lesser prairie chicken, according to announcements made this week.
Sage grouse provisions, backed by House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah), had been approved in May as part of the House approved NDAA bill in an effort to limit federal protection of the species. The House bill also included language to remove the threatened listing of the lesser prairie chicken for five years and delist the American burying beetle. Senate Environment and Public Works Chairman Inhofe (R-Okla.) spearheaded efforts to include the language in the Senate bill, noting the overlap between the grouse’s habitat and military training bases. Both Bishop and Inhofe sent a letter to ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees last week, urging inclusion of the ESA provisions in the final version of the bill.
Chairman Inhofe stated his disappointed that the provisions did not make it into the Senate bill, noting these items “would have protected the military’s ability to train without fear of overbearing environmental restrictions being imposed on its bases.”
In the News
Bats dying from a lethal fungus. Washington Post. White-nose syndrome is basically Ebola for bats, an animal pandemic. Gray bats, big brown bats, Northern long-eared bats and tri-colored bats are also affected. Ninety-percent of little brown bats in the northeast are dead. Here’s how the research paper describes it: “White-nose syndrome is the most devastating epizootic wildlife disease of mammals in history, having killed millions of hibernating bats in North America since 2007.”
Acres of prairie set aside to save butterfly species. MPR. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated tens of thousands of acres of critical habitat to try to save two prairie butterfly species. The habitat areas where the Dakota skipper and Poweshiek skipperling are found have been declining for the past few years, according to federal wildlife officials. These prairie habitats, which are mostly located in the agricultural areas of the Dakotas and western Minnesota, are considered essential for the survival for these species.
Protecting sage-grouse habitat and the Western way of life. The Hill (Op-Ed). The administration deserves praise for developing strong plans that protect sage-grouse and other wildlife while balancing the interests of companies seeking to develop natural resources, people who want to enjoy recreational pursuits, and ranchers whose herds graze the public domain. The plans set an example of what can be achieved when stakeholders put their differences aside and work together to find common ground. That’s something we can all celebrate, while we continue to enjoy the Western way of life for decades to come.
Calvert: With greater sage-grouse decision made, it’s time to consider best use of federal land. U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) (Press Release). “Now that the service has concluded that greater sage-grouse are not in danger of extinction or likely to become so within the foreseeable future, we can turn our attention to the question of how best to balance the multiple uses of our Federal lands and its resources upon which we all depend on for our nation’s survival,” Calvert, the chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, said.
New plan advances success in saving imperiled Wyoming toad. Associated Press. A new recovery plan for the Wyoming toad announced Thursday seeks to carry forward recent success in finally getting the critically endangered amphibian to survive in the wild. Key for the 2-inch toad, which not long ago was considered extinct in the wild, is a new technique for releasing tadpoles bred in captivity into the Laramie River Valley. The Wyoming toad was listed as endangered in 1984 and presumed extinct the following year, though toads were rediscovered at Mortenson Lake in 1987. In 1989, biologists rounded up the last 10 toads thought to exist in the wild for captive breeding.
The Sage Grouse Switcheroo. Wall Street Journal (Editorial). The Interior Department decided last week not to classify the greater sage grouse as an endangered species, ending five years of deliberation. Some are hailing this as thought-to-be-extinct government restraint, but it’s really political cover for other plans that will do as much or more economic harm. House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop called Interior’s decision a “de facto listing,” and he’s right. Interior’s ploy allows the feds to accomplish what they always wanted while appearing judicious. But with oil and gas development so important to a weak economy, soon we’ll need a job conservation plan for humans.
New Poll: Colorado Voters Support Endangered Species Act. Public News Service. Coloradans like the Endangered Species Act, according to a poll of the state’s voters, and the support holds strong no matter their party affiliation. Eighty percent of Coloradans polled say they support the act, while 11 percent oppose it. Support is strongest among self-identified liberals and moderates, but also strong among conservatives at 64 percent. Robert Dewey, vice president for government relations at Defenders of Wildlife, said these poll results come at a time when Congress has been flooded with more than 80 bills, amendments and riders designed to weaken the act or remove protections for specific species.
