Issues
Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Holds ESA Hearing. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe defended the efforts of his agency this week during a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing focused on the Service’s budget and actions surrounding the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The hearing began with an introduction of various bills proposing ESA amendments, followed by two panels featuring Director Ashe as well as former Department of Interior solicitor David Bernhardt, Defenders of Wildlife Senior Vice President Donald Barry, and Chair Valley County Commissioner Gordon Cruickshank of Idaho.
“I do believe that the Endangered Species Act should be reauthorized, and I think there could be room for improvement of the law,” Director Ashe told the committee, which voiced concerns about his agency’s $1.6 billion spending request—an increase of $135.7 million from FY2015. Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman James Inhofe of Oklahoma argued that not enough of the proposed budget is allocated for narrowing the backlog of status assessments needed to delist or down list species, stating “This administration touts its success as delisting more species than any other administration. Yet when you look at the math on this thing, it has delisted 12 species yet listed hundreds.” Director Ashe pointed to the Service’s legal obligation to list species, while also noting his agency’s need for funding to implement recovery plans and to ensure five year status assessments can occur in a timely manner.
Senator Capito of West Virginia also questioned if the Service had the budget to handle an influx of Section 7 consultation activities related to the recent listing of the northern long-eared bat. Director Ashe highlighted that the funding increases set forth in the budget would help to address this concern, and provide increased staff to handle these consultations.
Chairman Inhofe, Senator Crapo, panelists David Bernhardt and Gordon Cruickshank, and others also spoke to the importance of local cooperation with the Service to determine ESA listing decisions. To read more about the hearing or view the archived webcast click HERE.
Greater Sage-Grouse Big Topic at ESA Hearing. The Greater sage-grouse also took center stage at this week’s ESA hearing, where various bills were introduced to avoid a federal listing and many senators took an opportunity to highlight the efforts underway in their own states to conserve the species.
Senator Heller of Nevada introduced the Common Sense in Species Protection Act (S. 112), highlighting the importance of integrating local input into conservation plans to ensure the health of species and the local economy. He highlighted that a federal listing of the grouse and other species can greatly impact the economy, noting that “in states like Nevada, where mining, ranching, energy production and outdoor recreation all serve as a central component of our local economy, these restrictions can be devastating.”
Senator Gardner of Colorado also discussed his proposed legislation, the Sage-Grouse Protection and Conservation Act (S. 1036), a bill that would allow states to develop their own conservation and management plans for the protection of sage-grouse. As he highlighted, the act would allow states to implement their own specific plans that would help restore Greater sage-grouse habitat, ensure the federal government recognizes these efforts, and keep conservation efforts moving forward.
Senator Merkley of Oregon also discussed the work underway in Oregon through the SageCon plan to stabilize the population and hopefully limit a listing decision. Senator Barrasso of Wyoming also praised the efforts currently underway in his home state to protect the grouse, highlighting the grave economic impacts a listing would have on the state economy.
Debate Over Ban on Sage-Grouse Listing Also Continues in House. This week, the House Armed Services Committee approved a proposal by Utah Congressman Rep. Rob Bishop to prohibit the federal government from listing the Greater sage-grouse as endangered for 10 years. Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner has also offered his own legislation, which calls instead for a six-year ban on listing the bird.
Colorado Congressman Rep. Scott Tipton says he would support either proposal. The priority is “giving state and local preservation efforts the opportunity to succeed without being jeopardized by a less effective federal listing, and both time frames provide that opportunity,” Tipton’s office said. Meanwhile, Oregon Rep. Greg Walden applauded the 10-year ban, stating “a listing delay of 10 years would give states like Oregon time to implement locally-driven management plans without heavy-handed federal mandates.”
In the News
Wyoming US Rep., others urge end to wolf protections while some warn of political meddling. Associated Press. Wyoming U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis and others in Congress are pushing the U.S. Department of Interior to end federal protections for wolves nationwide. Lummis, Wyoming’s lone U.S. representative, and more than 30 other members of Congress this week wrote to U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Dan Ashe, head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, calling on them to implement a stalled 2013 federal plan to end protections for wolves under the federal Endangered Species Act.
As GOP pushes listing delay, sage grouse numbers have tumbled – report. E&E News (sub req’d). Greater sage grouse numbers fell by more than half from 2007 to 2013 across the western United States, according to a newly released study by leading sage grouse scientists. The study, commissioned by the Pew Charitable Trusts and shared exclusively with E&E Daily, comes months before the Obama administration must decide whether the chest-puffing bird deserves protections under the Endangered Species Act and as Republicans in Congress push legislation to delay those protections.
Solenex requests accelerated hearing in Badger-Two Medicine drilling case. Ravalli Republic. After failing to reach agreement in a face-to-face meeting two weeks ago, attorneys for a Louisiana energy company have asked the court to hasten its review of plans to drill for oil in the Badger-Two Medicine area south of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Blackfeet tribal leaders sent Jewell and President Barack Obama letters this spring pointing out the spiritual significance of the area and their opposition to any industrial development there. They also maintain the lease was granted without proper National Environmental Policy Act or Endangered Species Act review and should be canceled.
NMFS faces lawsuit alleging failure to protect 2 imperiled fish. E&E News (sub req’d). The Center for Biological Diversity filed yesterday two notices of intent to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service, accusing the agency of not adequately protecting two species of fish. Both cite alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act. One asserts that NMFS has failed to develop a recovery plan for Oregon coast coho salmon; the other cites the agency’s failure to follow up on a petition to list the Alabama shad as threatened or endangered.
Endangered species listing for sage grouse could affect Wyoming’s economy. Wyoming Tribune. It’s possible that many southeast Wyoming residents have never seen a sage grouse up close. The vast majority of Laramie County is one of the few parts of the state that is not part of the small, chicken-like bird’s habitat area. But despite this fact, experts say the fate of the entire state’s economy, as well as its future, are closely tied to the sage grouse.
Gov. Bullock signs Sage Grouse Stewardship Act. KPAX. A plan to manage sage grouse, while also allowing oil and gas development, is moving forward. Governor Bullock signed the Sage Grouse Stewardship Act Thursday. It establishes a team to set rules on the bird, and also calls for conservation easements and a conservation fund. NOTE: Associated Press also reports.
Utah prepares for wildfire season with federally funded projects. Deseret News. Moisture over the last few days helped Utah’s wildfire forecast this spring, while much of the West can expect an above normal fire year, according to fire forecasters. The Interior Department gave $4 million to four states, including Utah, to help prevent wildfires that threaten sage grouse habitat in the Great Basin region.
