Compensation, other provisions a concern
Gazette-Times
Congressman Peter DeFazio explained why he voted
against a revised Endangered Species Act even though he liked some of its
provisions.
The 4th District Democrat, whose district includes Benton and Linn counties,
issued a statement after the House vote Thursday.
He commended Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo, R-Calif., for his
efforts to reauthorize and reform the act but expressed concern with some
provisions, including one that deals with compensation.
DeFazio voted against the Pombo ESA reform bill, HR 3824.
Instead, DeFazio said he supported an alternative bipartisan bill to ease the
burden on private landowners and enhance federal agencies' abilities to
further the recovery of endangered and threatened species.
"There is broad consensus that the Endangered Species Act is not working
well. I congratulate Chairman Pombo for working with Democrats on much of this
bill and making progress on many issues," DeFazio said in his statement.
He continued:
"One particular section should give most members pause as we wrestle with
how to pay for hurricane recovery and a huge deficit. It goes far beyond
reasonable compensation for a farmer, rancher or timber owner who cannot use
their land due to endangered species restrictions.
"It compensates landowners for any and all proposed speculative
development or theoretical business losses without question, opening the doors
of the U.S. Treasury to a potential gold rush, transferring hundreds of
millions of dollars, if not billions of dollars a year from taxpayers to
speculators under a new entitlement, with unlimited payments, and without
review.
"I offered an amendment to fix this language which provides compensation
for direct losses associated with the ‘usual and accustomed uses' of the
land such as timber, ranching or farming, but not to reward land speculators.
"This fix likely would have allowed many more members to vote for this
bill, but it was not allowed by the Republican leadership.
"I am disappointed other issues could not be worked out such as critical
habitat. I agree that the critical habitat designation as it exists is
overly-broad, overly-restrictive and does not work well, but the bill doesn't
replace that flawed system with any other habitat protection, leaving precious
endangered species like the bald eagle and the Pacific Northwest salmon
vulnerable to extinction."