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Democrats
demand a say in changes to species protection
By
Audrey Hudson
THE
Key Senate Democrats expressed concern yesterday about an Interior
Department proposal they say will weaken the Endangered Species Act and
demanded the Bush administration include Congress in any attempt to
rewrite the 30-year-old law.
"We
have seen reports of a document reflecting extensive draft
revisions" and "additional documents that have surfaced
recently suggest that major rule revisions remain under active
consideration," the senators told Interior Secretary Dirk
Kempthorne in a letter yesterday.
"We
are concerned about any attempt to overhaul the Endangered Species Act
program administratively, without the involvement of Congress," the
lawmakers wrote.
The
letter includes 15 questions the lawmakers are demanding be answered
before the Interior Department's Fish and Wildlife Service moves forward
with any changes. The letter is signed by Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxer
of
The
90-page proposal limits the number of species protected and the acreage
of habitat preserved for those species, and includes a timeline for
protection. It also shifts more power and funding from the federal
government to the states, and gives local officials veto power over what
plants and animals will be protected.
Interior
Department spokesman Hugh Vickery said the secretary will respond to the
senators' questions, but he dismissed the lawmakers' concerns, saying
the draft document in question "is old thinking."
"Obviously,
the secretary cannot respond today, but we are trying to figure out what
they are talking about," Mr. Vickery said. "That was an old
document, some draft document that was floating around as a work
product.
"[Environmentalists]
grabbed something that was a moving target and declared the end of the
world was coming," he said. "When we put out proposed
regulations we will hold a press conference and tell everyone what we
are doing."
Department
officials have been re-evaluating the process "for a while" to
determine whether the law can be administered more effectively and
consistently, Mr. Vickery said. Critics complain that the law is
enforced more harshly west of the
The
senators are demanding to know who wrote or participated in the drafting
of the proposed regulations.
"Which
industry and/or commercial groups or entities have given opinions, input
or information regarding these draft rule revisions?" the senators
asked.
The Democrats also want to know whether it is a good idea for governors to approve experimental introduction of threatened or endangered species in their states.
"We
believe that the changes put into place by the rule revisions would
reduce dramatically the current scope and positive impact of the
Endangered Species Act," the senators said. "Indeed, if the
draft revisions had been in place 30 years ago, it is hard to imagine
that we ever could have achieved the success -- with bald eagles,
grizzly bears, sea turtles, sea otters, and many other species -- of
which we now are deservedly proud."
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Source:
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20070425-110212-8250r.htm