KLAMATH FALLS
,
"This 32-year-old law needs the fix that we're offering in a bipartisan
way today. It's time to make the federal agencies charged with
administering this law open up their process to the public. It's time to
set standards to make sure the data they use represent the best scientific data
available. It's time to make sure that state governors have a direct role
to bring their vast resources into the process. It's time to reach out to
private property owners in order to protect their rights and encourage their
participation in recovery efforts. And it's time to make sure no region of
the country ever suffers again as the
"The
The measure, HR 3824, titled the "Threatened and Endangered Species
Recovery Act of 2005," requires the government to use "the most
accurate, reliable, and relevant" scientific data available in all of its
decisions. It also requires the government to "establish criteria
that must be met to determine which data constitute the best available
scientific data" and emphasizes the need to use empirical and peer reviewed
data when making decisions regarding species listing and recovery efforts.
"When it comes to the fate of a species or the fate of a region, we want
to make sure that government scientists are relying on sound data, that all of
the information in their decisions is made public and accessible on the
internet, and that there are standards in place governing the process.
Otherwise, the public is kept in the dark and we run the risk of decisions based
on data and assumptions that may not pass the test of peer review," added
Walden.
"Along with many parts of my Congressional District, the Klamath area
represents one of the more obvious cases of the dysfunctional application of the
Endangered Species Act. As such, I am pleased to be working with my
colleagues, Chairman Pombo and Congressman Walden, on strengthening the Act so
that species can be recovered using the best scientific data available. Under
the new recovery plan structure dictated by the 'Threatened and Endangered
Species Recovery Act,' more resources are focused on bringing species back from
the brink of extinction while creating more transparency in the process for
those whose land is affected," said Congressman Cardoza (D-CA).
The proposed law requires the government - for the first time - to prioritize
listed species most in need of recovery, develop timelines and recovery
strategies based on those priorities, and report on those efforts to the
Congress and the public on a regular basis.
Walden went on to say, "If you're serious about saving species from
extinction, and you have limited resources and time, then it only makes sense to
require prioritization of which species need help first. Following
prioritization, it is critical that agencies develop recovery plans based on the
order of need and based on the best available science. This much-needed
update to the law requires all of that, and more.
"We also call on the agencies to work closely with private land owners
in a new partnership to develop 10, 20 and 30-year conservation plans.
Species in need do not recognize the distinction between private and public
lands. And under this law, the government will not only provide new
incentives to help private land owners with conservation efforts, but the
measure also provides compensation to land owners who would be forced to stop
using their property.
"It's not right to think that the public's interest in protecting
species should be the sole burden of private land owners. If the public,
through the laws of the federal government, wants costly actions to occur on
private land, then the public must be willing to step up and help compensate
private land owners where appropriate for their loss.
"Our over-arching goal with these revisions is to make the law more
successfully achieve the goals that were established 32 years ago when it was
enacted. Through the fixes in this legislation we improve the standards
for data. We put sunshine on the process by making all the information
used in the government's decisions available to the public on the internet. We
establish a clear and formal role for the governors, private land owners, Tribal
land owners and local governments. We prioritize the work of the
government to do the most for species most in need. And we set realistic
timelines for actions and decisions.
H.R. 3824 is scheduled for a hearing in the House Committee on Resources, of
which Walden is a member, this Wednesday, September 21, 2005.
ATTACHED: Guest opinion piece by Congressman Walden on the need to update and
modernize the 32-year-old Endangered Species Act.
Walden, 48, has represented the people of