Skip to comments.
Support Sound Science for Endangered Species Act Planning Act of 2003!
National Grange ^
| 4/10/2003
| Chil-Sook Hwang
Posted on 04/10/2003 11:03:07 AM PDT by farmfriend
National Grange Legislative Action Alert 2003
A special update of timely issues for e-mail subscribers to "View from the Hill"
4/10/2003
In this Issue:
Support Sound Science for Endangered Species Act Planning Act of 2003!
- On April 7, 2003, Rep. Greg Walden introduced Sound Science for Endangered Species Act Planning Act of 2003 to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to require the Secretary of the Interior to give greater weight to scientific or commercial data that is empirical or has been field-tested or peer-reviewed. The bill number is H.R. 1662 and is attached in a pdf file.
- Please urge your Representative to support Sound Science for Endangered Species Act Planning Act of 2003.
Klamath Basin Crisis caused by No Sound Scientific Basis
Last year a report by the National Academy of Sciences concluded that there was no sound scientific basis for maintaining higher water levels in Upper Klamath Lake or Higher minimum flows in the Klamath River for threatened species as recommended in a biological opinion released two years ago. This biological opinion ultimately led to the dramatic irrigation water shut-off to nearly 1200 farmers and ranchers in the Klamath Basin of southern Oregon and northern California in April 2001. There was no sound scientific basis for preventing water from being diverted down canals like it had for nearly 100 years to grow crops and provide water to several national wildlife refuges. Water that would normally flow through Klamath Project farmland habitat and to the national wildlife refuges was directed instead towards increasing instream water levels for the benefit of an endangered suckerfish and threatened coho salmon. The citizens of Klamath Falls saw the collapse of the local agricultural economy due to water restrictions imposed by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for the benefit of those two species protected under the ESA. The vitality of over 430 other wildlife species was threatened when they were subjected to the same fate as local farmers: no water, dry watercourses, drastically altered vegetation, parched land and dust.
What would H.R. 1662 do?
While this is not a comprehensive ESA reform bill, it does provide very important targeted improvements, which are long overdue, and promotes both the interests of species recovery and of locally impacted communities. H.R. 1662 would achieve the following improvements in the ESA:
- Improved use of peer-reviewed science in making ESA decision
- Improved public participation in the listing and recovery planning process
- Greater role given to the states and local communities
- Greater weight given to social and economic impacts
- Improved processes to enable private landowners to have certainty and take actions to protect species on private lands
- Greater financial and technical assistance to states and private citizens.
Related Legislations
S. 369, the Endangered Species Listing and Delisting Process Reform Act of 2003 -- to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to improve the processes for listing, recovery planning, and de-listing. H.R. 1253, the Common Sense Preble's Conservation Act -- to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to establish special requirements for determining whether the Preble's meadow jumping mouse is an endangered species or threatened species.
H.R. 1235, the Encroachment on Military Bases Prevention Act -- to provide for the management of critical habitat of endangered species and threatened species on military installations in a manner compatible with the demands of military readiness, to ensure that the application of other resource laws on military installations is compatible with military readiness.
H.R. 1194, the Species Rescue Act to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to enable Federal agencies responsible for the preservation of threatened species and endangered species to rescue and relocate members of any of those species that would be taken in the course of certain reconstruction, maintenance, or repair of Federal or non-Federal manmade flood control levees.
National Granges policy on ESA
As a member organization of the National Endangered Species Act Reform Coalition, the National Grange has supported sound science for ESA for both farmers and environment.
Refer to our related action alerts:
Endangered Species Act Reform Action Alert (03/20/2002)
H.R. 4840, "Sound Science for Endangered Species Act Planning Act of 2002" Should Be Passed in the House Floor in this Congress (08/07/2002)
The National Granges policy on ESA is summarized in our policy book:
- The National Grange encourages Congress to amend the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to restore proper perspective by requiring public hearings and economic impact statements on the impacts to the affected areas before a species may be listed. We support changes to the ESA to require that only a pure biological and numerical definition of an endangered species be used without being based on sub species, distinct populations, or hybridization. We believe that only those species actually threatened with extinction should be listed in the ESA, taking into consideration total populations, available habitats, and recovery areas on the North American continent. We further support a review of the Endangered Species Act with the following guidelines: focus on keystone species (organisms critical to the stable functions of entire habitats and ecosystems), not minor or reduced species; rely on public lands for preservation; encourage voluntary protection by individuals and corporations; curtail taking of private lands for ESA; balance human costs with ecological benefits; compensation for private property owners for loss of usage of their property due to the Endangered Species Act. The National Grange insists on the strictest possible interpretation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) on public and private development projects in cities and urban areas. The National Grange supports legislation legally allowing people to defend themselves from an attack by any animal listed as an endangered species without concern of retribution from government authorities. The National Grange reaffirms its call for complete and comprehensive reform of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) so that it shall no longer take total precedence over property rights, energy development, and fire suppression.
- The National Grange opposes any reauthorization of the Clean Water Act that includes any provision to require that a state designate any water that supports a population of a threatened or endangered species as an Outstanding Resource Water.
- The National Grange will actively work to reverse the actions of the Ninth Circuit Court and permanently restore the flow of life-giving and life-sustaining water from Klamath Lake to the farmers and farm communities served by the irrigation systems. We urge that Congress investigate the closure of irrigation facilities for the benefit of a suckerfish in the Klamath Falls Basin and determine the consequences of the loss of irrigation water in the Klamath Falls Basin in Oregon and California.
Action Plan --- Please contact your U.S. House Representative to urge them to cosponsor H.R. 1662. If you want to find your House Representative contact information, please click the following.
House Representative
If you have any questions or comments please contact Legislative Research Analyst Chil-Sook Hwang by e-mail: chwang@nationalgrange.org by fax: 202-347-1091 or by phone: 1-888-4GRANGE, ext 109.
Thank you for your grassroots participation in the National Grange Legislative program
TOPICS: Announcements; Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: enviralists; esa; grangelist; landgrab; soundscience
To: marsh2; dixiechick2000; Helen; Mama_Bear; poet; doug from upland; WolfsView; Issaquahking; amom; ...
Ping.
2
posted on
04/10/2003 11:04:09 AM PDT
by
farmfriend
( Isaiah 55:10,11)
To: All
"THANK YOU!"
|
|
Keep Our Republic Free
Or mail checks to FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
or you can use
PayPal at Jimrob@psnw.com
|
STOP BY AND BUMP THE FUNDRAISER THREAD- It is in the breaking news sidebar!
|
3
posted on
04/10/2003 11:08:35 AM PDT
by
Support Free Republic
(Your support keeps Free Republic going strong!)
To: farmfriend
BTTT!!!!!!
4
posted on
04/10/2003 11:10:07 AM PDT
by
E.G.C.
To: E.G.C.
Boy are you fast.
5
posted on
04/10/2003 11:13:35 AM PDT
by
farmfriend
( Isaiah 55:10,11)
To: farmfriend; *Enviralists; 1Old Pro; 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub; a_federalist; abner; aculeus; ...
Just repeal the damned thing!
Fritting and fretting about 'endangered' species is bad science and total illogic. (not to mention that is a grave sin against God)
Enough of this pagan stupidity.
6
posted on
04/10/2003 11:14:58 AM PDT
by
editor-surveyor
( . Best policy RE: Environmentalists, - ZERO TOLERANCE !!)
To: editor-surveyor
Just repeal the damned thing!As a supporter of the Carry_Okie plan, you'll get no argument from me.
7
posted on
04/10/2003 11:20:37 AM PDT
by
farmfriend
( Isaiah 55:10,11)
To: editor-surveyor
BTTT!!!!!
8
posted on
04/10/2003 11:29:23 AM PDT
by
E.G.C.
To: editor-surveyor
Before they repeal it, I would like them to find a few endangered rodents or insects in Malibu and then order the beaches closed to public use. Maybe they should take a look at Nantucket and Long Island while they are at it, too.
9
posted on
04/10/2003 11:37:08 AM PDT
by
Eva
To: farmfriend
BTTT!
To: farmfriend
The Marxist group EPIC has filed a appeal against Target over the demolition of the old Wards store. EPIC wants a 6 month survey for Big Eared Bat. No proof they are there and no one has ever seen one there.
FF, there was a AP story in the T-S today with some BS from "American Rivers" listing the Klamath River as the #2 most "threatened" river.
To: tubebender
I'll check it out. Thanks.
12
posted on
04/10/2003 12:50:06 PM PDT
by
farmfriend
( Isaiah 55:10,11)
To: editor-surveyor
Just repeal the damned thing!I've seen their "science".
This requirement can only make it worse.
13
posted on
04/10/2003 5:59:35 PM PDT
by
sistergoldenhair
(Don't be a sheep. People hate sheep. They eat sheep.)
To: *grange_list
indexing
14
posted on
04/10/2003 6:46:06 PM PDT
by
farmfriend
( Isaiah 55:10,11)
To: farmfriend
I will never trust their science. I agree with Editor.Just repeal the damned thing!
Fritting and fretting about 'endangered' species is bad science and total illogic. (not to mention that is a grave sin against God)
Enough of this pagan stupidity. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To: tubebender
"EPIC wants a 6 month survey for Big Eared Bat." I can tell you where the 'Bats' are:
In their belfries!
16
posted on
04/11/2003 7:52:25 AM PDT
by
editor-surveyor
( . Best policy RE: Environmentalists, - ZERO TOLERANCE !!)
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson