Liberty Matters News Service
September 12, 2002
The Albuquerque
Journal says the Endangered Species Act is endangering the health
and well-being of humans in New Mexico.
U.S. District Court Judge James Parker ruled in April that the
Bureau of Land Management can and must use all water within its control
for the needs of the Rio Grande silvery minnow after six environmental
groups filed a lawsuit against the BLM in 1999.
Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chávez has refused to allow the release
of city-owned water saying: “It
is essentially water from the mouths of our children.”
Water is in short supply because of the extended drought and
because of “profligate” (wasteful) releases for habitat enhancement
for the silvery minnow over the last three years, according to the Journal.
The Bureau is required under the Endangered Species Act to keep
the water flowing continuously and if that means taking it away from the
taxpayers who have paid $45 million to maintain a secure supply of the
precious stuff, then so be it. Mayor
Chávez promised to appeal any decision to take its San Juan-Chama
water. “This has got to
go to the Supreme Court. This
is our future,” he said. The
Journal contends that Congress must enact legislation to exempt the
operation of federal water projects from the ESA.
“New Mexico’s experience with the silvery minnow makes clear
that the Endangered Species Act is fatally flawed.
Congress should fix it – or junk it.”
Enough
is Enough
Chávez
Says City Won't Give Water for Minnows
Sawgrass Rebellion
Beleaguered
citizens are increasingly refusing to allow the federal government,
working in concert with environmentalists, to run them off their land.
Environmental laws and regulations have forced thousands of Americans
from their homes in recent years; from Jarbridge, Nevada to Oregon’s
Klamath Basin to Ohio’s Darby Refuge.
Now, in the Florida Everglades, people are banding together to
resist government efforts to remove them from their property.
Almost every year since 1994, residents of an area known as the
“8.5 Square Mile Area” have been flooded for months at a time in an
apparent effort to convince them to “willingly” sell their land for
inclusion in the Everglades National Park.
The South Florida Water Management District went so far as to
send booklets to the targeted residents; “Your Rights As A Displaced
Person.” Madeleine
Fortin, a feisty area resident said, “Communities all over the country
are being destroyed in the same way as mine, for the same stupid
reasons….It’s time for us all to join together to hold the line, and
start pushing back – hard!” Thousands
of property rights advocates, known as the Sawgrass Rebellion, will
converge on Naples, Florida October 17th - 19th
for a rally in support of South Florida residents’ efforts to save
their homes and to plot political strategy to bring an end to the string
of land use abuses crippling this nation.
Ms. Fortin says the intent of the rallies is to “put the fear
of God into our elected officials.”
All
I did was buy a house
Election
Year Pick Pockets
Despite President Bush’s opposition to uncontrolled spending, the Senate voted 79 – 16 to provide $5.9 billion for drought relief for the nation’s farmers and ranchers for Fiscal Year 2002. Calling the vote a blatant attempt to buy votes, opponents said there was ample money for relief in the recently passed $180 billion farm bill and that Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle’s measure would be financed by more government borrowing, driving up projected red ink. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman also disapproved of the increased spending saying in a letter to the senators, “This is unacceptable.” House Majority Leader Dick Armey expressed belief that the vote was design to bolster the re-election chances of South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson who is facing formidable opposition from GOP Rep. John Thune. Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott told reporters that the nearly $6 billion figure is too high and will most likely be reduced in a House, Senate conference.
Healthy
Forests Initiative
The
U.S. Senate will resume deliberations on the Interior Appropriations
bill, Thursday, September 12. Included
in the bill is President Bush’s “Healthy Forests Initiative,” a
plan to expedite the thinning of the country’s overgrown and
brush-choked forests. The
president promised help for fire-ravaged communities during his August
trip to Oregon, one of several western states that endured one of the
worst fire seasons in recent history.
In an oblique reference to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle’s
quiet move to exempt South Dakota forests from environmental
regulations, the president said, “The Black Hills National Forest, east of here, got some
treatment about how to thin, how to make sure that that forest was well
preserved.” He expressed
belief that all states deserve the same treatment.
There is opposition from the usual sources, of course.
New Mexico Democrat Jeff Bingaman has introduced a proposal to
thin forests within ¼ mile of communities in and around federal forests
and offers no protection from environmental litigation and would further
limit treated acreage to only 1.25 million acres, half of what the U.S.
Forest Service treated last year. The
president’s plan deserves the support of all.
Please contact your senators immediately and urge them to vote
for Bush’s “Healthy Forests Initiative.”
Bush
Fire Plan Mirrors State Policies