Liberty
Matters News Service
July 21, 2004
Bill to Protect Rare Cats Worldwide
Not content just to waste tax dollars here at home, two
U.S. Representatives, Clay Shaw, (R-FL) and Tom Udall (D-NM), have sponsored
"The Great Cats and Rare Canids Act of 2004," to throw away our money overseas.
The bill provides U. S. taxpayer dollars for the conservation of rare wild cats
and wild dogs around the world that are listed as endangered or threatened by
the United Nations and the U. S. Endangered Species Act. Nicholas Lapham, vice
president for policy at Conservation International is giddy at the prospect
saying, "[T]his bill is an important contribution to U. S. efforts aimed at
helping to conserve some of the world's most cherished and imperiled animals."
The bill names habitat loss and habitat depredation as two of the reasons the
37 wild cats and 35 wild dogs are in need of our tax dollars. "Healthy
populations of these species act as an important indicator of the integrity of
entire ecosystems and, because they require large wild spaces to persist,
benefit entire ecosystems and a large number of other species," the bill
states.
Wildlife Groups Back Bipartisan Bill to Help
Lions, Wolves
Does Anyone Have a Flyswatter?
Colton, California, has the
dubious honor of being the location of an infestation of the endangered Dehli
Sands flower-loving fly. The city is trying to provide land for "flyways" the
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service says are necessary for the protection and
well-being of the flies. The city has tried for seven years to provide habitat
for the flies, but private landowners don't want to negotiate. "They are in
denial or incredulous that some of their land isn't worth market value because
of the presence of the fly," said City Manager, Daryl Parrish. Colton City
officials have resorted to requesting the use of $425,000 in federal poverty
funds to destroy portions of some roads to make room for the insects and
provide funds for their upkeep. It all seems an exercise in futility since
biologists don't even know how many flies exist because they only emerge from
their underground haunts once a year to mate and then die. The Dehli has been a
fly in Colton's ointment since it was declared endangered in 1993. Its presence
has cost the city an estimated $300 million in lost investments and 700 to
1,000 jobs because companies do not want to jump through ridiculous
environmental hoops for a fly. Protection of the fly has cost taxpayers dearly,
too. San Bernardino County was forced to move the location of the Arrowhead
Regional Medical Center 250 feet at a cost of $3 million to avoid disturbing
alleged fly habitat. Two years ago, when someone thought he had seen a handful
of the flies where the city was planning to build a $12 million baseball park,
the city had to find a different location, which cost taxpayers another $1.2
million.
New Twist in Fight Over Fly
Environmentalists File Record Number of Lawsuits
The prospect of oil and gas
wells being drilled on public lands has sent environmentalists running to court
in record numbers. Justice Department officials say a record number of lawsuits
- about 7,100 - are being litigated by the Environment and Natural Resources
Division. "The fact that the environmental groups have so successfully worked
the litigation element into the regulatory process is proven today by the high
oil and gas prices we're seeing both at the gas pump and in the natural gas
sector," said Marl Sexton of Evergreen Resources. Alaska Governor Frank
Murkowski quoted Bill Clinton's Interior Secretary Bruce Babbit's 2001
statement: "If they'll turn around and look west [from the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge] they'll find they can drill undisturbed for 1,000 miles - all
the way to Siberia." Mr. Babbitt has changed his tune now that the Bureau of
Land Management is looking toward NPR - A (National Petroleum Reserve -
Alaska.) Babbitt opines that drilling will disrupt wildlife, spoil untouched
lands and ruin the biological heart of the western Arctic. In 1997, however, he
said: "This is an unprecedented opportunity for cooperation that can bring
long-term benefits for everyone…[U]sing high-quality, science,
state-of-the-art technology and an open dialogue with the public." Gov,
Murkowski says it's time to end obstructionist tactics. "Let's get on with the
energy security of the United States and develop the petroleum reserve
now."
Environmentalists File Record Number of Lawsuits
Two-faced on NPR-A Plans
S. 2543 Heads to Full Senate
The Senate Energy and Natural Resource
Committee last week approved S. 2543 the National Heritage Partnership Act. The
measure was introduced by Sen. Craig Thomas (R-WY) and had only one co-sponsor,
Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT). Sen. Thomas said his "[B]ill reigns in the growth of
this program by establishing clear guidelines, caps the amount of federal money
an area can receive and specifically includes language that protects the rights
of individual property owners." The hearing on S. 2590, the Americans Outdoors
Act, was held July 20. Of the seven witnesses who testified, Nancy Marzulla of
Defenders of Property Rights and Daniel Clifton, Americans for Tax Reform were
solidly against the bill, arguing that it would put property rights in jeopardy
and it is too costly. Lynn Scarlett, Assistant Secretary, Dept. of Interior
told the Committee that "funding allocation decisions should be made through
the appropriations process and not through new mandatory spending." No vote was
taken.
Testimony on S. 2590
Thomas'
National Heritage Bill Moves To Full Senate