Liberty
Matters News Service
April 27, 2006
Personal Foul, $5,000 Penalty
Former NFL running back Larry Csonka was fined $5,000 by a federal magistrate in Alaska for running afoul of the U. S. government by failing to obtain a special use permit to film national forest service land for his television show. Csonka had reached an agreement with officials last January to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of filming on government property without the proper permits, but that wasn't enough. "The National Forest Service and the prosecutor's office wanted to make an example out of it," Csonka said. Federal Magistrate John Roberts fined Csonka the maximum $2,500 on each of the two counts and ordered him to pay $3,887 in restitution and placed him on probation for one year. Assistant U.S. attorney Retta Randall admitted: "[T]he fine is basically to sort of get his attention, but more importantly, it's to send a message to other film makers who use this land." Audrey Bradshaw, executive producer of the show, NAPA's North to Alaska, explained that 26 episodes have been produced annually over nine seasons and the company Zonk! has always obtained the necessary permits. The two incidents in question were unintentional. "There was no intention of skirting the law," she said. Csonka's attorney, Kevin Fitzgerald asked Judge Roberts to impose no fine, but Roberts refused saying, "The way of doing business does not give you license to disregard the law," he said.
Forest Service Fines Csonka $5,000
Taxpayers Foot Bill for Private Conservation
Colorado farmers and ranchers have taken advantage of the generosity of the federal government's Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program to take 65,000 acres of marginal land out of production in exchange for $91 million. Eliminating production agriculture will result in a five percent annual reduction of water pumped from the Ogallala Aquifer, a trade-off politicians apparently applaud. "It has been very successful privately, and it is a nice way to create open space whether it is public or private," said Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, (R-CO). According to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, who attended the signing ceremony near Wiggins, 65 miles north of Denver, agriculture producers need more subsidies to comply with onerous government environmental regulations. Rep. Musgrave echoed Johanns' sentiments: "I really think that this program will enable producers to stay in agricultural production and yet meet the high standards we have now for water quality and providing habitat," she said. Plans are in the works to spend 66.3 million taxpayer dollars to remove 35,000 acres of irrigated farm land from production in the Republican River Basin in Eastern Colorado and 30,000 acres of high plains farm land will be retired for wildlife and migratory birds in Kit Carson, Logan, Phillips, and Yuma counties in the future at a cost of $25.3 million.
Colorado Farmers, Ranchers Put
Aside 65,000 Acres for Conservation
Montana Nutty Professors' Campaign For ESA
Three University of Montana faculty members called a press conference last week to raise awareness of the importance of the Endangered Species Act, albeit to a small audience. Economist John Duffield told the assembled few that he felt wolves were far more important than domestic livestock and wild game because 94 percent of visitors to Yellowstone National Park said they came to see wild animals. "Wolves are what economists call a public good," Duffield said. "Millions of people can come and see them. Cattle and sheep are private goods." Duffield related that wolves alone brought an estimated $35 million into Yellowstone in 2005, while only $270,000 was spent to reimburse ranchers for livestock the government wolves killed. Duffield was equally blasé about the ever-diminishing decrease in big game hunting permits due to slaughter of elk herds by grizzlies and wolves. Duffield scoffed that Montana's hunting revenue has been a mere $140,000 annually, and counts as nothing compared to the economic, environmental, and emotional value of a healthy wolf population. Chris Servheen, Grizzly Bear Recovery coordinator for USFWS and part-time forestry professor, chimed in that a strong ESA is the key to protecting grizzly habitat. Environmental studies director Len Broberg said, "The Endangered Species Act is a safety net for wildlife. It's about protecting those animals that are on the brink of disappearing forever."
UM Faculty Members Rally for
ESA
ESA Reform Deadlocked in Senate
James Inhofe (R-OK), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee announced this week that he is looking for other vehicles to move Endangered Species Act legislation on the Senate floor. Negotiations have deadlocked with Senate Fisheries, Wildlife and Water Subcommittee Chairman Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I) and ranking member Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), whom Inhofe had deferred the ESA rewrite to for passage of a bill in the Senate. Chairman Inhofe admitted he could not even move his own bill out of his committee and blamed it on Chafee. Inhofe said: "I am committed to get a bill on the floor, and I am not too particular, but every time I talk to Senator Chafee, it doesn't matter what it is, he will not support it." Even though Chafee is a Republican, he has said he will only support a bill Democrats support. Chafee says there are five issues they were "stuck" on, including funding, critical habitat and the jeopardy standard. He also said that legislation this year was improbable. However, if Inhofe decides to file a bill outside of committee, it's a new game for all concerned.