Simpson and Otter Cosponsor Endangered Species Act Reform

Simpson and Otter Cosponsor Endangered Species Act Reform

Washington, D.C. - Idaho Congressmen Mike Simpson and C.L. "Butch" Otter became original cosponsors on Wednesday of California Democrat Dennis Cardoza's legislation to protect property owners and species by improving the critical habitat designation process under the Endangered Species Act.

The Critical Habitat Enhancement Act, H.R. 1299, would give the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service more time to designate critical habitat for a listed species so that decisions are based on the best available scientific information. It also would require the Fish and Wildlife Service to consider economic impacts and consult with local entities when designating lands for inclusion in a critical habitat area.

Water, natural resources, agriculture and rural organizations are praising the effort to impose common sense on the Endangered Species Act, a 31-year-old law that is in dire need of extensive reform to make it more practical and effective. Congressmen Simpson and Otter applauded Congressman Cardoza's bipartisan campaign to change one of the most onerous and contentious provisions of the ESA. His bill recognizes that enlisting the help of private property owners works far better than imposing heavy-handed regulations.

"Since its passage in 1973, the Endangered Species Act has increasingly been used more to block access to natural resources than to actually recover threatened species," Congressman Simpson said.

"For decades the ESA - and specifically the critical habitat designation process - has been more of a frustrating exercise in paperwork and lawsuits than a collaborative, realistic way to address issues on the ground," Congressman Otter said. "This bill is a way to refocus the use of limited resources on the species rather than continuing with wasteful and too often futile preservation and recovery efforts."

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/id02_simpson/ESA_reform.html