Round Rock resolution rails against Endangered Species Act
ROUND ROCK — Round Rock City Council members have joined other Williamson County elected officials voicing frustration over federal environmental regulations they say block development.
The council passed a resolution Thursday railing against the Endangered Species Act and calling on local congressmen and senators to work toward amending the act. Residents fighting a possible gas station near a natural springs in their neighborhood showed up to oppose the resolution.
The resolution comes as local officials await a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service whether to list four Central Texas salamander species as endangered. County officials, fearing more regulation, have argued against the listing, saying that not enough is known about the species — two of which live in Williamson County — to list them and that the county already takes appropriate steps to protect the species.
The county is currently conducting a five-year study of the Georgetown salamander that it expanded last month to include the Jollyville salamander.
http://www.statesman.com/news/local/round-rock-resolution-rails-against-endangered-species-act-2226406.html
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