Congressmen Seek Endangered Species Change

[buzzsaw_23]

Congressmen Seek Endangered Species Change


Tuesday September 20, 2005 2:46 AM

By DON THOMPSON

Associated Press Writer

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A group of congressmen proposed bipartisan legislation Monday to rewrite the Endangered Species Act, a measure that environmental groups say would gut the landmark 1973 law.

Richard Pombo, R-Calif., chairman of the House Resources Committee, scheduled a hearing Wednesday on the measure. He and Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Calif., argued that it is time to return to the original goal of the act - increasing threatened or endangered species' populations to the point that they can be removed from the list.

The bill was unveiled at a Sacramento news conference at the same time it was introduced in Washington. The congressmen said the announcement far from the nation's capital was intended to show the proposed law would return more control to state and local governments.

In all, six Democrats and eight Republicans - from Arkansas, California, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington and Wyoming - signed on as original co-sponsors of the bill.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5289583,00.html

More attempts at tearing away the fabric of life for the rapacious corporate-military machine courtesy of their cowardly enablers in the thoroughly corrupted halls of Congress.

[GreenArrow]

1. Tear it up.

Tear all of it up. Fucking necrophiles.

[tk2kewl]

21. It really should be torn up...

and replaced with a Biodiversity and Ecosystem Protection Act.

[despairing optimist]

2. If these congressmen put themselves on the list, I'm all for it

[Viking12]

3. I knew Pombo was behind this before I even opened the thread...

He is a vile anti-environmnet, anti-life, scum-sucking waste of oxygen.

[pinniped]

4. This pombo piece of shit is the same scumbag who wanted to...

open the Farallon Islands to HAM radio antennas and the public.

[semillama]

13. he's also behind a move to gut the NHPA

or National Historic Preservation Act.

In a nutshell, he doesn't want any special consideration given to anything historic or archaeological in nature if it isn't already listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Never has there been a politician so deeply in the developers' pockets.

[WhiteTara]

House Bill Would Limit U.S. Power to Protect Species

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/20/politics/20species.html

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 - The chairman of the House committee overseeing natural resources introduced a bill Monday that would make it more difficult for the federal government to set aside land it deems crucial to the health of endangered species.

The proposed amendments to the Endangered Species Act also increase the obligation of government agencies to tell landowners quickly if the law limits their development options, and to compensate them.

SNIP

The measure, which drew quick denunciations from groups like Environmental Defense, Defenders of Wildlife and the Natural Resources Defense Council, was proposed by the House Resources Committee chairman, Representative Richard W. Pombo, Republican of California. It was immediately put on a fast track, which is expected to bring it before the full House early next week.


I looks like we will be living on a barren moon scape soon. Oh, wait, nothing lives on a barren moon scape!
:grr:
IMPEACH GEORGE BUSH AND SEND THEM ALL TO THE HAGUE!

[babylonsister]

5. IMPEACH GEORGE BUSH AND SEND THEM ALL TO THE HAGUE!

I had to do that, and I agree!

[Roland99]

6. I thought that said "Spies"

I need to go to bed. ;)

[DeepModem Mom]

8. kick

[Up2Late]

7. These Scumbags will stop at nothing

This is the beginning of an all out push to trash the environment. They just proposed trashing the laws preventing over fishing too.

[blindpig]

9. pathologically insane

Pombo, the whole gang of them. By exterminating our fellow lifeforms they destroy the matrix of human self understanding. And I'm afraid that they are but a manifestation of currents underlying our civilization. The cover of "improving the ESA" is par for the course for this gang who took 1984 to be an instruction manual.

The ESA has never had a real chance to work with the exception of a few high profile cases such as the California Condor(which is far from out of the woods yet). Less charismatic species get little to no funding. While this maladministration has fought tooth and nail to prevent further listings previous administrations are also guilty.

That the relict populations of the Eastern Cougar have not been listed by saying that they don't exist in contradiction of numerous observations is a testimony to the power of money and political expediency. Such a listing would enrage both the extractive industries and the numerous small landholders in the Appalachians.
Like you said, cowards.

Sometimes I wish we'd just get the whole damned thing over with, this slow death is painful to watch. Fuck it, cut the sequoias, machine gun the grizzles and wolves, nuke the whales. Probably have a positive effect on the GNP, and that's what is important.

BTW, can anyone tell me who the other co-sponsors are? Whoever the pos from SC is he's going to hear from me, for what it's worth.

[San Cocho]

11. there have been some successes

the bald eagle, the wolf, the grizzly bear to name a few of the charismatic megafauna. All of these animals' populations and ranges are increasing.

I am not sure what you would have done for the Eastern Cougar. its population if it even has one would be so minimal that any conservation measures would be meaningless.

Property owners can enter into agreements with the Fish and Wildlife SErvice to protect the listed species while at the same time enabling the owners to use their lands. there are already mechanisms in place to do this under the Endangered Species Act.

[blindpig]

14. hurray

Yes, the Bald Eagle can be considered a success story. As for the wolves and bears, while their numbers are increasing they have not reached the point of long term sustainability. And as we speak the bu$histas are working hammer and tong to terminate unfinished programs at the behest of land rapists and asshole cowboys.

But what of the not so charismatic species? Obscure taxa of rodents, bog turtles, flatwood salamanders, black pine snake, gangs of mollusk, schools of endemic fish and let's not even get into plants.
These have their own worth unrelated to the GNP. They are as worthy of our attention as any other.

As per the cougar, as they say the law is the law. Sure it would be tough, expensive and contentious. It is nonetheless our responsibility. Tougher acts have been pulled off, consider the Mauritius Kestrel.

Kind of hard to protect species when you are mining or clearcutting their habitat. Make no mistake, the anti-ESA/"wise use" movement is the creature of the extractive industries. They are the paymaster and strategist using some disgruntled little guys as cover. Do you think they would even consider taking a hit on their bottom line for the pygmy salamander? Not unless they were compelled to.

[pitohui]

24. peregrine falcon, brown pelican also v. successful

brown pelican is quite thick on the ground by this time of century, as is the amer. alligator, brown pelican was completely extirpated in la in the 1960s, the alligator was virtually so

now both species are common, as is the bald eagle

because of the land required, a lg species can save not just itself but whole habitats

i am a skeptic on the question of the eastern mountain lion but i was skeptic on the matter of the ivory-billed woodpecker also, so who knows

it would be a shame to see this law any weaker than it already is, it sure doesn't seem to do much for the little guys like the wildflowers or the butterflies

[Lorien]

10. Kick

[The Stranger]

12. Kick and recommend for greatest.

[Democat]

15. Those six Democrats should all be voted out of office

They are making it hard for voters to tell which party is looking out for their interests.

When Democrats become corrupted by Republicans, it's time for voters to kick them out of office.

Democrats need to stand up strongly for the environment and show voters that we actually stand for something.

[tex-wyo-dem]

16. I get the suspision that the Rethugs know there time as super-majority...

may be limited, so they are throwing everything at the wall as fast as they can. This has to be stopped NOW!!! Our Dems better be up for the task.

I really, really hate these people.

[Deep13]

17. Why not wait for Roberts to declare it unconstitutional?

:mad:

[Demeter]

18. GOP Congresspeople--Endangered Species

survival of the fittest; adapt or die!

Isn't social Darwinism a bitch?

[alarimer]

19. Six turncoat Democrats

Must be DINOs

[Judi Lynn]

20. Endangered Species Act rewrite would cut critical habitat provisions

September 21, 2005

Endangered Species Act rewrite would cut critical habitat provisions


CAPITOL HILL If a California congressman has his way, the government will get out of the business of setting aside critical habitat for threatened plants and animals.

Republican Richard Pombo wants his House Resources Committee to vote tomorrow on a big change to the Endangered Species Act. He hopes the full House will take it up next week.

He's been trying to rewrite the law for more than a decade, saying it's created problems for private property owners and has led to more lawsuits than benefits for wildlife.

But environmentalists and many Democrats contend the 32-year-old law has been successful, pointing out that of the 18-hundred species listed in it, only nine have gone extinct.
(snip/...)

http://www.kplctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3877713&nav=0nqx

[shanti]

22. ugh, he is my congressman:-(

i live in a highly gerrymandered district, not too many dems. he's getting an email from me!

[fshrink]

23. So who will protect the

Democraticus Spinus, the Mediaticus Objectivus and all these nearly extinct species?

[Democat]

25. The article has been updated

Conservative lawmakers poised to eliminate key provisions of the landmark 32-year-old Endangered Species Act encountered unexpected support Wednesday: Some environmentalists and liberal Democrats said they agree with some of the changes.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050921/ap_on_go_co/endangered_species