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Miller statement on House vote on Endangered Species

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House today approved endangered species legislation that will undermine the recovery of threatened and endangered wildlife, fish, and plants and add enormous new costs for U.S. taxpayers at a time when the federal budget deficit is already out of control.

The House narrowly rejected a bipartisan alternative proposal that would have provided for improved species recovery while also responding to legitimate concerns of landowners and being responsible to taxpayers. That collaborative approach, spearheaded by Reps. George Miller (D-CA), a former chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, and Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), the chairman of the House Science Committee, won widespread praise from conservation and sportsmen’s organizations. The alternative was narrowly defeated by a vote of 206 to 216.

While Miller voted for his alternative, he voted against the bill that was approved by the House written by Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA), chairman of the House Resource Committee.

Miller issued this statement on the House’s action today:

“There is broad agreement that the 1973 Endangered Species Act needs reform – both to ensure that more species’ populations recover to sustainable levels and to better address the concerns of private landowners.

“Unfortunately, the legislation passed by the House today takes us in the wrong direction.

“Their bill eliminates the requirement to set aside critical habitat for species recovery but fails to put in place any other requirement for the recovery of plants and animals. At the same time, their bill creates a new system of giveaways to developers and real estate speculators regardless of whether their land claims are legitimate and with no limits on how much the taxpayer will be asked to pay.

“Once again, this House, under extreme Republican leadership, rejected a sensible and bipartisan alternative that would have ensured the timely recovery of threatened and endangered species in a way that would have been workable for private landowners. This action will produce harmful consequences for taxpayers and devastating consequences for endangered animals, fish, and plants.

“The bald eagle, the Florida manatee, the American alligator, and the California condor are among those great species that are woven into our nation’s natural and cultural landscape. A part of America’s soul would be lost if these animals were allowed to disappear. But the legislation approved by the House today would hasten their demise. In the Senate, I hope more reasonable minds prevail so that America can move forward with the recovery of species, respect for landowners and responsibility to taxpayers.”

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Posted by Intern, CA07 at 07:32PM | Comments ()

Legislation to drill off Calif. Coast and in Arctic Wilderness exploits Katrina for long-sought regressive and dangerous Energy Policy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. George Miller (D-CA) issued the following statement on a new legislation offered today by Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA), chairman of the House Resources Committee. The Committee is voting on the bill today.

“Americans need an energy policy for the 21st century, one that is innovative, sustainable, economically sound, and that ensures a balance between the need for more energy and the need to protect our vital environmental and economic resources.

“What Americans are being offered instead, and for a second time this year, is an energy bill from the 19th century, one that relies on drilling along protected coastlines in California and Florida, drilling in the protected Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, wiping out vital environmental protection laws, and one that fails to make any headway in the desperately needed area of energy efficiency.

“The fact is that Republican leaders are shamelessly exploiting the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the disruption it caused to our energy supplies to promote their long-sought radical energy policy that benefits special interest friends in the oil industry at the expense of the rest of America.

“They have already exploited Katrina to cut wage protections in the Gulf region, cut affirmative action for hiring in the Gulf region, impose the use of controversial private school vouchers in the Gulf region, and waive environmental laws in the Gulf region. Now they are planning to devastate vast amounts of America’s most prized environmental possessions across the country, using Katrina as the excuse.

“The lands they would open to oil drilling play a major role in our country’s economy and also in our country’s identity and I will fight against seeing them destroyed for the short-sighted and short-term interests that this bill seeks to serve. I will continue to fight for an energy policy that balances safe new production with significant efficiency gains and continued environmental protections.”

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Posted by Intern, CA07 at 08:42PM | Comments ()

House lawmakers to offer Bipartisan Legislation on Endangered Species Conservation and Recovery

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A bipartisan coalition of members of the House of Representatives are pushing for passage of responsible legislation to help threatened and endangered species recover without putting onerous burdens on landowners or taxpayers. A vote on their proposal, and on a controversial competing proposal, is expected Thursday.

The bipartisan group opposes legislation authored by House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo (R-CA) that would make it far less likely that endangered species would ever recover but would add enormous new costs for U.S. taxpayers. (Pombo’s bill is H.R. 3824.)

The bipartisan group is led by Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) and includes Reps. John Dingell (D-MI) – the original author of the 1973 Endangered Species Act; Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD); Norm Dicks (D-WA); Doris Matsui (D-CA); Mark Steven Kirk (R-IL); and Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), among others. The lawmakers issued this statement today:

“The legislation passed by the House Resources Committee last week represents a break with the bipartisan tradition that has guided much of Congress’ work on endangered and threatened species. Our alternative proposal is in keeping with the bipartisan tradition on this issue and represents a balanced and positive step forward for the management of America’s precious environmental diversity, defense of legitimate needs of private landowners, and responsibility toward federal taxpayers.

“H.R. 3824, by contrast, would make it far less likely that threatened and endangered species would ever recover to sustainable levels, let alone maintain their current populations. It would also put taxpayers on the line for potentially massive payments to landowners that go far beyond the true costs of complying with the law.

“Our alternative is a bipartisan, responsible, and common sense approach to helping recover species while also protecting landowners and taxpayers. H.R. 3824 claims to reform the Endangered Species Act, but it really just weakens the Act while adding to taxpayer burdens. Our alternative is a real solution – with an emphasis on recovery and recognition of legitimate needs of landowners and taxpayers.”

Like the Pombo legislation, the Miller-Boehlert legislation would remove the requirement under current law that the Secretary of the Interior must designate “critical habitat” areas for species recovery. But unlike the Pombo legislation, the Miller-Boehlert bill replaces this program with an effective conservation effort that will protect habitat necessary for species recovery. The Pombo bill leaves no meaningful recovery plan in effect after the removal of the critical habitat designation. Specifically, the Miller-Boehlert legislation would:

Use private lands to help threatened and endangered species recover to sustainable levels only if public lands – like national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges – are not adequate for recovery;

Dedicate resources to provide technical assistance and grants to private property owners – particularly small land owners – who help conserve species on or near their land; and,

Achieve better federal-state cooperation on decisions to list species as threatened or endangered or make changes to such lists, as well as achieving better cooperation on creating and implementing recovery plans.

The Miller-Boehlert substitute would eliminate the open-ended new entitlement that would be created by H.R. 3824, would make enforceable the recovery plans that H.R. 3824 relies on to protect species, would ensure that decisions are based on science, and would amend provisions in H.R. 3824 that the Congressional Research Service says would weaken the Endangered Species Act.

A number of sporting and conservation groups have already endorsed the Miller-Boehlert bill, including American Bird Conservancy, Defenders of Wildlife, Environmental Defense, Izaak Walton League of America, Nature Conservancy, Ocean Conservancy, Trout Unlimited and Wilderness Society.

The bipartisan coalition is asking the House leadership to ensure that they have the right to offer their alternative on the House floor on Thursday, when the Pombo legislation is considered.

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Posted by Intern, CA07 at 07:38PM | Comments ()