Endangered Species Act (ESA) Reform

1
Endangered Species Act (ESA) Reform
2
Picture this

• A 100 million five-star resort, spa, and golf
  course ceased development due to an existing
  habitat for the migratory Oregon Spotted Butterfly

3
Background

• In the 1950s, America increased the development
  of untapped lands, paying little attention to
  environmental care.
• With the increase of automobiles and factories,
  pollution became a rising issue.
• This resulted in an increased scarcity of
  resources, and raised awareness of much needed
  environmental protection.

4
Importance of Biodiversity

• Biological diversity is the interaction and
  cohabitation of the various species of animals,
  plants, fungi, and microorganisms that inhabit a
  particular area or ecosystem.
• More than 25 of medicines and more than 3,000
  antibiotics were originally derived from various
  endangered organisms.
• The depletion of habitat resources, like
  nutrients, spatial environments, and other
  survival necessities, is placing enormous
  pressure on remaining natural resources.
• Ecologic interdependence is extremely important.

5
The Creation of ESA

• In the late 1960s, peoples concern about
  environmental preservation was steadily
  increasing.
• In 1973, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was
  created to preserve biodiversity and protect
  potentially endangered species.

6
Current Policies

• The US Fish and Wildlife Service currently
  enforces the ESA and its listing processes.
• Landowners are restricted from further developing
  any property that inhabits an endangered species.
• Consequences for violating the ESA include
  potential jail time and immense monetary fines.
• Landowners responsibilities for endangered
  species are numerous.

7
Problems with the ESA

• Landowners are unfairly compensated for their
  financial losses due to ESA restrictions.
• Farmland water diverted to save Chinook salmon
  and Delta Smelt
• Result 26 million in damages

8
Problems, cont.

• Human lives are jeopardized
• Damaged levees could not be repaired due to
  Elderberry Beetle habitat
• Result 3 deaths
• Fire brush could not be removed due to Stephens
  Kangaroo Rat habitat
• Result Millions in property damage

9
Problems, cont.

• Listing fallacies and recovery planning are
  inefficient and inaccurate.
• Grey Wolves and Grizzly Bears endangered in
  continental US
• However, tens of thousands roam Canada and Alaska

10
Problems, cont.

• ESA restrictions are damaging corporate economies
  as well as endangered species populations.
• Timber harvesters cut trees to prevent
  inhabitation of Red Cockaded Woodpecker
• Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up
• If woodpeckers were forced to inhabit elsewhere,
  then they would not damage the economies of
  various corporations.

11
Alternative Solutions

• Canada
• Based on the United States ESA
• Attempted to correct ESA private
• property problems associated
• primarily with property
• compensation

• Australia
• Introduced national park fencing system
• Based on voluntary involvement by private
  property owners (no official government
  legislation is currently enforced).

12
A New Solution

• Creation of a new committee called the Endangered
  Species Services (ESS)
• 13 regional committees headed by a single
  national committee formed by regional leaders
• The ESS will work along side the US Fish and
  Wildlife Service, as well as the National Marine
  Fisheries Service, as a committee under the
  Department of the Interior.
• Committees implement new recovery processes and
  give individual species attention.

13
Wheres the money coming from?

• The ESS acts as an efficiency committee. It will
  be used to cut back the 400 million annually in
  expenditures currently used for court settlements
  and compensation.
• This will reduce the number of court cases and
  increase the number of species recovery plans.

14
How does this solve the problem?

• The ESS will provide fair compensation in a
  timely fashion. (For example, the San Joaquin
  Farmers situation ten year layover)
• Accurate listing information will assist in the
  enforcement of better recovery processes that are
  specific to each economic and environmental
  situation.

15
How is this better than existing ESA policy?

• Currently, the ESA is not efficient in protecting
  the species or compensating the landowners. Our
  policy will
• Create a compromise between species recovery and
  property compensation.
• Landowners will be able to use their land and
  resources more economically. They will be
  getting the most out of their time, money, and
  efforts.
• Property owners will not be tempted to rid their
  land of a noted endangered species
• Species numbers will eventually increase since
  the risk of landowners killing off inhabiting
  species will significantly decrease.

16
But will it solve everything?

• Obviously the implementation of our committee is
  only a minimal step to solving much larger
  problems surrounding the current ESA policy.
• If our policy solved everything, the problem
  wouldnt exist! (and we would be on our way to
  Washington)
• However, our step is a significant one in that it
  will initiate the reform process in an effort to
  balance the benefit between species recovery and
  property compensation.

17

• Questions?