Roundtable Submits Comments on ESA Consultation Rulemaking
Western Business Roundtable
On August 3, 2009, the Western Business Roundtable submitted comments regarding the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service's request for public comments on regulations governing interagency consultation and cooperation under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The Roundtable and the many Westerners who care about the successful recovery of species in trouble. We supported the set of amendments to the ESA regulations governing interagency consultation that were instituted in late 2008 (“the 2008 Rule”). In addition, the Roundtable continues to advocate for the following priciples to improve the performance of the ESA and decrease the number of ESA-related lawsuits by:
- Giving state and local governments more of a say in the listing and recovery processes
- Opening the listing process to the sunshine of public disclosure, including a requirement to publish notice of listing petitions within a reasonable amount of time of their receipt at any U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service office
- Providing all members of the public full and equal access to the USFWS “Environmental
Conservation Online System” (“ECOS”) online database. ECOS houses modules that
provide information on endangered and threatened species including candidate species,
conservation plans, critical habitat, litigation and petitions
- Restoring the primacy of independently verifiable science in driving all aspects of ESA listing processes and regulation
- Replacing the failed "critical habitat" process with science-based recovery plans
- Increasing communication and coordination among federal agencies
- Developing better incentives for landowners who have endangered species or habitat on
their property
- Compensating private property owners for the fair market value of loss of use of their property
Click here to see the Roundtable's full submission to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Roundtable members may access additional information on this issue by logging onto the Roundtable Public Lands Committee Online Headquarters, through the "Members" tab of the home page.
