|
September 1997, Volume 4, number 7
State of the States: Very Varied Species Laws
by Paula Carrell
State endangered species protection laws vary widely. Some are excellent, others
modest, a few not worth the paper they're written on and some states have no state-level
program at all. The rise of the "private property rights"challenge to
environmental protection laws, while largely unsuccessful at enacting stand-alone
"takings"statutes in the states, has succeeded in threatening species protection
programs. Some state-by-state examples follow:
FLORIDA The 1997 Florida Legislature
approved a bill that will weaken the state's "Preservation 2000"program,
Florida's primary tool for protection of threatened and endangered species habitat. The
new law shifts the focus of the state lands program away from resource conservation and
provision of recreational opportunities toward revenue-generating, multiple-use activities
such as cattle grazing, logging, utility corridors, and mining and concessionaire
operations.
In addition, funding for the Florida Natural Areas Inventory, which performs surveys
and audits of environmentally sensitive lands, has been cut each of the past two years.
FNAI keeps a database of the plant and animal species located on public and private lands,
which state agencies use in making land management/growth management decisions. Cuts have
weakened the mapping information.
For more information: Contact Laurie MacDonald,(813)821-9585; laurie.macdonald@sierraclub.org
HAWAII Hawaii's endangered species law
currently prohibits incidental take (except for research or propagation) of threatened and
endangered species. But this year, large landowners, the Nature Conservancy and the state
introduced a bill into the Hawaii Legislature that would have authorized incidental takes
without any criteria as to when "take" (killing, harming or destroying the
habitat) might be justified. The Sierra Club and the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund helped
craft a much better bill.
For more information: Contact David Frankel, (808) 538-6616; david.frankel@sierraclub.org.
KANSAS In response to an agribusiness and
developers'bill to gut the state Endangered Species Act, the Kansas Sierra Club proposed
that groups who care about this issue get together and talk. The legislature then approved
a bill that set up a state endangered species task force of conservation, academic and
industry representatives. The task force unanimously supported continuing the requirement
that the decision to list a species remain purely a biological decision. With very few
changes, the bill passed the legislature and was signed into law after the 1997 session.
For more information: Contact Charles Benjamin, (785) 232-1555; knrcsierra@cjnetworks.com.
CALIFORNIA There were more than a dozen
California Endangered Species Act bills this year, most of which were products of special
interest groups or anti-environmental Republican legislators.
The good news is that all of the "bad"bills have been defeated or at least
postponed until next year. The bad news is that this issue of The Planet went to press
before we learned whether S. 879, the bill supported by the environmental community,
achieved final legislative passage in this legislature which won't adjourn until
September. S. 879 addresses the issue of "incidental take"of endangered species,
and was triggered by a series of court decisions which held that the administration of
California Gov. Pete Wilson did not have authority to issue "take"permits under
the state law.
For more information: Contact Bill Craven, (916) 557-1100 ext. 103; bill.craven@sierraclub.org.
MICHIGAN The Michigan ESA is very similar
to the federal act and sounds terrific, with mandatory provisions for review and
protection. Unfortunately, there is a lack of funding to collect the essential data,
particularly on state lands.
For more information: Contact Judy Thompson, (313) 677-2517; judith.thompson@sierraclub.org
Back to The Planet September 1997
Up to Top
|
