WSW Issue #1692 October 20 2006 Interior/Endangered Species Act

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Page 1 of 3 WSW Issue #1692 ode October 20, 2006 ADMINISTRATION UPDATE /ENVIRONMENT Interior /Endangered Species Act Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne is expected to push changes to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) next year. In 1998, then Senator Kempthorne (R -ID) sponsored bipartisan legislation S. 1180 to amend the act, it made it to the Senate legislative calendar, but no further, and legislative action stalled in the House. At his summer confirmation hearing he said that he looked forward to "...again being at the table discussing ways to improve the act and make it more meaningful in helping the very species that we're trying to save." The ESA was last amended and reauthorized in 1988, and for well over a decade continued program spending has been authorized year -to -year under appropriations acts. But environmental groups are leery of changes. The Endangered Species Coalition (ESC), a non - partisan group working with conservation and environmental organizations "as diverse as the species we are working to protect," supports a strong reauthorization bill focused on recovery, "not just the survival of listed species." But it opposes any bill that would weaken ESA protections. H.R. 3824, the Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act, passed the House on September 29, 2005. ESC opposed the bill, introduced by Rep. Richard Pombo (R -CA), as deceptive and intended to "dismantle the core protections of the Endangered Species Act...." ESC also opposed S. 1180, and with regard to Kempthorne, Liz Godfrey, ESC Program Director, says, "Given his record, it's potentially dangerous to open up the ESA. I don't think [the act] needs to be changed. It needs to be funded. It has been consistently under funded over the course of the years." On September 26, Secretary Kempthorne announced the release of more than $67M in ESA Section 6 grants to 27 states to fund conservation planning and acquisition of vital habitat for threatened and endangered fish, wildlife and plants. The grants, awarded through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CESF), will benefit species ranging from orchids to bull trout across the United States. "These grants are incredibly important tools to conserve threatened and endangered species," said Secretary Kempthorne. "Our ability to successfully conserve habitat for imperiled species depends on long -term partnerships and voluntary landowner participation. These grants provide the means for States to work with landowners and communities to conserve habitat and foster conservation stewardship efforts for future generations." (FWS Press Release, 9 -26- 06) The CESF this year provides $7.5M through the Habitat Conservation Planning Assistance Grants Program, $46M through the Habitat Conservation Plan Land Acquisition Grants Program and $13.9M through the Recovery Land Acquisition Grants Program. These three programs help reduce potential conflicts between the conservation of threatened and endangered species and land development and use. Under the Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) Land Acquisition Program, the Service provides grants to states or territories for land acquisition associated with approved HCPs. The grants are targeted to help landowners who want to undertake proactive conservation work on their lands to conserve imperiled species. HCPs may also be developed by a county or state to cover certain activities of all landowners within their own jurisdiction and may address multiple species. There are more than 650 HCPs currently in effect covering 600 separate species on approximately 41 million acres. Funding for HCP Land Acquisition grants this year include $12M to purchase habitat to support the Western Riverside County Multi- species HCP in California and permanently protect 578 acres of habitat for 18 federally listed species. The HCP Planning Assistance Program provides grants to states and territories to support the development of HCPs through funding of baseline surveys and inventories, document preparation, outreach, and similar planning activities. In Montana a $574,334 grant will enable the Montana Department of Natural Resources to complete an HCP that covers half a million acres of state lands across 25 counties in northwestern Montana. This HCP will ultimately protect five federally listed species and two state sensitive species: Canada lynx, grizzly bears, bull trout, bald eagles, gray wolves, westslope cutthroat trout and Columbia River redband trout. This project will set a statewide precedent for balancing forest practices and public land http: / /www.westgov.org/wswc /news /1692.html 10/24/2006