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<br />. <br /> <br />.I.1u::at; ~ a ut=ut=~. way <br /> <br /> <br />in sgeciesnfotectiofi .. <br /> <br />~ . _ ~ <t' I! I =:1. / '?/'T) <br />Members of the Western Governors Association have a <br />good handle on what's wrong with the federal Endan. <br />gered Species Act. But settilfg it right will remain <br />politically trou"lesome as environmentalists seek to main- <br />tain all of the regulatory teeth in the existing law and people <br />on the far right seek to completely eviscerate it. <br />Some of the problems with the current law were outlined <br />by Utah Gov_ Michael Leavitt and Oregon Gov. John <br />Kiizhaber during a meeting of the governors in Seattle. <br />The current act is "an after.the-fact regulation," said <br />Kitzhaber. "You wait until a species is on the brink of <br />extinction and then come in with a regulatory hammer." <br />Leavitt said the Endangered Species Act "allows for liti- <br />gation but very little preservation." <br />The governors plan to ask Congress to reauthorize the <br />bill in a way that provides more funding for states which <br />undertake partnerships with the federal government to <br />save endangered species. <br />There is a model, albeit a precarious one, for such a par!- <br />nership here in the Grand Valley with efforts to preserve <br />the Colorado squawfish and other endangered fish. <br />Some believe that parmership is in danger of disintegrat. <br />ing for a n=ber of reasons. One is that transmountain <br />water diverters from the Front Range whose stream-flow <br />depletions are believed to have contributed to the end..1n- <br />. gered species problems here l:J.ave not yet become eqUitable <br />contributors to the solutions. <br />Another reason is that the partnership remains one. <br />sided, with officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service <br />having the authority to demand addltional water from <br />projects such as t1ie Ute water.line expansion or additional <br />wetlands habitat from the city of Grand Junctii;m for con. . <br />struction of a pedestrian bridge. with little scientific data to <br />back up their demands. . <br />Despite these problems, however, the partnership has <br />allowed a number of small water projects to proceed in the <br />Colorado River during the past half.dozen yea...-s. That's bet. <br />tel' than the alternative of having the Fish and Wildlife Ser- <br />vice conduct individual endangered.species consultations. <br />for each project. That would be costly; tL>r.e-ccl'.sumi:1g, a::d <br />might prohibit some of the projects from l:~:...:g a;,:ro';ed. <br />The Western Governors Association is on the right track <br />in seeking a revamped Endangered Species Act that gives <br />mnrp. ~uthnrit;r to states which seek to be partners in ~ro- <br />tecting species and puts more emphasis on preserving spe-. <br />cies through cooperation, rather than using bureaucratic <br />fiat and legal threats to force action. . <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />::l.q Q <br />