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<br />, <br />f <br />, <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />0025J5 <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />fdt <br /> <br />THE DURANGO HEULD <br /> <br />_ Sunday, Feb~ 28, I":". <br /> <br />Letters to tria Editor <br />Change. the Endangered Species Acf <br /> <br />TO THE EDITOR: <br />In his r.cent column 'On The Emironment,' <br />AI.ton Chase correctly explains !hat ~l' Endan- <br />gered Species Act is bad legislation because it is <br />bad science. With curr.nt e.timate. !hat perhaps <br />4,000 .pecies are at .;sk of extinction in tile U.S. <br />by the end of !he c.ntury. saving all of !hese flora <br />and fauna would d.vastate the economy. And wi!h <br />no scientific mean. for establishing priori tie., p0- <br />litical criteria are applied in.t.ad. In Chase's view, <br />!he focus is on 'appealing fuzzy-wuzzies while ig- <br />noring I... popular creepy<rawlies.' Oh, !hat !he . <br />process was !hat innocent " <br />Th. Endangered Specie. Act assume. !hat the <br />loss of even on. specie. can ha.., disastrous conse- <br />quences for !he environm.nt and must be saved <br />regardl.ss of cost. Due to !hi. draconian require- <br />ment, !h. selection process has become one of <br />identifying .pecie. by environmental groups to .de- ' <br />lay or .top projeclli. that do not confonn to !hear <br />particular political agenda. and !hat they cannot <br />tlOp through democratic means. <br />The fallacy in the legi.lation i. !hat today few <br /> <br />paleontologi.t .uppon the assumption .!hat Ule'loss <br />of a single .pecie. will have cata5troph.'c C?~sequ- <br />ence.. Attempts to prese,,'e mo.t speCIe. (,vmg on <br />the brink of extinction are a wa.t. of tax dollars <br />because these specie. will disappear regardless of <br />our ~fToru. and at no sacrifice to the t'nvironment <br />De.pite these argum.nts, most people ~ould . <br />like protection for some .ndan!l~red .peCl.... ~IS <br />could be accomplish.d by rewntmg the legISlatIon <br />so !hat pot.ntiallosse. of a .peci.s and other en- <br />vironmental consequ.nc.s are included a. pan of <br />!he cost in !he weighing of costs and ben.fits for a <br />project But !he loss .hould not automatically be <br />measured as an environm.ntal Armageddon as !he <br />present act ,."quire.. The act i. up for renewal !hi. , <br />year and at !he very least .hould be modified to al- <br />low some fonn of benefit or cost trade<llf between <br />human and environmental n.ed.. Society i. ill- <br />serv.d by any legislation that allows 'pecial interest <br />groups to use !hatlegi.lation a. .ubt.rfuge for, " <br />achieving goal. they cannot achi.ve !hrough the <br />democratic process. <br /> <br />Garth BuChanan <br />Duriingo <br />