Posted April 3, 2014
The U.S. House delegation from Arkansas recently introduced legislation that would require the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to consider social and economic factors for landowners before issuing a Critical Habitat Designation (CHD), according to a press release from Rep. Rick Crawford’s (R-AR) office available here. KY3 News also reported on the story here.
The Common Sense in Species Protection Act, H.R. 4319, is sponsored by Rep. Rick Crawford and co-sponsored by Rep. Tim Griffin, Rep. Steve Womack, and Rep. Tom Cotton.
“The Common Sense in Species Protection Act will ensure that a true economic impact study on the people, businesses, and municipalities in the proposed area will take place before any private or public property is put in a Critical Habitat Designation,” said Crawford.
The bill has the support of various state and farm groups, including the Arkansas Farm Bureau.
“Expanding the reach of the Endangered Species Act, through designating larger Critical Habitat Areas without taking into consideration their effects on agriculture, would add unnecessary burdensome regulations on farmers and ranchers,” said ARFB president Randy Veach. Veach continued, “This could drastically affect the economy of the state’s largest industry, agriculture.”
For more information on environmental law, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
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