By E. Ralph Hostetter *
The Congress of the United States seems to be on a collision course with common sense regarding reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act as proposed by Senator Dirk Kempthorne (R-ID) who, incidentally, ought to know better. The legislation, given the misleading aura of a “landowner’s bill of rights” is, in fact, what appears to the property rights movement to be a guarantee that ESA will continue to deny us our rights in perpetuity. And, if passed, it will enjoy the seal of Senate Republican approval to Bruce Babbitt’s delight.
Two and a half years ago, I wrote a regional column about ESA when it first came up for renewal. Most of my observations then are applicable today, so allow me this recall:
With an estimated 30-million or so species of whatever on the dartboard, we, the people, no longer can afford to let the bureaucrats make decisions which deny and destroy the Constitutional rights of American citizens, especially since such bureaucrats are accountable to no one except the zealots in the pressure groups that seemingly control them.
Any new law, if ESA is to continue, should demand that the spinners of the yarn and weavers of the cloth produce the fabric of endangerment before we permit them to adorn their imperial species and proclaim to the world how good they feel. These tailors of fiction must be held to the same standards as property owners.
Before property can be developed today, environmental impact studies are required to determine the effect any change in the use of the property will have on the community. Why should not those who have the magic touch to identify the endangered species be held to the same accountability?
Is this the only spot on Earth where the species is losing its foothold? Does this species exist in sufficient numbers anywhere else on Earth (Canadian wolves come to mind) where its existence is not threatened? Could it be the same species with a different name (think of the cougar and strangely-alike Florida “panther”) that exists in profusion elsewhere (all of those varietal ‘spotted owls’ which are not a clearly defined species for instance)?
There is no need to list the succeeding thousand questions a ‘qualified’ bureaucrat could think up if put to the test. Invariably, property and property rights become involved in any action taken under the aegis of endangered species actions.
Why should not “endangered-listings” enthusiasts be subject to the same scrutiny and be held accountable to prove that their actions will not adversely affect the community of the property owner? The Preamble of the U.S. Constitution does not begin with the words: “We the insects, rodents, reptiles, of the United States, do hereby....” etc. I mean, let’s get real!
The sad part of this whole debate is that the extremists in the environmental and animal rights movements give no credit to the concern and compassion of the average American for his love of the flora and fauna that surround his daily life. If there is truly a species that is being selected out because of the actions of mankind, all sorts of programs can be developed for its preservation short of government confiscation as is the case today. ESA reauthorization must be written to take all of these things into consideration. If that’s not possible, then it should not be renewed.
When Nature itself decides it’s time to go, neither man nor woman will be able to protect themselves. Nature has done a pretty good job so far. “Look, Mom, no dinosaurs!”
* Mr. Hostetter is an international entrepreneur and publisher of rural community newspapers.
Editors Note: AAU recommends you fax this article to your representatives.
Reprint permission given by AgAir Update, P.O. Box 850, Perry, GA 31069 - an international agricultural aviation publication.
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