News From…
Congressman Dennis Cardoza
18th Congressional District of California
Cardoza Calls For Exemptions, Hearing On Tiger Salamander Habitat |
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Lawmaker Opposes Designation, Calls For Areas To Be Exempt, And Requests Hearing |
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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 24, 2004 |
CONTACT: Bret Ladine (202) 225-6131 |
| WASHINGTON – In a letter sent today to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Congressman Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, maintained his opposition to a proposed critical habitat designation of nearly 400,000 acres for the California Tiger Salamander in the “The proposed designation is overbroad, and includes areas that are not ‘essential to the conservation of the species,’ … the Service has not based its proposal upon the best available scientific evidence, as is required by law,” Cardoza wrote. “I urge the Service to thoroughly analyze the economic impacts of its proposal … and to exempt areas from the designation in which the benefit of the designation does not outweigh the impact to the community, landowners, and local governments.” “Before moving forward with this designation, the Service should clearly map out what parcels would be impacted and provide for a more meaningful opportunity for the public to become engaged in the process,” Cardoza concluded. Long dissatisfied with unreasonable decision-making related to the implementation of the Endangered Species Act, Cardoza has introduced the Critical Habitat Reform Act, which would improve methods employed by the Service to designate a species’ critical habitat. The bill, H.R. 2933, would streamline the Service’s procedures by requiring the Service to designate critical habitat within three years of a species’ listing or within one year of the approval of a recovery plan. |
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