Congressman Dennis Cardoza
18th Congressional District of California

“This decision is a regulatory abomination,” Cardoza said. “The facts don’t warrant listing the tiger salamander as threatened, and they certainly don’t justify such a large designation of critical habitat. 

I am deeply disappointed with the process that led to this decision. The Fish and Wildlife Service is acting in haste and in error to avoid a lawsuit. This system desperately needs reform.”

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.

Cardoza’s bill, H.R. 2933, which passed the House Committee on Resources last week, 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.  In the case of the California Tiger Salamander, the Service is haphazardly designating critical habitat for the species as it lists.

The Critical Habitat Reform Act would give the Service ample time to gather biological and economic data to make a sound decision on the appropriate land needed as critical habitat for the listed species.  The legislation also seeks to tighten and define the critical habitat designation process in order to reduce the amount of litigation by private interests against the Service and to truly protect and conserve the species in question.