Showing posts with label Endangered Species. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Endangered Species. Show all posts

Friday, January 24, 2020

Buchanan Asks Gov to Protect Florida Panther

by U.S. Representative Vern Buchanan (R-FL, 16th)

Washington, D.C. - January 24, 2020 - (The Ponder News) -- Congressman Vern Buchanan today urged Gov. Ron DeSantis to consider protecting the endangered Florida Panther when drafting construction plans for the new Heartland Parkway.

In a letter to DeSantis, Buchanan said the 140-mile proposed highway from Polk to Collier Counties will run directly into the habitat of the panther. Construction is expected to begin by 2022.

The greatest threat to the endangered animal is being run over by cars. Four panthers already have been killed in collisions so far this year.

Buchanan urged DeSantis to instruct his state Department of Transportation to devise ways to avoid fatal disruptions to the panther’s habitat. One of the best ways to protect the animal would be to create over-passes or under-passes, a type of wildlife corridor, that provide a safe way for the animals to navigate a highway.

“Modernizing our infrastructure to deal with continued population growth is important, but so is ensuring the survival of an endangered species that also happens to be the Florida state animal,” Buchanan said, noting there are fewer than 250 of these magnificent creatures alive today. “We don’t get a second chance once a species becomes extinct.”

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 23 of the 27 panther deaths last year were caused by vehicle collisions.

Buchanan is a leading advocate in Congress for protecting endangered species. He introduced the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act in 2019 to designate National Wildlife Corridors on federal lands and establish a grant program for states localities and private landowners to support wildlife. Buchanan’s bill would protect many iconic species of Florida wildlife, including the manatee, alligator and Florida panther.

Read the full text of the letter below:

Dear Governor DeSantis,

As you work on drafting construction plans for the new Heartland Parkway, I ask that you consider safeguards to avoid disrupting the habitat of the endangered Florida panther. Specifically, the 140-mile proposed highway is expected to run from Polk County to Collier County, through the heart of some of the last remaining panther habitat.

While Florida’s official state animal once roamed the entire Southeast, there are currently fewer than 250 of these big cats alive today. Tragically, 23 of the 27 panther deaths last year were caused by vehicle collisions, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. There have already been a staggering four deaths in just the first two weeks of the new year.

The panther was one of the original 14 mammals named to the federal endangered species list in 1967. Despite this classification, a critical habitat has never been established for the Florida panther even though one is required by the Endangered Species Act. “Without a sufficient protected habitat, there is no viable recovery,” according to the executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a national non-profit alliance consisting of scientists, law enforcement officers and land managers.

And while several hurdles remain for the survival and full recovery of these beautiful creatures, it is clear that the greatest threats to their survival is the loss of habitat and vehicle collisions. According to the National Wildlife Federation, construction causes habitat loss and highways pose a significant threat to panthers attempting to cross. I was very disturbed to see a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently warn that “This project would have very serious impacts on the Florida panther.” That is why it is important that you take this into consideration and plan accordingly as you construct the state’s largest highway expansion in more than half a century.

Modernizing our infrastructure to deal with continued population growth is important, but so is ensuring the survival of an endangered species that also happens to be the Florida state animal. We don’t get a second chance once a species becomes extinct. One of the best ways to protect the animal would be to create over-passes or under-passes that provide a safe way for the animals to navigate a highway.

That’s why I introduced the Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act in Congress to designate National Wildlife Corridors on federal lands and establish a grant program for states, localities and private landowners to support wildlife. My bill would protect many iconic species of Florida wildlife, including the manatee, alligator and Florida panther.

While the panther population has grown since 1967, the species still has progress to make. The Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2008 recovery plan states that removing protections for panthers would require two viable, self-sustaining populations of at least 240 individuals that have existed for at least twelve years.

Florida panthers have become our iconic symbol for the wilderness and beauty of Florida. We must do everything possible to protect this treasured species. That’s why I’m asking you to instruct the Florida Department of Transportation to devise ways to avoid fatal disruptions to the panther’s habitat.

Friday, April 26, 2019

Endangered Species

Today's News about Endangered Species





Golden Asks NOAA Fisheries to Postpone New Right Whale Management Proposals, Challenges Data Behind Potential New Restrictions on Maine Lobstermen
Source: Jared Golden (D-MN, 2nd)
April 23, 2019
“Given the importance of the lobster fishery to Maine’s economy, I am deeply troubled by the manner in which the TRT intends to carry out its goal of reducing right whale mortalities by sixty to eighty percent and the impact its actions may have on the future viability of our lobster fleet,” wrote Golden. “I find it difficult to understand how a comprehensive strategy to protect an endangered species can be developed and agreed upon when the management tool relies on outdated inputs and was only made available days before the TRT meeting… I encourage NOAA Fisheries and the TRT to postpone its rulemaking so that it can develop an improved risk assessment tool that has the support of impacted stakeholders.”

Read more...



Thursday, February 14, 2019

States deserve a seat at the table when listing species as endangered





Washington, D.C. - February 14, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- If a federal agency is going to list a species as endangered, they are supposed to utilize the best scientific and commercial data available. But Congressional hearings have revealed numerous examples of agencies failing to follow these rules.

To address this problem, U.S. Senators Senator Michael B. Enzi - (R - WY), Senator James E. Risch (R - ID), and Senator Pat Roberts (R - KS), introduced legislation that would require the federal government to disclose the data it uses for Endangered Species Act (ESA) listings. It would also ensure that ESA decisions are more reliant on the input of state, local and tribal studies.

“When an animal is categorized as an endangered species, it is the states and local communities that are most impacted, but currently they can’t verify, dispute or complement the information federal agencies use,” Enzi said. “This legislation would ensure that state, local and tribal entities would have a seat at the table when federal agencies are proposing regulations that could have significant ramifications. Wyoming has some of the richest wildlife habitat in the world, and that is why we should encourage an open process that relies on the best data available.”

“We need to put states and local communities back in the driver’s seat when it comes to the wildlife conservation and management efforts that so greatly affect them,” Risch said. “By incorporating on the ground information and decision-makers, this legislation makes important strides in that effort.”

“Like we saw when the Obama Administration listed the lesser prairie chicken, many local factors related to the health of the species were either ignored or disregarded,” Roberts said. “This bill will ensure the federal government is transparent in its determinations and also that it considers information from state and local sources.”

The State, Tribal, and Local Species Transparency and Recovery Act is designed to ensure the federal government adheres to its legal responsibilities to cooperate with states under the Endangered Species Act and that the best available scientific data is used in listing decisions.

Monday, October 23, 2017

Senator Carper Leads Charge to Defeat Amendment Stripping Protections from Endangered Species

Source: Senator Thomas R. Carper  - (D - DE)

Washington, D.C. - October 23, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- During debate on the Senate Republicans’ budget resolution, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, led the charge to defeat a dangerous amendment that sought to remove protections for endangered species. Specifically, the amendment, offered by Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) would lay the groundwork to prohibit federal protections under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for species found entirely within the borders of a single state.

As of 2017, roughly 77% of listed species, or over 1,000 species, were intrastate species whose ranges did not cross state borders. Denying these intrastate species protections would strip ESA protections from every listed plant or animal on the island of Hawaii, as well as protections for iconic animals like the polar bear and the Florida panther.

The amendment was defeated by a vote of 51-49, with every Democratic senator and three Republican senators voting against it.

Read more about endangered species at the Ponder by clicking here

Friday, September 1, 2017

Buchanan Offers Amendments to Stop Horse Slaughter, Protect Endangered Species and Fight Red Tide

Source: House Representative Vern Buchanan (R-FL, 16th)

Washington, D.C. - September 1, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan today announced that he will be offering amendments to prohibit horse slaughter, combat red tide and protect endangered species as part of a government funding bill to be considered by Congress next week.

Buchanan submitted the three amendments to the House Rules Committee, which will decide Tuesday whether to allow the measures to be brought to the House floor for a vote.

“Banning the slaughter of horses, curbing harmful red tide and funding the Endangered Species Act are important issues to the people in my district and the rest of Florida,” Buchanan said. “It's time for Congress to end partisan gridlock and pass common-sense policies.”

Specifically, Buchanan offered the following amendments to H.R. 3354, the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act of 2018:

  • Buchanan Horse Slaughter Amendment – Prevents the reopening of horse slaughter facilities in the United States by prohibiting federal funding for health and safety inspections which is required by law at all meat processing plants. Buchanan is also the sponsor of the SAFE Act to permanently ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption in the U.S. as well as the export of live horses to Mexican and Canadian Slaughterhouses.
  • Buchanan Red Tide Amendment – Increases funding for NOAA’s National Ocean Service by $8 million to detect, respond to and develop new and innovative technologies to mitigate the impacts of red tide. Red tide, caused by Karenia brevis algae, is a toxic bacteria that has lingered along Suncoast shores on and off for several months now, killing thousands of fish and discouraging potential visitors from taking in some of the country’s best beaches.
  • Buchanan Endangered Species Amendment – Restores $3,393,000 to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for new species listings under the Endangered Species Act. The FWS is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving and protecting fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats. Two of Florida's most iconic animals, the panther (endangered) and the manatee (threatened), have been listed under the Endangered Species Act since 1976.

  • Buchanan, the co-chair of Florida's congressional delegation, has long placed a priority on combating red tide and cracking down on animal cruelty. He has successfully fought for red tide research and was recently honored as the U.S. Humane Society's Legislator of the Year for his leadership on animal welfare issues.