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.
