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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feldman
Thursday, April 21,
2011
202-226-9019
PERMALINK
Chairman Hastings’ Statement on Fish & Wildlife Service’s
Announcement to Re-Open Draft Spotted Owl Plan
“I’m glad FWS agrees parts of this flawed plan need more
public comment, but much more comprehensive revisions will
be required”
WASHINGTON, D.C.
– Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) agreed,
following a
letter from House Natural Resources Committee Chairman
Doc Hastings and Reps. Greg Walden, Cathy McMorris Rodgers,
Jaime Herrera Beutler, Tom McClintock and Wally Herger, to
re-open for an additional 30 days public comment on the
controversial proposed habitat modeling related to the
Northern Spotted Owl. The announcement came after private
citizens, landowners, peer review organizations and federal
land management agencies raised concerns about the lack of
transparency and arbitrary nature in which the FWS’ draft
Northern Spotted Owl plan has been developed.
“I’m glad the
Fish and Wildlife Service finally agreed to allow more
transparency and public comment on one portion of the plan,
but it is clear much more comprehensive revisions should be
made before it moves forward,” said Chairman Hastings.
“Providing an opportunity to review modeling for a month
won’t address deeper concerns raised by Members of Congress,
other federal agencies, private land owners and scientific
peer review organizations about other aspects of the overall
plan. I’m also skeptical about the FWS’ ability to
thoroughly take into account any additional comments when
the deadline for finalizing the plan has not moved from June
1st - just six working days after the additional
comment period ends.”
The FWS' Revised
Recovery Plan called for drastic new restrictions on private
forestland and additional restrictions on Northwest federal
lands, while taking no concrete action to address the
primary threat to the Spotted Owl--the more aggressive
Barred Owl, which continues to prey on the Northern Spotted
Owl. The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management
reported that these additional habitat restrictions could
reduce timber harvest levels on federal lands by as much as
30-90 percent, while doing little to increase Northern
Spotted Owl populations. Private landowners have expressed
similar concerns about the likely economic impact of the
plan on rural communities.
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http://naturalresources.house.gov
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