Rep. LaMalfa Questions Decision to Continue Elderberry Beetle Restrictions
Washington, DC – Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) today released the following statement regarding the announcement of the US Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) decision to withdraw its proposal to remove the Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle (VELB) from the endangered species list:
The Fish & Wildlife Service sided with an extremist environmental group over a comprehensive five-year study conducted by its own scientists, and the result will be millions of dollars in added costs to flood control projects and more Californians at risk. I'm disappointed, but not surprised, to see the Service bend to the wishes of the Center for Biological Diversity, a group that has made millions suing the federal government.
It's a self-fulfilling prophecy: the Fish & Wildlife Service doesn't like the facts its scientists found and instead of acting, delays for almost a decade. Then, when it's forced to act, the Service declares that its data is too old and that it needs a new, multi-year study costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. These tactics might keep a few government bureaucrats and special interest lawyers employed, but they'll force many more private sector workers out of a job.
The FWS Sacramento office recommended delisting the VELB in 2005 after conducting a five-year review and determining the species had fully recovered. However, the FWS refused to act for years until legal action forced it to begin the delisting process. Just months ago, the Center for Biological Diversity, which sues the government hundreds of times each year, sent a letter demanding that the FWS keep the VELB listed. Having delayed delisting the VELB for nearly a decade, the FWS now claims that its population data is too dated to use and plans to conduct a new, multi-year study.
Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California's First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.
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