House Natural Resources Committee blasts federal agencies in Casper meeting

Four U.S. representatives from Western states accused federal agencies and environmental groups on Thursday of using the Endangered Species Act to inhibit energy development, the agriculture industry and sportsmen throughout the country. The members of the House Natural Resource Committee, all Republican, held a field hearing at the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission building in Casper. Wyoming U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis was joined by committee chairman Rep. Doc Hastings, Wash.; Rep. Doug Lamborn, Colo.; and Rep. Steve Daines, Mont. The members said the Obama administration is allowing special interest groups to use litigation to dictate how federal agencies prioritize endangered species listings. They also pointed blame at the federal Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Allowing the fate of a species to be decided by (them) is not working,” Hastings said. Lummis and her House colleagues believe states are better suited to control when and how animal populations can become listed or delisted as an endangered species. They also are looking for ways to mitigate the influence of environmental and conservation groups that they say use the act to their advantage. The committee went to Billings, Mont., after Casper to hear another round of testimony. The committee is expected to collect the thoughts, concerns and proposed solutions from citizens and eventually write a bill that would amend the law. The act, which hasn't been renewed by Congress for 25 years, keeps being refunded every year. Many opposed to the law would like to see it defunded forever, but for some lawmakers in Washington it is a sacred cow, said Bob Wharf, executive director for the Wyoming Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife...more