Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signs bill cloaking endangered species info

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill Tuesday requiring information gathered in state-sponsored endangered species surveys on private property to be kept secret, even from federal agencies charged with protecting plants and animals from potential extinction. Republicans who pushed the proposal through the Legislature said the shield is needed to protect private property rights. Minority Democrats unsuccessfully argued that if the new policy becomes law it will hinder public monitoring of recovery plans for endangered plants and animals. The bill was approved along party lines in the House and Senate. The measure applies to information collected by state agencies, and violations would carry a $25,000 fine. The state would be barred from sharing information on what biologists find about endangered species publicly or with federal agencies charged with protecting endangered species through recovery plans. Republican Rep. Gail Griffin sponsored the House measure and said during a committee hearing last month that the proposal would actually encourage private property owners to let surveyors onto their property. The opposite is true now because of fears any discovery could lead to land-use restrictions, she said...MORE