Federal ESA Listing Hearing on Long Eared Bats

[melody]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 28, 2014

CONTACT: PARISH BRADEN
[phone]

***MEDIA ADVISORY***

Committee to Hold Pennsylvania Field Hearing on the Impacts of the Northern Long Eared Bat’s Federal Endangered Species Act Listing
Potential Listing Could Negatively Affect Pennsylvania & 37 Other States While Doing Little to Protect Bats

Bellefonte, Pa. – The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee will hold a Full Committee field hearing in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on September 8, 2014 on “The Northern Long Eared Bat: The Federal Endangered Species Act and the Impacts of a Listing on Pennsylvania and 37 Other States.”

The hearing will examine questions regarding bat data and non-human-caused disease, as well as the likely negative impacts that a federal endangered listing for this particular species would have on important activities such as farming and forestry. The Northern Long Eared Bat is one of hundreds of species included in the U.S. Department of the Interior’s 2011 settlements with two groups that requires listing decisions by 2016. A final decision for the Northern Long Eared Bat could be made within the next several months.

Witnesses at the hearing will testify about the economic impacts of the endangered listing on Pennsylvania citizens and how the actions regulated under the proposed designation would fail to mitigate problems causing the decline of the species.

“Similar to the listing and habitat designation of the Northern Spotted Owl over 20 years ago, this is a potentially sweeping decision that affects portions of 38 states. It is vital that a decision of this magnitude be based on actual data, not settlement deadlines, and that it includes input from affected landowners and stakeholders not only from Pennsylvania, but from the rest of the two-thirds of the United States that would be impacted,” said Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04).

“This hearing is part of the House Natural Resources Committee’s effort to improve and update the Endangered Species Act. I want to thank Chairman Doc Hastings for initiating this timely hearing on the proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to designate the Northern Long Eared Bat as endangered, which will have sweeping effects on a range of economic sectors in 38 states including Pennsylvania,” said Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (PA-05).

“I support the Endangered Species Act’s (ESA) goal to preserve and protect domestic species. The proposal to list the Northern Long-Eared Bat on the ESA is another example of government rushing forward with a regulation that would have significant and far-reaching impacts on the economy, in this case, home building, farming, manufacturing, and even land management for ecological purposes. This hearing is an important opportunity to hear from local stakeholders on the negative effects that this potential listing would have on local communities and the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should fully evaluate the ramifications of this proposal to find a solution that protects the bat while allowing activities that minimally affect it to continue," said Rep. Scott Perry (PA-04).

WHAT:

Full Committee oversight field hearing on:
“The Northern Long Eared Bat: The Federal Endangered Species Act and Impacts of a Listing on Pennsylvania and 37 Other States”


WHEN:


Monday, September 8, 2014
10:00 AM EDT


WHERE:

Hearing Room 1 – North Office Building
Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex
North 3rd Street
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania



On June 24, 2014 the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced a six month deadline extension<http://thompson.house.gov/press-release/federal-agency-reexamines-endangered-species-listing-following-thompson-led-effort> of its decision to list the Northern Long Eared Bat as endangered, citing substantial disagreement regarding the scientific data used to support the proposed determination.

Rep. Thompson, along with eight members of the Pennsylvania congressional delegation, had previously initiated a letter<http://thompson.house.gov/sites/thompson.house.gov/files/Letter%20to%20Fish%20%26%20Wildlife%20-%20Endangered%20Species.pdf> to FWS questioning the science used to support the designation and urging the agency to reevaluate the listing.

Additional information on the hearing including a full list of witnesses will be made available in the coming week and can be accessed by clicking here<http://naturalresources.house.gov/calendar/>.


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[galthatfishes]

Hmmm,

I seem to recall someone warning the legiscritters that if the PGC didn't take action on the bats, the feds WOULD.

[galthatfishes]

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) -
Things went batty Monday morning at the state Capitol.

Congress re-located to Harrisburg to discuss a critter common in the commonwealth and 37 other states.

"The northern long-eared bat faces a grave crisis," Mollie Matteson, senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, testified at a rare, road-tripping, U.S. House Natural Resources Committee hearing. "Its plummeting population over the last eight years have put it on the fast track to extinction."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is recommending that the northern long-eared bat be placed on the endangered species list, which critics testified would endanger industries like timber, farming, construction, coal, and oil and gas.

"If implemented, these various forestry restrictions across such a wide swath of Pennsylvania will basically decimate the state's forest products industry," said Paul Lyskava, executive director of the Pennsylvania Forest Products Association.

Being classified as endangered could mean many restrictions. Examples include: no tree cutting near potential bat habitats, no clearing of trees near power lines, no burning or use of pesticides on farms, diversion or halting of construction projects.

Critics like Representative Jeff Pyle (R-Indiana/Armstrong) insist it's nothing more than a needless and senseless intrusion by the federal government.

"At what point do homo sapiens start to matter?" Pyle asked. "They're telling people who have owned family land for over 200 years in Armstrong County that they can't take down their own timber for five months of the year, which happen to be right over the heart of summer when you can go cut timber."

Nearly everyone agrees the northern long-eared bat's population has dwindled, but most blame it on a fungal disease called white nose syndrome, not habitat disturbance. They say restricting business activity will disrupt the economy without actually protecting the bat.

Congressman Scott Perry (R-Pa.) said homeowners and farm owners could be fined for harming a northern long-eared bat if it's classified as endangered.

"So, if you have one flying around your living room or bedroom as I have, well turn the light off and roll back over and go to sleep. You and the bat are going to co-exist," Perry said.

One thing not in danger of extinction: partisan politics. The hearing's panelists were all Republicans.

"They were all invited, absolutely all invited," insisted Congressman Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.). "The Democrats refused to come."

So the hearing was basically seven men blasting the feds for what they call needless intervention. One bat woman pushed back and pushed for an endangered label.

"The Endangered Species Act has a very, very high percentage of success in keeping species from going extinct," Matteson said.

The Fish and Wildlife Services recommended that the northern long-eared bat be classified as endangered and was suppose to make it official in October. However, it decided to delay for six months an official decision.

The Republicans all said the feds energy would be better spent battling white nose syndrome than slapping an endangered classification on the northern long-eared bat.

[melody]

A couple articles on the hearing:

Congressional panel critical of federal plan to list bat species as endangered


White-nose syndrome is killing Pa. bats, but industries say Endangered Species regulations won't help


Pa. industry leaders question need to increase protection of bats


PA Farm Bureau Opposes Adding Common Bat To Endangered Species List

[galthatfishes]

Did they have anyone testify who favored listing the bats? Just curious.