Anti-Endangered Species Bill: unacceptable
The Endangered Species Act should be strengthened to provide more protection for the ever-decreasing number of endangered plants and wildlife. Pombo’s Anti-Endangered Species Bill fails on all fronts.
Why do biological species become endangered in the first place? Loss of habitat. A plant or animal species cannot survive if it has no place to grow and prosper.
Why is protecting plant and wildlife habitat more important than human’s short-range economic interest? Because without plants and wildlife, humans cannot survive.
Why are laws necessary, and why do environmental groups and eco-lawyers donate countless hours and dollars trying to protect biodiversity? Because wilderness and wildlife have no one to defend them against human self-interest.
Developers want to be compensated for loss of “productive land.” What compensation is offered to the species whose home is cut down, grazed over or sucked dry? Ask the Southern California Kit Fox, or the Wisconsin Cougar. Oh yeah, you can’t, because they’re extinct.
Michael Frol
Eugene
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Daily Emerald
October 10, 2005
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