The endangered species tax
by Hugh Holub on Jul. 29, 2011, under endangered species act, politicsThe Endangered Species Act commits us to saving not only every species…but every sub-species and every distinct population segment of a species or a sub-species.
Sounds like a popular idea in concept.
But does anyone realize how much this is costing our economy?
We have in effect an Endangered Species tax in this country.
The Endangered Species Tax is expressed in two ways.
The first way is virtually every federal project that involves disturbing the environment has to go through an Endangered Species Act review.
US Fish and Wildlife gets a chance to extort money from other federal agencies in exchange for approving other federal project activity.
Take for example the $50 million US Fish and Wildlife got from Department of Homeland Security to study bats because the Border Patrol drives around federal lands and they might run over a protected lizard.
Or take the millions of dollars being transfered from the Central Arizona Project to restoire native fish in Arizona becvause in theory exotic fish from the CAP canals could swim up the Ssanta Cruz River and eat native fish.
Whatever Congress appropriates to to US Fish and Wildlife, that agency controls vastly more money through “inter-agency agreements” with other federal agencies where Fish and Wildlife extorted money from thos other agencies in exchange for allowing their projects to go forward.
Congress needs to dig into all the inter-agency agreements between US Fish and Wildlife and other federal agencies and find out just how munch money Fish and Wildlife really controls. I’ll bet that will surprise a lot of people.
And then Congress needs to stop US Fish and Wildlife from hijacking other federal agency funds.
The second Endangered Species Tax is the cost added to every project in the country that is added to get federal approval for that project.
These costs turn up in habitat protection plans and other mitigation measures that projects are subjected to by the federal government and environmental groups who sue to block these projects.
Want to build a solar energy project? You will probably have to fork over money to protect the desert tortoise.
Want to build a natural gas pipeline? You will have to fork over money to protect mice. El Paso Natural Gas got hit for $22 million to get approval to build a gas pipeline through Nevada.
Want to drill for oil or natural gas in West Texas? You will add millions to your cost to protect sage lizards.
I’ll bet that we have at least a 10 percent cost added to virtually every project in the country that disturbs land in some way because we have prioritized protecting darned never everything that grows or walks or crawls in this country.
Somwhere along the way people need to have a say as to how much money we’re going to divert from our economy to protect what.
If there is no genetic difference between the wolves that live in Montana or Michigan or eastern Arizona…why are we spending money to have wolves in eastern Arizona?
If there are lots of jaguars in Mexico and all the way to Brazil….why are we going to spend millions to have jaguars in southern Arizona?
If there are 27 sub-species of squirrels….why are we spending money to protect one sub-species on one mountain top in Arizona?
There are a lot of good questions that need to be asked about how the Endangered Species Act really works and how much money it is costing to protect plants and critters that may not even really be endangered at all.
The Endangered Species Act really is not about protecting plants and animals any more.
It has been twisted into a tool to block virtually any project that disturbs the land.
Radical environmental groups that really want to destroy the American economy have turned the ESA into their weapon of choice to strangle America.
And taxpayers are paying for killing the country.
We have been bamboozled into a costly guilt trip via the Endangered Species Act and our priorities are seriously skewed when on one hand we really want to secure our border and we have people fighting finishing the border fence because that will interfere with jaguar migration.
Let’s find out how much we are spending via federal inter-agency agreements and cost additions to projects in the country and see if we are really getting our money’s worth.
And of course radical environmentalists will argue money is no object in protecting endangered species.
That is your money and the more of it siphoned away to protect sage lizards in West Texas, the less you will have for Social Security and Medicare.
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Stop The Drilling! A Lizard Is Imperiled
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It is Time to Reform the Endangered Species Act
Reformation of the Endangered Species Act
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More on the envionmental litigation factory war on America….
Center for Biological Diversity — a multi-million dollar environmental litigation factory
Army of Western Lawmakers to Introduce Legislation to Combat Frivolous Lawsuits on Taxpayer Dime
Extreme environmental groups hurt environmental cause
Center for Biological Diversity seeks to destroy Fort Huachuca to save the San Pedro River
White House reveals plan to streamline Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act series of articles:
Endangered Species Act…it ain’t what you think it is — Part 1
Endangered Species Act — Part 2– this land is not your land
Endangered Species Act – Part 3 – Never swat a fly
Background info on Endangered Species Act:
Endangered Species Act — an Introduction
Endangered Species Act — Which Animals and Plants are “Threatened” or “Endangered”?
Endangered Species Act — Section 7 Consultation
Endangered Species Act — USF&W Introduction and Key Sections
Endangered Species Act — Definition of ”Harm” and “Take”
Endangered Species Act–Listing and Critical Habitat
Endangered Species Act–Habitat Conservation Plans
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News about litigious environment group activities:
Dispatches from the litigious environmental group war on America
Center for Biological Diversity demands Rosemont Mine site be included in protected habitat for frog
Judge puts WildEarth Guardian endangered species agreement on hold
Center for Biological Diversity fights imperiled species deal
Stop The Drilling! A Lizard Is Imperiled
Desert Pupfish Forces Border Agents to Patrol on Foot
New high recorded in frivolous environmental litigation
EPA Doles-Out Taxpayer Dollars to Environmentalist Activist Groups
Environmental groups bury feds with Endangered Species petitions
New high recorded in frivolous environmental litigation
Background info on Endangered Species Act:
Endangered Species Act — Introduction and Key Sections
Endangered Species Act — Definition of:”Harm”
Endangered Species Act–Listing and Critical Habitat
Endangered Species Act–Habitat Conservation Plans
America at a crossroads….protect endangered species or protect the American people?
Groups Call for Passage of Republican Legislation to Enhance Border Security on Federal Lands
Jaguars versus the border fence
What is the difference between a drug smuggler and a deer?
Battle lines drawn–protect the environment? or protect national security?
Ranchers support improving Border Patrol access to federal lands
Dept of Interior responds to claims it is hampering border security
Forest Service responds to claims it is hampering border security
Environmental lawyer trashes effort to improve Border Patrol access on federal lands
More on how federal land managers compromise border security
GAO confirms federal environmental laws and federal land managers hinder securing our border
Republicans Introduce Bill to Secure Border on Federal Lands, Protect Environment
More on “politically correct fire stories”
Many in S. Ariz. fire zone blame border crossers
Chiricahua Mountains … another “sky island” turned to ash
Border security versus the environment
Wilderness Areas on the border? What a great idea if you are a cartel drug smuggler
The road to Hell is paved with good intentions…burning down our wildlands
Republicans Introduce Bill to Secure Border on Federal Lands, Protect Environment
July 29th, 2011 on 6:47 am
“The Endangered Species Act commits us to saving not only every species…but every sub-species and every distinct population segment of a species or a sub-species.”
Cattle ranchers should be included on the list of sub-species we pay taxes to to preserve.
July 29th, 2011 on 12:37 pm
After 37 years and billions of dollars, of all the species that were listed, only 47 have been removed from the list, of which 18 were removed due to erroneous original data, nine became extinct, and the remaining 20 are considered recovered. Those recoveries, however, were due to factors that were either not related to, or predated ESA. For instance, recovery of the American peregrine falcon, arctic peregrine falcon, and brown pelican is attributed to the banning of DDT according to the FWS.
The fundamental problem with ESA is that the FWS has no legal requirement nor incentive to consider economic consequences or private property rights. The ESA is administered as an “absolute” law, holding precedence over all other land usage and in the process “taking” private property rights.
The ESA is not only very expensive, it is also ineffective and should be repealed.
July 30th, 2011 on 11:06 am
Our planet is facing the largest extinction of species since the K-T boundary 65 million years ago, and the rate at which we are losing this needed plant and animal diversity is accelerating. This diversity is crucial to the well-being of our own species, indeed we are bound to it. This is not simply some romantic notion, this is very real. We can view the ESA as a “tax” and recognize the costs associated with it, but leaving out an analysis of the costs of losing species diversity is certainly convenient to the Holub’s poorly developed argument. Of course the ESA isn’t perfect, but it’s a stepping stone towards a real effort to thwart the loss of diversity. Besides, efforts by those whose economic interests are opposed to the ESA have be the greatest obstacle to its effectiveness, not the act itself.
If a real cost-benefit analysis were done, and one’s notion of “economics” begins to move beyond the limit arena of property rights, short-term financial gain and corporate interests, one begins to see that “taxes” like the ESA are in fact an investment for the health and well-being of our long-term survival and the planet. Romantic notion? No. This is very real, understood, and quantifiable by those who study this for a living: ecologists. Perhaps Holub should talk to a few.
July 31st, 2011 on 8:09 pm
I often wonder if “leftfield” is truly a person or just one of the internet “bots” the Obama Administration squanders our tax dollars on to make page viewers believe fake personalities on the internet actually exist and have valid opinions.
July 31st, 2011 on 10:22 pm
“I often wonder if “leftfield” is truly a person or just one of the internet “bots””
Busted! Actually I’m a creation of the right wing; intended to lead people to come up with even more paranoid conspiracy theories that someone is out to get them. I’ll let you in on a secret – wear a tin foil hat if you don’t want Obama to be able to read your thoughts.
August 1st, 2011 on 1:50 am
intended to lead people to come up with even more paranoid conspiracy theories that someone is out to get them
It’s the lifeblood of all political movements. Without paranoia they’d just be…schools of thought. And how can you control anyone with that?
July 31st, 2011 on 9:19 pm
It isn’t the big corporations that pay the environmental tax. They just pass it along to us incorporated into the price every time we buy energy, goods, and even services.