05/11/06 ESA reform and the Senate

Farm and Ranch May 11, 2006 Reform of the Endangered Species Act was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last fall but has failed to get anywhere in the U.S. Senate. Noe: "We are trying to encourage the Senate to move ahead because we the think the time is right. Unfortunately it has kind of run into some problems there with some folks who don't feel the urgency is there. But we and a number of others in agriculture feel it is so we are trying to push the Senate along to consider it." That's Allen Noe of Crop Life America. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee chairman, Republican James Inhofe of Oklahoma, had commissioned an advisory group, the Keystone Center, to do a report on ESA reform. The Center's report issued in late April said it should be possible for Congress to take steps that would improve the ESA's effectiveness for species at risk, make government activities more efficient and reduce the concerns of regulated parties. Senator Lincoln Chaffee, Republican of Rhode Island, said he would not move on his own ESA reform bill until after he reviewed that report, but no action has been made. Here's National Association of Wheat Growers environmental lobbyist Mark Gaede's take on the issue. Gaede: "Senator Chaffee couldn't seem to come to an agreement with Senator Inhofe on how to proceed. So Senator Inhofe is now talking about using another vehicle entirely to bring it straight to the Senate floor. Even at that I would put the odds at 50-50 that we will get something out of the Senate this year." I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.