Dear HCN,
Tom Sheridan says
“paralysis’ brought about by lawsuits to enforce the Endangered
Species Act will result in the fragmentation and subdivision of
every grassland valley in the state of Arizona (HCN,
6/8/98).
It seems much more likely to me, but I
could be wrong, that if enforcement of the Endangered Species Act
results in increased restrictions on grazing activities, the same
provisions of the ESA would also restrict the development that Mr.
Sheridan foresees as an inevitable result of the lawsuits brought
to force compliance with the act.
I also find it
very interesting that Mr. Sheridan takes issue with the Southwest
Center for Biological Diversity and Forest Guardians for bringing
lawsuits against the Forest Service, but fails to mention the
numerous lawsuits brought against the Forest Service by the
livestock industry. Many have much less legal viability than the
lawsuits filed by the Southwest Center or Forest Guardians, but
they result in the same “paralysis.”
Jerry D.
Orr
Tucson,
Arizona
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Livestock industry likes lawsuits, too.
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