Endangered & Protected Species

 

AP | Suit: Agencies Fail To Protect Marine Species From Oil. According to The Washington Post, “A conservation group says in a lawsuit that the U.S. government failed to protect endangered whales and other animals by underestimating the potential for an oil spill like a recent crude pipeline leak off California’s coast. The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit in federal court Wednesday saying Interior Department agencies and the National Marine Fisheries Service didn’t ensure offshore oil and gas production wouldn’t jeopardize endangered and threatened species in accordance with U.S. law. The lawsuit says the Service found in a 2017 analysis that oil and gas production wouldn’t likely have an adverse effect on threatened marine life off California’s coast, there was a low likelihood of an offshore oil spill and if one occurred, it would likely involve no more than 8,400 gallons (31,800 liters). The suit asks the court to vacate the analysis and bar new oil activity unless government agencies comply with the law protecting endangered species. In October, an offshore pipeline leaked 25,000 gallons (94,600 liters) of crude into the waters off Southern California. The spill was not as large as initially feared but shuttered beaches for a week and fisheries for more than a month and left more than 100 animals, mostly birds, covered in oil. Kristen Monsell, oceans legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said researchers have not confirmed that any marine mammals oiled in the spill were threatened or endangered species.” [The Washington Post, 1/26/22 (=)]

 

Biden Admin Sued Over Calif. Oil Spill, Endangered Species. According to Politico, “The Center for Biological Diversity sued the Biden administration yesterday, asserting that ongoing oil and gas development off the coast of California is putting endangered species at risk. The lawsuit argues that the California oil spill that fouled beaches late last year demands a renewed consideration of whether oil and gas activity in the Pacific Ocean poses a threat to endangered species, including humpback and sperm whales, leatherback sea turtles, and the small black abalone sea snail. The lawsuit seeks a court order suspending new oil and gas drilling permits until the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and Interior Department rewrite a biological assessment under the Endangered Species Act that weighs the risks of offshore development. Interior bureaus found in 2017 that ongoing Pacific oil and gas activities did not pose significant risk to several endangered species and their habitat. FWS concurred with the bureaus’ findings, the lawsuit states. But, CBD is arguing that FWS erred and Interior made ‘flawed’ determinations of how species could be affected by potential oil spills, vessel strikes and other risks. It’s asking the court to vacate the 2017 assessment and FWS’s concurrence. ‘Endangered whales and other marine life have faced oil spill after oil spill off California’s coast, and the federal government has failed to protect them,’ said Kristen Monsell, oceans legal director at the center. ‘These imperiled animals shouldn’t have to suffer and die because the oil industry is fouling our ocean waters.’” [Politico, 1/27/22 (=)]

 

Feds Sued For Underestimating Risks Of Oil Spills Off California Coast . According to Courthouse News Service, “The recent oil spill near Huntington Beach, California, proves a 2017 government analysis of the risk to endangered species from oil and gas drilling off the California coast was based on false assumptions about the size of potential spills, according to a new lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity. New oil and gas drilling permits off California’s coast should be suspended until the Interior Department and the responsible federal agencies have adequately analyzed the risk to humpback whales, blue whales, sperm whales, leatherback sea turtles, black abalone, and other threatened and endangered species, according to the complaint filed Wednesday in Los Angeles. ‘Endangered whales and other marine life have faced oil spill after oil spill off California’s coast, and the federal government has failed to protect them,’ Kristen Monsell, oceans legal director at the center, said in a statement. ‘These imperiled animals shouldn’t have to suffer and die because the oil industry is fouling our ocean waters.’ A robust, science-based analysis would show that drilling off California is too risky to wildlife and the climate and should be phased out quickly, she said.” [Courthouse News Service, 1/26/22 (=)]

 

Lawsuit Seeks To Block New Oil Drilling Offshore Of California. According to Pasadena Star-News, “A new lawsuit points to October’s Huntington Beach oil spill as evidence that federal regulators are failing to protect humpback whales, sea turtles and other endangered animals from oil drilling off the California coast. The Center for Biological Diversity, in the suit filed Wednesday, Jan. 26, seeks to force the Biden administration to halt all new drilling permits in federal waters offshore of California. It also seeks to throw out a Trump-era analysis, done before the incident, that found no large oils spills were likely. While no new leases are being issued in the region, companies with existing leases are continuing to drill new wells — which, in turn, are serviced by existing offshore platforms — according to Kristen Monsell, the Center for Biological Diversity’s lead attorney for the suit. Although the suit, filed in federal court in Pasasdena, doesn’t seek to halt all drilling, it aims to block expansion of existing operations in federal waters, which begin three miles offshore and are host to 23 of California’s 27 platforms.” [Pasadena Star-News, 1/26/22 (=)]

 

House Dems Seek To Protect Declining Salmon Populations. According to Politico, “NOAA and the Fish and Wildlife Service would be required to identify the nation’s ‘core centers of salmon abundance’ and do more to restore and protect the habitats of the fish under a $90 million bill introduced by a key House Democrat yesterday. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), who oversees fisheries issues as chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife, said his bill — H.R. 6491, the ‘Salmon Focused Investments in Sustainable Habitats (FISH) Act’ — would ‘ensure these areas receive the protection, support and funding they need to continue to sustain the healthiest remaining salmon populations.’ Among other things, Huffman’s bill would require that federal agencies not take actions to undermine salmon habitats. It would authorize $50 million in grants each year over five years to help restore and conserve salmon. Other provisions include giving priority to forest road decommissioning projects and fish passage projects. The bill would also authorize $40 million each year for five years to preserve existing watersheds for salmon and identify other salmon habitats. Huffman, who is also co-chair of the Congressional Wild Salmon Caucus, said the species is facing ‘numerous threats, and their populations are declining across the country.’ He blamed a number of factors for the decline, including habitat degradation, pollution, dams, overharvesting and the effects of climate change.” [Politico, 1/26/22 (=)]

 

Groups Challenge Montana Wolf Hunting, Trapping Regulations. According to U.S. News & World Report, “Two wildlife advocacy groups are challenging changes to Montana’s wolf hunting and trapping regulations, arguing they were made without public comment. Trap Free Montana Public Lands and Wolves of the Rockies filed the lawsuit in December and asked a judge to eliminate the use of infrared and other night hunting aids and to prevent the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks from allowing aerial hunting and spotting for wolves. They’re asking for a temporary restraining order until the case can be decided. A hearing date has not been set. ‘At no point did FWP provide written public notice that they were considering adding various methods of night hunting for wolves, or that they would remove the aerial spotting provisions,’ the lawsuit states. On Tuesday, state lawmakers received an update on pending litigation against environmental agencies. FWP Chief Legal Counsel Becky Dockter said the agency would deny the claims in their answer to the complaint, the Montana State News Bureau reported.” [U.S. News & World Report, 1/26/22 (=)]

 

Wildlife

 

AP | US Plans To Remove 19,000 Horses From Federal Land This Year, More Than Ever Before. According to KXTV-TV, “The U.S. government plans to capture more wild horses on federal lands this year than ever before, drawing sharp criticism from mustang advocates who hoped the Biden administration would curtail widespread gathers of thousands of horses annually across the American West. Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone-Manning, known as an ally of conservationists on several public land fronts when she was appointed in the fall, says the agency plans to permanently remove at least 19,000 horses and burros this year.  That’s 70% more than the previous high a year ago. Critics say it’s a continuation of a decades-old policy that kowtows to ranchers who don’t want horses competing with their cattle and sheep for limited forage on agency rangeland in 10 states. ‘It didn’t take long for Tracy Stone-Manning to sell out America’s wild horses,’ Friends of Animals President Priscilla Feral said. In Nevada, home to about half the 86,000 horses roaming federal lands, three groups have filed a lawsuit challenging what they say is the illegal, inhumane roundup of more than 2,000 horses that’s already underway near the Utah line. Of the hundreds gathered so far, 11 have died, according to the agency’s website.” [KXTV-TV, 1/26/22 (=)]

 

US Government Plans On Capturing, Relocating More Wild Horses Than Ever Before. According to The Hill, “The federal government plans to capture and relocate more wild horses and burros on federal lands this year than it ever has before. Since the 1970s, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has controlled the country’s wild horse and burro populations by gathering, relocating and administering fertility treatments to thousands of the animals every year. The effort aims to keep herd sizes in check and ‘sustain the health and productivity of the public lands.’ Earlier this month, the agency announced it would gather at least 22,000 wild horses and burros from overpopulated herds and relocate 19,000 ‘excess’ animals. In addition, the agency plans on treating 2,300 of the animals with ‘various forms of fertility control’ and releasing them back onto public lands by the end of September. If the agency is successful, this will be the most burros and wild horses it has ever captured or treated with a form of ‘fertility control’ in a single year, marking around a 40 percent increase from last year’s capture numbers and almost double the number of animals given a fertility treatment. There are several forms of fertility control that the agency uses on wild horses and burros, with the most common being a vaccine called Porcine Zone Pellucida, a nonhormonal treatment that prevents females from getting pregnant for one to two years, according to the BLM.” [The Hill, 1/26/22 (=)]

 

BLM Finalizes Wild Horse Protections For Adopted Animals. According to Politico, “The Bureau of Land Management has upgraded protection measures for adopted wild horses and burros eight months after concerns surfaced that some of the animals that passed through its program were later sold at auctions and possibly sent to slaughterhouses. The changes BLM announced today to its adoption incentive program in essence finalize tweaks made to the program last year designed to ensure that the thousands of animals removed from federal rangelands and adopted into private care each year are protected. BLM last year announced it was conducting an internal investigation into claims by wild horse advocates that were detailed in a New York Times story that estimated ‘truckloads’ of adopted wild horses and burros were later sold at auction (Greenwire, May 17, 2021). It’s not clear the status of that investigation. But among the most substantial changes to the program announced today is that a person adopting a wild horse or burro will not receive the $1,000 incentive payment until ‘a veterinarian or BLM-authorized officer’ certifies that the adopter has complied with the requirements of the program.” [Politico, 1/26/22 (=)]

 

Wildlife Corridors

 

How The NMDOT Wildlife Corridor Action Plan Will Affect Otero County. According to Alamogordo Daily News, “The New Mexico Department of Transportation and the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish have completed an initial draft of a Wildlife Corridor Action Plan. The plan is in compliance with the New Mexico Wildlife Corridors Act of 2019 and identifies high risk, or hotspot, areas where wildlife and vehicles collide. Of the hotspot areas listed in the Wildlife Corridor Action Plan, four are on the Lincoln National Forest. The No. 1 spot listed for animal/vehicle collisions is on Highway 70 between Mescalero and Tularosa. Vehicle wrecks involving elk are the second most prominent vehicle-to-animal wrecks in New Mexico with an average of 169 wrecks per year, the draft report states. Between 2002 and 2019, there were 3,041 collisions between vehicles and elk, the draft report states. ‘We have four of the top 10 hotspots for vehicle and animal collisions in the state. That is significant,’ Lincoln National Forest Wildlife Biologist Rhonda Stewart said. ‘The high number of accidents on Highway 70 and 82 shows we have heavy migration of megafauna, like elk and deer. These are areas we will be focusing on for future wildlife improvements to lower the accident rate.’” [Alamogordo Daily News, 1/26/22 (=)]

 

 

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