“There is no joy in Greenville this morning. But the ball game is far from over, as environmental ideologues have vowed to fight tooth-and-nail to destroy any meaningful ESA reform in the Senate.”
“Landowners who earn credits would have a vested interest in increasing the value of their credits. The value can be increased by either more stringent regulation or reduced species populations that require a reduction in the number of credits available.”
“One man's blight is another man's castle. Without proper restrictions and well-defined parameters, governments will exploit the blight loophole and continue to abuse eminent domain power.”
“Typically, 'good-faith negotiations' do not portray the buyer holding a gun to the seller's head. These negotiations have been tinged with bad-faith since April, when the City told property owners they had to be out of their homes by New Year's Eve. Mr. Green can pretend he's dealing in good faith, but he's really playing with a corked bat.”
“The House of Representatives recently passed an ESA reform bill that promises to give property owners 100 percent direct compensation for their lost rights. Incredibly, Senator Crapo's bill seeks to undo this. For property rights advocates, CRESA snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.”
“While the Endangered Species Act has failed miserably at saving rare plants and animals, it has excelled in making life miserable for many in the human population.”
“ESA-related costs are paid in an inequitable way. Although Congress determined in 1973 that the preservation of endangered species was in the interest of the U.S. as a whole, Congress did not arrange for the nation as a whole to bear the costs of recovery. Instead, these costs are largely borne by the private landowners on whose property rare species are found, regardless of the ability of any particular landowner to bear these costs.”
