ACTION ALERT PA-Speak out against HB 1576 and Gary Haluska...Gary Haluska (D) was the prime sponsor of the AG-gag bill, as well. These are not principles shared by the majority of the Democratic Party and I think he needs to have a democratic challenge in his bid for reelection. From a source close to the action: The bill is being fast-tracked and the House is likely to vote on the bill on Tuesday, Nov 19 or Wednesday (Nov 20). Since Gary Haluska (Dem Minority Chair of the G&F Committee) voted for the bill on 11/13, it will be an uphill battle, but we have to try to defeat it now. Please CC us with your Representatives reply. That will allow us to gauge our effectiveness - and the probable vote next week. The basic talking points are: The legislation takes authority away from PFBC and PGC It politicizes a scientific process. It it harmful to the species that need the most protection. The PFBC and PGC could lose over 20% of their budgets because this endangers their Federal funding. Has the party of Ronald Reagan lost its conservation ethic? If you need other talking points, read the comments below: Josh First, of the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmens Clubs, stated his opposition to the bill. He said taking species management away from the commissions will cost the state millions of dollars each year in federal funding, which is conditioned on those two agencies managing endangered and threatened species. He remarked the bill “is lousy for that reason alone” and said adding IRRC to the process simply creates more bureaucracy with no added value. As a landowner and businessman, First empathized with those looking to resolve conflicts more easily, noting he would like to see more cooperation, but opined that the bill does not improve upon that relationship and is missing the value of stewardship Katie Dunlap, Eastern Water Project Director for Trout Unlimited, acknowledged the efforts to improve the bill with amendments, but lamented those amendments that have circulated do not go far enough. She said the bill threatens the essence of Trout Unlimited’s mission because it proposes to change wild trout stream listing process, a process she said works very well, and is clearly intended to limit protections by adding layers of bureaucracy and paperwork. Dunlap emphasized that a wild trout stream designation does not prevent a company from moving forward but merely requires additional measures to protect the waters. She also expressed concern that the bill will have a negative impact on the state’s economy as the state’s fishing traditions are threatened and anglers go elsewhere. Jeff Schmidt, of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Sierra Club, argued the proposed legislation is contrary to public interest. He cited the need to protect the components of the ecosystem, noting that they each provide valuable biologic services. Schmidt argued the current approval process is both open to the public and scientific, pointing out that the IRRC process can take as much as two years during which time a species could become extinct. Schmidt said the bill is about whether the state agencies will have the tools they need to evaluate impacts and exempts applicants from conducting field studies to determine the impact. He stated such failure leads to environmental harm and the proposed amendments do not improve the bill enough for the Sierra Club to drop its opposition. Steve Stroman, of PennFuture, stated the “bill is a dangerous and unprecedented attack on wildlife” and wildlife management agencies. He cited Pennsylvania’s long tradition of allowing independent agencies to manage wildlife and stated the bill would make this more difficult. He argued the bill would make the decision making process politicized and subject to a lengthy regulatory review process. He called on the legislature to let Pennsylvania’s nationally recognized wildlife professionals do their jobs. Jonathan Niles, Ph.D., a research professor of biology at Susquehanna University with emphasis on brook trout, reviewed the status of assessed waters in Pennsylvania and wild trout populations. He discussed joint efforts between research biologists like himself and the commission to assess the streams of Pennsylvania and reported almost 3,000 streams have been assessed since 2010 and 55 percent of those were found to have wild trout. He emphasized the importance of data being collected by experts and argued the decisions should not be made by those that do not have the expertise. Sarah Speed, Pennsylvania State Director for the Humane Society, stated the bill sets Pennsylvania up for having to go through the federal government instead of a state process. She opined ecotourism in Pennsylvania will be threatened by the bill and lamented sponsors of the proposal are not taking an adequate view of long range impacts. She cited a recent study which found more than 80 percent of Pennsylvanians feel the legislature should do more to protect animals. Rep. Rick Mirabito (D-Lycoming) remarked this issue is “a question of whether in 20 years the animals and plants we see today are going to be there.” He cited the legislature’s constitutional obligation to protect the environment and argued the bill is bad for rural Pennsylvania. He said his greatest concern is that the bill takes the decisions out of the hands of the experts and puts them into political process, which he believes will set up a disaster for rural Pennsylvania.
Posted on: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 19:28:30 +0000
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