***********************************************

WORLDWIDE FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS

Endangered Species Program Revived

***********************************************

Forest Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises

5/12/96

OVERVIEW & SOURCE by EE

The Cable News Network reports on the recent expiration of the

moratorium of new listing of Endangered Species in the United

States. The moratorium had been a grossly inappropiate measure,

used by anti-environmental Congressional forces to try to set back

endangered species regulations. Though listings may have been on

hold, too many species continued their perilous decline.

g.b.

*******************************

RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:

Endangered species program revived

May 11, 1996

Web posted at: 12:30 a.m. EDT

From Correspondent John Holliman

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Interior Department's Fish and Wildlife

service said Friday it will begin to rehire biologists and other

workers to revive the endangered species program.

Fish and Wildlife Chief Mollie Beattie told a news conference

that nothing was gained by a congressionally mandated one-year

moratorium on adding new species to the endangered list.

During April, Congress agreed to lift the ban and restore the

program to its normal funding levels as part of a budget

compromise with the White House.

"For all this cost and trouble what was achieved?" Beattie asked.

"Was there any economy? No. Was there any conservation? No. ..

It's cost us more moving people around."

But supporters of the moratorium defended it as useful.

"It brought attention to the shortcomings of the Endangered

Species Act, in particular the process used to list species as

endangered," said Rep. Richard Pombo, R-California, one of the

law's sharpest congressional critics.

Beattie says it will take several months to gear up to analyze

biological data and determine which species are the most

endangered. She says the first priority will be to make sure that

no species on the verge of becoming extinct is allowed to do so.

First up: the red-legged frog, which has dwindled dramatically

and is at the center of a dispute in California. A federal court

has directed the government to decide by May 20 whether it will

be listed.

Critics have said protecting the frog could delay construction of

a $450 million reservoir and construction of a highway bypass

south of San Francisco.

If budget money is restored for next year, the agency will be

back on track for normal operations by October 1996.

Copyright c 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.

###RELAYED TEXT ENDS###

This document is a PHOTOCOPY and all recipients should seek

permission from the source for reprinting. You are encouraged to

utilize this information for personal campaign use; including

writing letters, organizing campaigns and forwarding. All efforts

are made to provide accurate, timely pieces; though ultimate

responsibility for verifying all information rests with the

reader. Check out our Gaia Forest Conservation Archives at URL=

http://forests.lic.wisc.edu/forests/gaia.html

Networked by:

Ecological Enterprises

Email (best way to contact)-> gbarry@forests.org

Phone->(608) 233-2194 || Fax->(608) 231-2312 (Pls, no junk faxes)