‘New rules on projects in protected areas will save cost’

The Department of Land and Natural Resources believes relaxing the rules on protected species to give way for development programs and projects as being pushed by the Bush administration will save a lot of money.

However, DLNR Secretary Ignacio de la Cruz expects oppositions from some members of the U.S. Congress as well as protests from conservationists.

“There will be lawsuits to come,” de la Cruz said when asked to comment on the issue that would soon give federal agencies the freedom to decide for themselves whether highways, dams, mines and other construction projects might harm endangered animals and plants.

De la Cruz said the current system is more costly because of the lengthy procedures that usually delay implementation of such projects.

The new policy being proposed by the Bush administration, DLNR said, will ease some of the requirements.

He said the federal government would make sure that such projects would not endanger the habitats because they will also be required to go through the usual process.

There are currently 11 endangered or threatened species in the CNMI: eight animals and three plants.

The endangered animal species are Micronesian megapode, hawksbill turtle, leatherback turtle, nightingale reed warbler and the Rota bridled white eye while the threatened animal species are the Mariana fruit bat or the so-called flying fox, green sea turtle and the loggerhead turtle.

The three endangered plant species are the Sarianthes nelsoni, Nesogenes rotensis and Osmoxylon marianense.

Associated Press reports on Wednesday pointed out that new regulations, which don’t require the approval of Congress, would reduce the mandatory, independent reviews government scientists have been performing for 35 years.

The draft rules would bar federal agencies from assessing the emissions from projects that contribute to global warming and its effect on species and habitats.

De la Cruz is anticipating stiff opposition from the U.S. Congress, which he said would not just let the federal government implement the new policy without going through scrutiny from them.

AP wrote that if approved, the new policy or changes to the existing rules would represent the biggest overhaul of the Endangered Species Act since 1988. “They would accomplish through regulations what conservative Republicans have been unable to achieve in Congress: ending some environmental reviews that developers and other federal agencies blame for delays and cost increases on many projects.”

Such changes, AP said, would apply to any project a federal agency would fund, build or authorize with government wildlife experts currently perform tens of thousands of such reviews each year.

Under current law, federal agencies must consult with experts at the Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service to determine whether a project is likely to jeopardize any endangered species or to damage habitat, even if no harm seems likely. [B][I](Nazario Rodriguez Jr.)[/I][/B]