ALBANY, Ore. — At their July 14 meeting, Linn County Commissioners Roger Nyquist, Sherrie Sprenger and Will Tucker welcomed news that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have redefined the definition of the word “harm” in the Endangered Species Act.
The 53-page ruling was announced on Friday and was published in the federal record on Tuesday, July 14.
The Endangered Species Act has been in effect in the United States since the early 1970s. It came under a spotlight in the early 1990s when it led to greatly reducing timber sales on state and federal forest lands as part of a plan to protect the Northern Spotted Owl, whose numbers were declining.
Commissioner Sprenger emphasized that the rule change does not make it legal to damage or kill endangered species.
Commissioner Tucker said “this is a broad rule change. It will take time to figure out its meaning.”
“Habitat protection to try to save the Northern Spotted Owl is proving to be failed public policy over the last 40 years,” Commissioner Nyquist said after the meeting. “This change in strategy is warranted. The Spotted Owl’s problem is predatory in nature.”
A group of environmental groups has already filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries challenging the new ruling in federal district court in Seattle.
Representatives of the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce said the ruling will return the interpretation of the Endangered Species Act back to its “actual text and original intent, which will end years of federal overreach.”
“For years, federal agencies abused the ESA to obstruct lawful land use and burden American families and businesses,” Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a press release. “That approach turned routine activity into a regulatory trap, drove up costs that impacted people’s lives, and expanded federal authority beyond what Congress intended. This action restores common sense, respects private property, provides much-needed certainty for landowners and follows the statute Congress actually passed.”
The agencies note that the ESA’s core protections remain in place. Actions that directly injure or kill listed wildlife will continue to be prohibited. Existing permits and incidental take statements remain valid and unchanged.
In other business the commissioners:
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Were told that 77 land use permits were issued in June, compared to 91 the same month one year ago. Some 324 total building permits were issued compared to 356 last year. Six permits were issued for single family dwellings and seven permits were for manufactured dwellings. There were 11 new code enforcement cases opened and eight closed.
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Approved the purchase of three new Ford pickups, two F250s and one F350 model, from Northside Ford in Portland by the Parks & Recreation Department. The pickups will cost $183,525.28. The remainder of the $230,000 will be used to outfit the vehicles with toolboxes, emergency gear and signage.
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Approved a Good Neighbor Agreement between the Parks & Recreation Department and the U.S. Forest Service. Linn County will reestablish the water system infrastructure at Breitenbush and Cleator Bend Campgrounds, perform deferred maintenance on roads and other park facilities and continue operations at Blue Pool, Ice Cap and Trail Bridge recreation sites. The agreement could total $290,000 by 2028.
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Announced that all three commissioners will be scooping ice cream at the annual senior ice cream social in the Sponsors Pavilion at the Linn County Fair at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 16.
Media contact: Alex Paul, Linn County Communications Officer, 541-967-3825 or email apaul [at] co.linn.or.us (apaul[at]co[dot]linn[dot]or[dot]us).