"The Supreme Court affirmed the common sense interpretation of the law followed by the Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton Administrations, " said Secretary Babbitt. "At the same time, it makes it all the more fundamentally important that we work to make this law more flexible and user-friendly for land owners. Corporation with landowners, big and small, is the best way to ensure both the health of wildlife habitat and sustainable economic development. We will continue to aggressively pursue a variety of reforms to make the Act less onerous on private landowners."
"The Courts decision reinforces the conclusion of a major report on the Endangered Species Act recently issued by the NAS (National Academy of Sciences), which concluded that "the most serious threat" to most endangered species in the United States today is habitat destruction and, accordingly, that "habitat conservation is the best single means to counter extinction.
"Our objective is to encourage landowners with endangered species habitat to integrate economic development and conservation through practical observation efforts on their land. Habitat conservation plans (HCPs) are the solution that demonstrate the compatibility of wildlife habitat conservation alongside resource use and land development. In just the last two years, we have tripled the number of HCP agreements established in the previous decade, with more than 150 at various stages of development.
"The lower court decision in the Sweet Home case, overturned by the Supreme Court today, would essentially have wiped out all these conservation partnerships."
"To create additional incentives for conservation planning on the part of landowners we have set in motion various reforms to simplify and accelerate the HCP process. The key issue for landowners across the country is "certainty." Our "no surprises" policy is committed to a conservation plan they will have no additional demands placed on their property. The "safe Harbor" policy that we have instituted also protects landowners who voluntarily enhance wildlife habitat on their lands from any additional land use restrictions. We are committed to put forward new ideas that make the ESA work better and provide more flexibility for landowners.
"Taken together, these initiatives allow us to respect residential property and other land uses while preserving wildlife habitat. The Supreme Court decision announced today will allow these conservation partnerships with landowners to remain on track, ultimately to benefit future generations as well as our own.
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