The Hill News

This opinion piece was written in response to "Don't blame the Santa Ana Sucker" by Adam Lazar and Ileene Anderson published on April 18, 2011.

The Endangered Species Act isn’t an either-or proposition. It was developed to respect the needs of both human beings and wildlife. It also requires federal agencies to base their decisions and rulemaking on the best available science.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service failed to follow ESA guidelines on both counts, however, when it recently expanded a critical habitat area for the Santa Ana Sucker to include every water pipeline, treatment plant and groundwater recharge pond along the Santa Ana River and! its tributaries in some of the most heavily populated areas of inland Southern California.

This is a serious problem because the Service’s decision could translate into a net annual loss of enough water for 500,000 Riverside and San Bernardino county residents who need this water now.

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