[CPEO-MEF] Fw: Military Chafes at Wildlife Rules

[Steve@miltoxproj.org]

Los Angeles Times, August 23, 2001 
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-000068320aug23.story





Military Chafes at Wildlife Rules 

Nature: The Pentagon may seek a revision of the Endangered Species Act to 
allow more defense training. 
       
By KENNETH R. WEISS and DEBORAH SCHOCH, TIMES STAFF WRITERS 

The Pentagon is moving toward asking Congress to rewrite the Endangered 
Species Act and other laws so military training exercises can be exempted 
from restrictions to protect sea turtles, desert tortoises, shorebirds and 
other rare creatures. 

Military officials have said they would like more flexibility in 
environmental rules, in large part because of growing friction between those 
protections and training exercises on California's military bases, including 
Camp Pendleton, Ft. Irwin, Point Mugu and Coronado's Naval Amphibious Base. 

Amid the vast urban sprawl, military reservations with expanses of open 
country have become de facto wildlife refuges for rare and endangered 
species. Yet officials contend that the armed forces are being penalized for 
being good stewards of their land. Laws to protect these last refuges are 
obstructing plans to drop live bombs, fire weapons, maneuver tanks and 
conduct exercises designed to keep troops ready for battle. 


continued ...
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-000068320aug23.story

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~