wfn.org | Re: United Methodist Daily News note 400

[owner-umethnews@ecunet.org (United Methodist News list)]

Reply-to: owner-umethnews@ecunet.org (United Methodist News list)
"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS 97" by SUSAN PEEK on April 15, 1997 at 14:24
Eastern, about DAILY NEWS RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (403
notes).

Note 402 by UMNS on Oct. 22, 1997 at 15:56 Eastern (2299 characters).

TITLE:	Endangered Species Legislation to be Altered

CONTACT:  Joretta Purdue  	590(10-71B){402}
		Washington, D.C.  (202) 546-8722  	Oct. 22, 1997

Church advocate urges support
for endangered species legislation

	WASHINGTON (UMNS) -- The top executive of the United Methodist advocacy
agency issued a statement here Oct. 22 urging preservation and recovery of
endangered species as the present 25-year-old act expires.
	"God calls people of faith to be stewards, protectors and defenders of God's
creation and to act responsibly on behalf of all of God's precious and unique
creatures," said the Rev. Thom White Wolf Fassett, general secretary of the
United Methodist Board of Church and Society.
	In the one-page statement, he quoted or cited parts of Psalm 124, Genesis and
the denomination's Social Principles.
	Fassett commended the current Endangered Species Act as "a modern Noah's ark"
in the protection of God's creation.
	He also noted that although business, agricultural and environmental
interests were allowed to testify at a Senate hearing on the subject, no one
was allowed to speak for the religious community.
	Pointing to two separate bills that would amend the Endangered Species Act,
Fassett expressed a preference for the Endangered Species Recovery Act
proposed by Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.). 
	Fassett said the bill focuses on species recovery. It would, he said,
strengthen the country's commitment to protect species diversity, assist in
preventing the destruction of critical habitat and reward land owners who make
a commitment to preserve creation for the common good. He said it also would
improve public notification, allow more public participation and promote the
use of "good science" in the Habitat Contingency Plans.
	The other bill, S.1180, which is pending in the Senate did not find favor
with Fassett, who said it "fails to put recovery of species first." He
remarked that it was Sen. Dick Kempthorne's (R-Idaho) effort to find a
compromise between species protection and private property rights.
	Major faults of the Senate bill, Fassett said, are compromising the survival
of species, inadequate funding and increased bureaucratic hurdles. It would
lock in long term land management plans without sufficient scientific
information, he said.
	#  #  #

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 To make suggestions or give your comments, send a note to 
 umns@ecunet.org or Susan_Peek@ecunet.org

 This article sent to both the umethnews list <umethnews-request@ecunet.org>
 and also to the Worldwide Faith News list wfn-news <majordomo@wfn.org>
 Look at the header files to figure out which this is.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------