Kempthorne Crafting Reform Of Species Act Senator ‘Intent’ On Bipartisan Support In Wake Of Failed Effort Last Year

Idaho Sen. Dirk Kempthorne is working on a bipartisan compromise to reform the Endangered Species Act.

The reform, Kempthorne said Friday, will be among the first topics for Congress to consider when it convenes in January.

The measure will be “one of the first pieces of legislation out of the chute when we come back after the first of the year,” Kempthorne said during the taping of the “Viewpoint” public affairs program at KTVB-TV in Boise.

“It will be bipartisan, I am intent on that,” he said. “I’ve spoken already with Dianne Feinstein and other Democrats who want to see reform.”

Kempthorne said he had also spoken with President Clinton and Vice President Gore about the reforms, and met last week with Republican Sen. John Chaffee, who will likely continue to chair the Environment and Public Works Committee.

“I think there is a real agreement that we need to have the reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act - it expired about three years ago - and we must have reform measures included,” Kempthorne said.

Kempthorne wrote a reform bill last year that called for more attention to economic concerns and conflicts with human activity when managing endangered species; tax breaks and other incentives for property owners whose land is home to the species; payments for lost property value; a new system for deciding how far to go to recover a species; and genetics as the measure of diversity that helps define whether a species is going extinct.

The bill was rejected by Democrats and conservationists who said it didn’t adequately protect endangered species.

This time, Kempthorne said he hopes to build in states’ rights; more emphasis on recovery of species, including a requirement that there must be a recovery plan for every listed species with benchmarks that allow progress to be measured; and incentives for landowners to comply with the act.

One of those incentives, which Kempthorne also proposed last year, would defer estate taxes for those who preserve habitat for endangered species. That’s attractive enough to persuade land owners to comply, he said.

“I’ve had ranchers say, hey, sign me up.”

Despite the outcome last year, Kempthorne said he is “very hopeful and optimistic” that a compromise can be reached and clear the Senate by this summer.

He pointed to his work on rewriting the Safe Drinking Water Act as a model, saying it “really is the first major environmental legislation that has happened since 1990.”

“It shows that the Republicans can go forward and make good changes,” Kempthorne said.

Kempthorne focused on the issue Friday when he gave the Republican response to Clinton’s weekly radio address.

“We need a law that recovers species, offers incentives, strengthens the responsibilities of states, and encourages people with diverse interests to work together to protect wildlife and jobs,” Kempthorne told the national radio audience. “Mr. President, the Republicans are ready to work with you and make this all a reality.”

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