Washington, D.C. – For too long states, local governments and individual property owners such as farmers and ranchers have had to bear the brunt of the federal Endangered Species Act and they are staggering beneath the momentous weight, according to U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi who has authored legislation designed to change that.

Enzi intends to introduce his Endangered Species Funding Act, which would amend the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to require the federal government to pay for all costs relating to the establishment of a state management plan, monitoring, consultation and administration, surveys, conservation agreements, land acquisitions, losses from predation, losses in value to real or personal property or any other cost imposed for mitigating management of a species covered by the ESA.

"One of the biggest problems we face in Wyoming in dealing with the Endangered Species Act is that the people forcing us to implement this law have no real perspective on what it does or how it impacts states and local communities," said Enzi. "It's one thing to claim species management is important when there is no direct, associated cost to the taxpaying public. It's quite another to fund management priorities when the American public suddenly has to foot the bill."

Enzi said that Wyoming residents are forced to invest man hours and property to ensure that plants, fish and animals are managed according to national priorities set by federal agencies.

"It is only fair then that federal dollars be provided to pay for these federal priorities," said Enzi. "My bill is about sharing the cost of shared priorities. It is predicated on the notion that if protected species truly belong to all of us then all of us should contribute financially to their preservation."

Enzi announced his plans to introduce the bill via videotape at the Wyoming Stock Growers Association's 2002 Summer Convention and Trade Show in Casper today.