House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) and Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Chairman James M. Inhofe (R-OK) today sent a letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director Dan Ashe, requesting that the FWS extend the comment period and delay the listing determination for the northern long-eared bat (NLEB) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). 

Click here to view the full letter. 

“Earlier this month, numerous members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives wrote to you regarding the upcoming listing determination for the northern long-eared bat (NLEB), the related 4(d) proposal, and broader efforts to address white nose syndrome (WNS).  These members asked for your responses to a number of concerns and questions by March 13. 

“As we have not received your responses by close of business on March 13, we ask that you both extend the comment period for the proposed 4(d) rule and delay the listing determination for the NLEB by at least 60 days,” the letter states. 

“Again, we urge you to protect the NLEB from population loss associated with WNS, without unduly burdening impacted communities and citizens by driving up costs for farmers, foresters, and families who ultimately will have to bear the burden of any unnecessarily onerous rules, as it is clear that human activities are not a reasonable basis for adding the NLEB to the Endangered and Threatened Species List,” the letter concludes. 

The letter was also signed by Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Chairman, Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water and Wildlife, Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Vice-Chair, House Committee on Natural Resources, along with U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Boozman (R-AR), Tom Cotton (R-AR), David Vitter (R-LA), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Crapo (R-ID), and James E. Risch (R-ID). 

As scheduled, according to FWS' arbitrarily-set deadline, a final listing decision is expected to be made April 2, 2015.