Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and the American Farm Bureau Federation warned against adding a common bat species to the Endangered Species Act list.
PFB told the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources in Harrisburg that such a listing could seriously disrupt farm and business operations without addressing the syndrome widely labeled as the chief threat to the Northern Long Eared (NLE) Bat.
“With a range of 38 states and the District of Columbia, and the fact that this species of bat is 15 to 20 times more common than other non-listed bats in some areas, the potential scope of this listing and the impact on agriculture could be unprecedented,” said Jim Brubaker, who is a member of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau’s state board of directors and chair of its Natural and Environmental Resources Committee.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed protecting the NLE bat in response to a fungal infection that experts say has killed approximately six million bats in the United States over the past few years.
Brubaker told the committee the listing would create an undue financial burden, while not addressing the root problem, identified as white-nose syndrome.
As NLE bats make their homes in trees, barns, cabins, bridges and sheds across the state, Brubaker testified that placing the bats on the endangered list would adversely impact a broad range of industries and activities including natural gas and wind energy development; application of pesticides, insecticides and herbicides; highway construction; and timber harvesting.
In addition to the cost of delays and lost business, a violation of the ESA carries civil penalties of up to $25,000 per violation, criminal penalties of up to $50,000 and one-year imprisonment per violation.
Brubaker told the committee that agriculture is more than willing to work with states and the federal government to help ensure the longevity of the long eared bat. “We want practical solutions that work for agriculture and the environment,” Brubaker said. “Let’s make sure we’re solving problems, not creating new ones.”
