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NAPLES — The Conservancy of Southwest Florida says it plans to sue the federal government over what it says is the mismanagement of endangered species.
In a statement, the Conservancy says it plans to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for granting the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission the sole power to authorize activities that may harm imperiled species without federal review.
The Conservancy says the federal government is violating the Endangered Species Act, which prohibits actions that harm protected species, including new developments, mines and roads, without a federally authorized permit.
“Federal and state review in permitting are complementary, not redundant, and provide checks and balances in protecting our native wildlife,” says Andrew McElwaine, president of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, in a statement. “Federal oversight of endangered species is less likely to be influenced by politics, is more open to the public and brings expert scientists to the table, all of which is of benefit to Florida's most at-risk wildlife species.”
The St. Petersburg-based Center for Biological Diversity will join the Conservancy in the lawsuit, according to a statement.
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