Sen. Orrin Hatch Statement on District Court Decision on Prairie Dogs
Salt Lake City, Utah—Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the most senior Republican in the Senate, released the following statement on the decision of the United States District Court for the District of Utah striking down as unconstitutional Endangered Species Act regulations that limit the rights of Utah property owners:
“I’m glad the court has stepped in to protect the property rights of Utahns,” Hatch said. “I’ve worked on this issue for a long time, and this decision is a direct result of the tremendous efforts of the members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Property Owners, the Pacific Legal Foundation, the Iron County Commission, and the people of Iron County. This is the first time a federal court has found that Endangered Species Act regulations limiting the taking of a listed species exceed the scope of Congress’s enumerated powers. The court’s decision confirms what we have said all along: the federal government has no business interfering with property rights where the allegedly endangered species has no connection to, or effect on, interstate commerce. I will continue to fight the federal government’s unnecessary intrusions in the state of Utah.”
Sen. Hatch visited affected sites in Iron County to see the issue firsthand in the summer of 2012. As Chairman of the Senate Western Caucus’s Public Lands Subcommittee, he also coordinated visits for officials of the Fish and Wildlife Service, which led to an official proposal that would allow for a more serious solution.
