4-19 FB Otter Equal Justice

 The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Public Lands Council (PLC) were encouraged when the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources held a hearing in December 2011 about challenges related to the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Karen Budd Falen, an attorney and Wyoming rancher, testified during the hearing and recently NCBA and PLC joined forces with Budd Falen to submit Endangered Species Act reform recommendations to the committee. We all know without having to say it out loud that the endangered species that is always under question is the wolf, which is no longer endangered. Wolves can raise havoc with beef ranchers. The only real endangered species is your wallet if you are a taxpayer. Here is Gov. Butch Otter on the subject.  “And then we have these same groups who are always playing games. When they are doing their normal billable hours, as a lawyer for the organizations that they work for, they get paid substantially less than when they go to court and say okay now we want them to pay our bills and in some cases we as taxpayers are paying as much as 4 and $500 an hour.” That’s what they call the equal access to justice act.