Little animals can stop big projects

Environmental activists and big businesses have long feuded over the idea of what is more important: Progress or the environment. Never has this come more to a head then when an endangered animal shows up on a planned construction site.

An endangered species has many rights under the laws of the U.S. government even if their habitat is directly in line of a major highway project or business development. When a business or government agency wants to begin a major building project, it starts with extensive planning. They examine the scope of the project, expected budget, space needs, building plans, etc.

They meticulously scope out several sites all over the country and even the world, looking for something that fits both their needs and provides plenty of incentives such as tax breaks, TIF districts and enterprise zones. By the time, construction actually begins potentially millions of dollars have already been spent.

States differ on the extent of the environmental oversight required for a business or government project and many companies often hire consultants to go over everything to make sure they are following the rules. It’s these third-party consultants that usually find out about the endangered species. To the lay person, a chipmunk is a chipmunk or a fly is a fly, but a trained observer can identify the various species and tell if they are endangered or not.

Recently, a spider the size of dime stopped construction on a $15 million Texas highway project. The Braken Bat Cave meshweaver is an odd looking translucent eyeless spider that hasn’t been seen in the area for than 30 years, but one showed up smack dab in the middle of the construction project.

The spider was originally discovered inside the Braken Bat Cave in 1980, but the cave was filled in for residential development and the spider disappeared along with it. The highway project would help streamline the commutes of some 80,000 daily commuters, but is on-hold indefinitely as the state decides on to best approach the situation. In fact, if the Fish and Wildlife Administration consider the highway a danger to the ecosystem, then it could be completely cancelled.

The discovery of an endangered squirrel derailed construction of the world’s biggest solar power plant in 2009. I know it’s ironic that an environmental roadblock has stopped construction of a renewable energy source, but the rules have to apply for everyone.

The plant was only six months away from completion when a nest of red-cheeked squirrels were found. Regulations state that the nest of the animals cannot be moved and construction is stopped. The plant was going to provide 20 gigawatts of renewable power to southern California, an area known for power issues and occasional blackouts.

It’s not just major businesses impacted by endangered species. Where I grew up, there was an area of farmland that was regularly flooded and the owner could do nothing with the worthless land. He was planning to sell it to a developer who was going to turn it into a residential development, but the discovery of an endangered frog and the protection of the habitat ended any chances of the farmer selling the land.

These little animals can sure throw a monkey wrench into people’s plans, but it begs the question is it worth it? I’m an environmentalist at heart and fully believe that business should never have the upper hand over the life or death of a species, but not everyone feels that way. Is the life of a single spider species worth enough if it means a safer road for commuters? Maybe, the new highway construction could help alleviate congestion and reduce the number of major and minor accidents.

It's a tightrope that lawmakers have been walking for many years and will continue to walk for many more. What’s more important in the long run: The survival of a dying species or the health and wellbeing of humans? Obviously, this can be debated on a case by case basis, but in the eyes of the law, the choice is clear. Animals that are endangered will always come first ahead of construction and business. You may not agree with it, but that’s the way it is and I don’t believe it’s going to change anytime soon.

Main photo courtesy of mysanantonio.com

Inset photo courtesy of ecoenquirer.com