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Habitat Designation for Salmon Weighs Economic Impact
Five years after NAHB sued the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA) over inadequate economic impact analysis and scientific evidence in designating critical habitat for 19 subpopulations of salmon and steelhead in California and the Pacific Northwest, the service has released a new designation that is one-fifth the size of the original one.
More importantly, the service has followed a process advocated by NAHB in deciding which areas to include in the designation to maximize the benefit to the species while minimizing adverse impacts on the local economy.
Specifically, the biological value of each particular area was weighed against its economic value. Areas with a high benefit to the salmon and low economic importance were prioritized for designation, and those with low significance for the salmon but where a designation would take a high toll on the economy were prioritized for exclusion.
This added attention to cost-effectiveness resulted in the exclusion of more than 2,700 square miles of land where the cost of the designation outweighed the benefit to the species.
“The great news for home builders is that NOAA heard our concerns and listened to our recommendations,” said NAHB President Dave Wilson. “The result is a designation that will better serve environmental objectives while having an impact on a smaller area, as well as a better model for the process of designating critical habitat in the future.”
In an effort to preserve private landowner conservation incentives, also an approach advocated by NAHB, the new designation excludes 381 stream miles covered by Habitat Conservation Plans.
NAHB and home builders associations in the affected region will work with federal agencies and state and local governments to implement the designation.
To view the critical habitat documents and maps, click here.
For more information, e-mail Christopher Galik at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8663.
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