Free Republic

Court settlement stymies development in K-rat reserve Download story podcast 11:01 PM PDT on Sunday, May 2, 2010 By DAVID DANELSKI The Press-Enterprise More than 1,000 acres near March Air Reserve Base has been caught in a 16-year tug-of-war between Riverside County leaders who see it as prime for development and conservationists who say it is needed to help ensure the survival of the endangered Stephens' kangaroo rat. The federal government has agreed in a court settlement to rescind its 2003 decision to allow development on the 1,178 acres, which was designated a reserve for the 2-ounce, nocturnal rodent, found...

"It's not just the economic downturn that has harmed the green order. People have become wary of environmental causes that can turn out to do more harm than good. They don't want wind turbines marching across Britain's moors when nuclear power stations can do more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They worry that washing and bleaching all those non-disposable nappies may be damaging the ozone layer, that the massive incentives for biofuels have distorted the world food market, and that green taxes are actually stealth taxes."