Endangered species battle continues in
courts
SACRAMENTO “”mdash; A conservative legal group has threatened to
sue the federal government over its plans to protect four dozen
endangered species in California ranging from peninsular bighorn
sheep to the tiny robust spineflower.
The Pacific Legal Foundation notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service and National Marine Fisheries Service on Monday that it
would file suit in 60 days, claiming the agencies failed to meet
requirements of the Endangered Species Act when they set out to
protect 16 animal and 32 plant species. Advance notice is required
before filing endangered species lawsuits.
Based on a favorable ruling in U.S. District Court in Fresno
that overturned habitat protection for the Alameda whipsnake last
year, the foundation said the agencies underestimated the economic
impact of protection and didn’t properly follow the rules to
protect habitat.
Attorney Reed Hopper said he hopes the lawsuit will have
ramifications beyond the Golden State, forcing the agency to change
the way it designates habitat for the protection and recovery of
species, but Kieran Suckling of the Center for Biological Diversity
predicted it would fail.
NASA to launch super-speedy aircraft again
LOS ANGELES “”mdash; NASA delayed Monday’s planned flight
of its experimental X-43A “Scramjet,” an unmanned
aircraft designed to reach a record speed of Mach 10, or 7,000
mph.
The X-43A is mounted on a modified Pegasus rocket designed to be
carried aloft by a B-52 aircraft and released at 40,000 feet. The
rocket will carry the X-43A to 110,000 feet and separate, allowing
the craft to fly for about 10 seconds with its supersonic
combustion ramjet operating.
“Ultimately we were go for launch but we had used up so
much of that launch window that by the time we taxi and take off we
would not be out on the launch box and in position to launch by 4
p.m.,” said Griff Corpening, chief engineer on two previous
X-43A flights.
The X-43As were designed to land in the ocean and sink without
being recovered.
Compiled from Bruin wire reports.