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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 1994)
t 24,1994 mal sted tion — Ameri- uave wel- ' of Mexi- candidate Jwing the aulant for n in busi- iorder. symbolizes nvestment ties to sell i Mexico,” Acevedo, he Border ad a board reater San • of Com aceful elec- Zedillo has of stability said Aceve- d the elec- 3ity with a n the San tie-trained ved to stick •ket course f President de Gortari, orth Ameri- Agreement chievement. lally elimi- ffs between tes, Mexico io a member anal Revolu- r PRI, which •esidency for I three lead- d candidates PA, Cuauhte- )f the Democ- >n Party had 1 like to see Wednesday • August 24, 1994 ; . ' 1 Page 13 Farmers fight federal regulation AUSTIN (AP) — Agribusi ness leaders and environmen talists clashed Tuesday over federal regulations to protect endangered species. Representatives of farming and rural organizations said landowners’ rights to own and manage their property were be ing attacked by the government. “The ever-widening circle of regulation puts virtually every farmer and rancher in Texas at risk,” said Bob Stallman, a Columbus rice farmer who is president of the Texas Farm Bureau. Stallman announced that 29 groups have joined a coalition called the Farmers and Ranch ers for Property Rights. He said the group would push for a law during next year’s legislative session to in crease property rights, and fight against the federal En dangered Species Act and other proposals aimed at protecting natural resources. Environmentalists said the groups were overreacting to laws designed to protect public resources. They also alleged that the “property rights” movement was being orchestrated by in dustries that want to weaken environmental laws for profit. Farmers and Ranchers for Property Rights members de nied the allegation, and said they were a grass-roots organi zation. Tom Smith, director of Public Citizen of Texas, called the movement “AstroTurf.” “Polluters and abusers are trying to mislead the good stewards into thinking that en vironmental protections are hurting rather than helping to protect their lives and their property,” Smith said. In back-to-back news confer ences, the two sides debated a proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to designate critical habitat of the endan gered golden-cheeked warbler. The songbird nests in some 800,000 acres in 33 Central Texas counties. Stallman said that under the proposal he could not build a fence or cut down a cedar tree on his property without first getting a permit from the fed eral government. But environmentalists said that wasn’t true. Ted Eubanks of the National Audubon Society said landown ers with critical warbler habi tat could continue normal farming and ranching opera tions, but might have to make minor changes to accommodate the songbird. “This warbler is a Texas na tive, the only bird in the world that nests exclusively in Texas, and we as Texans hold its fu ture in our hands,” Eubanks said. “If the warbler is just an other bird, then the Alamo is just another old building, and the Battleship Texas is just an other old boat.” [1 £ 1 * af college srry about ashing especially [hat's why especially ie home ]| bank, n-College ound the it a try. It'll e. n 3I fee, plus $t each month. Sierra Club sues to Gambling dose federal agencies requires voter OK SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The Sierra Club is preparing an Endangered Species Act lawsuit against the Defense and Transportation depart ments and other federal agencies to force them to cut back or close operations in San Antonio. However, the environmen tal group has initiated quiet negotiations with San Anto nio leaders to try to head off the lawsuit, which would be filed by mid-October if nego tiations fail, the San Antonio Express-News reported to day. The lawsuit threat comes as San Antonio prepares again to defend Kelly Air Force Base from the ax qf the independent Base Closure and Realignment Commis sion. “It’s horrible if they just file the lawsuit, whether they win it or not,” Mayor Nelson Wolff said. The Sierra Club filed a motion in April to include such demands in its success ful federal lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service but was turned down by U.S. District Judge Lucius D. Bunton III. His ruling did not preclude a new lawsuit. The April filing provoked a firestorm of anger from San Antonio, a city in which mili tary bases are almost as sa cred as the Alamo. Sierra Club officials admitted being surprised by the intensity of the response. The new lawsuit would be filed under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, which requires federal agen cies to ensure their activities do not jeopardize endangered species. It would include argu ments that San Antonio’s massive military installa tions make water demands that endanger plant and ani mal species at Comal and San Marcos springs, and that highway funds and other fed eral activities promote the growth of water demands in the region. The suit also would likely target the Agriculture De partment for any funds pro moting farming in the region. It also might name the En vironmental Protection Agency, asking it to cut its wastewater discharge per mits for San Antonio, an ac- (iop,.the agency already has indicated it is considering. Wolff said in April he hoped public pressure would deter the Sierra Club from filing the suit. It apparently hasn’t, though it did foster ef forts to avoid the suit. Sierra Club officials re portedly are concerned that such a suit would lead to the organization being painted as environmental extremists and upper-class Anglos who don’t care about the effect of their actions on Kelly’s large ly Hispanic work force. Sources on both sides told the Express-News that Peter Schenkkan, the Austin lawyer representing the Sier ra Club, met for more than six hours Saturday with Tul- los Wells, a prominent San Antonio lawyer who led the city’s efforts to protect its military bases in the last round of base closures. Wells also is chairman- elect of the Greater San An tonio Chamber of Commerce. Make Tracks To NationsBank Student Banking. Keep A Leash On Your Expenses. NationsBank Student Banking can help you keep your college budget under control. 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Morales said state lawmak ers alone can’t decide the issue. Instead, he said a constitutional amendment is needed. An amendment requires a two- thirds vote of the House and Senate, plus voter approval in a statewide referendum. “On issues of this magnitude ... the citizens legally and right fully have the deciding voice,” Morales said. “The state may not allow such gambling with out the permission of the vot ers.” The opinion followed in quiries by state Sen. John Mont- ford, D-Lubbock, and state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Hous- ton, about whether legalizing slot-machine gambling requires a constitutional amendment. Morales said such gambling is a form of lottery still prohibit ed by the Texas Constitution. He said lotteries are defined as games of chance that offer a prize. People on both side of the is sue said a constitutional amend ment will make it more difficult to get casino gambling approved in Texas. 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