tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9089981019164883560.post4354770337401322577..comments2019-07-26T18:26:12.193+10:00Comments on Small Fish, Big Red: New Regulation Would Lessen Influence of Fish and Wildlife ExpertsAnthony Juddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334335924376099584noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9089981019164883560.post-46774427999802987592008-08-26T00:33:00.000+10:002008-08-26T00:33:00.000+10:00Hi RebeccaThose are all good questions. I think th...Hi Rebecca<BR/>Those are all good questions. I think the best information we have to judge whether those agency employees have the necessary skills is the example I provided of similar cases assessed by federal employees under the National Fire Plan. <BR/>In that case they got it wrong in 35 out of 53 cases. That is a totally unacceptable level of error in my opinion.<BR/><BR/><B>There would also need to be some type of binding contract for displaying unbiased opinion/research, where if one was to display bias there would be consequences.</B><BR/>I'm not sure how you could make that work, but perhaps a regular review (every year?) by qualified FWS/NMFS biologists of all cases assessed, with results impacting employee performance reviews would help ensure that the science came before other motivations.Anthony Juddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09334335924376099584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9089981019164883560.post-44458788959035348902008-08-25T21:32:00.000+10:002008-08-25T21:32:00.000+10:00I have a few questions and comments about the foll...I have a few questions and comments about the following quote: <BR/><BR/>“Officials at the departments of Interior and Commerce argue that agencies are ‘fully qualified’ to decide on their own whether their projects will harm a species or its habitat.”<BR/><BR/>Do these “officials” have scientific training? Do they know how to identify species correctly and which species live in the area of the project? Can they accurately make scientific predictions of how the project will affect species populations and the physical/chemical biology of the species in the area? And even if they do have scientific training will they be able to be unbiased in making the decision to proceed with the project, or will they be more apt to overlook the environmental impacts because they want the project to continue and be successful (money/greed)? It seems like the “officials” would most likely lack scientific knowledge and there is a great risk of the potential to display bias towards the project rather than protecting our environment for the current and future generations. If this regulation were to go through there would need to be regulations (i.e, skill requirements, environmental/science training) for the “officials”. There would also need to be some type of binding contract for displaying unbiased opinion/research, where if one was to display bias there would be consequences.Becca johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14876435053297100905noreply@blogger.com