[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 16039]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      THE NORTHERN LONG-EARED BAT

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, this week the U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service announced that the agency is reopening the comment 
period for an additional 30 days for the public comment period on their 
proposal to list the northern long-eared bat as endangered.
  This species can be found in 38 States, and if listed under the 
Endangered Species Act, the consequences could have significant impacts 
on farmers, foresters, landowners, and the States themselves.
  The underlying issue is that neither habitat loss nor human 
activities have played a role in the losses. The northern long-eared 
bat is suffering from a fungal disease known as White-nose Syndrome, 
which wakes subterranean cave-roosting bats out of hibernation in 
winter. Once awake, these bats leave the cave in search of food and, 
unfortunately, starve or die during the colder months.
  Rather than placing a limitation on land use that has nothing to do 
with the spread of a disease, I would encourage the Fish and Wildlife 
Service to focus on research into countering the White-nose Syndrome.
  The American people deserve as much.

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