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Congressman Doc Hastings released the following statement on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s announcement today to delay the final rule on the status of two plants, the Umtanum desert buckwheat and the White Bluffs bladderpod, which are found on thousands of acres in Franklin and Benton Counties:

“As I have stated to both Secretary Jewell and Director Ashe over the past few months, it is imperative that they factor the best and most current science relating to the Bladderpod. As DNA studies revealed in July, the White Bluffs Bladderpod is a 100 percent match with bladderpod plants found abundantly in other states and areas where they are not proposed for listing as an endangered species. It is my hope that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service takes this extra time to fully consider the DNA testing and other science that has been brought to their attention in recent months, and to reverse its decision to list these plants and force a critical habitat designation on hundreds of acres of private farmland in Franklin County.”

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