LAWSUITS FILED OR PENDING

January 2004

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Endangered Species Disputes over Texas Troglobites Spawn Lawsuit, Dissention
Center for Biological Diversity v. Norton, et al.

The federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) is alive and well in Texas. In a lawsuit filed on November 19, 2003 by the Center for Biological Diversity in federal District Court in Washington, D.C., the plaintiff seeks to force the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to designate critical habitat for three endangered species of invertebrates—two beetles and one crustacean—that live in or around underground environments supported by the Edwards Aquifer in Central Texas. Another dispute involves nine species of listed invertebrates that live in caves in Bexar County to the northwest of urban San Antonio. These disputes have put even greater pressure on Central Texas water planners trying to secure enough water for human needs.