Policy Digest

Tuesday, February 11, 1997 

How Protecting a Fly Hurt the Sick

U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service bureaucrats have held up construction of a hospital in Southern California and threatened county officials with heavy fines and arrests -- all in the name of saving the Delhi Sands flower-loving fly.

In 1992, less than 24 hours before San Bernardino County was to begin construction of the hospital, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the fly as an endangered species and demanded that the county set aside the entire 68-acre hospital site as a preserve for eight flies known to live on the property.

  • Moreover, the USFWS sought to shut down traffic on heavily-traveled Interstate 10 nearby in August and September when the flies emerge from underground and live for about two weeks.

  • The county agreed to relocate the hospital -- which is now about a year behind schedule in construction -- set aside ten acres for the eight flies, and fund biological and behavioral studies.
  • It has already spent $4.5 million to accommodate the flies.

  • In addition, an agency official threatened to prosecute the county if it improved an intersection near the hospital -- unless it bought yet another fly preserve at a cost of up to $1.5 million.

A U. S. district court judge found in favor of the USFWS, and the agency also wants to set aside 300 acres of mostly private property in an economically distressed area to protect other populations of the Delhi Sands flower-loving fly.

Source: Ike C. Sugg (Competitive Enterprise Institute), "Flies Before People," Wall Street Journal, February 11, 1997.

For more on the Environment go to http://www.ncpa.org/pi/enviro/envdex1.html

Home | Support Us | All Issues | Social Security | Debate Central | Contact Us

Dallas Headquarters: 12770 Coit Rd., Suite 800 - Dallas, TX 75251-1339 - 972/386-6272 - Fax 972/386-0924
Washington Office: 601 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 900 South Building, Washington, DC 20004 - 202/220-3082 - Fax 202/220-3096
© 2001 NCPA