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Congressman Dan Benishek is calling for further comment before Northern-long eared bats can be placed on the endangered species list.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is currently considering a proposal to protect the bats.
In a letter signed by twenty other legislators, Benishek asks for stakeholders impacted by the proposal to provide comment, as well as calling for public meetings in the area.
The letter also claims the main reason for the decline in bat population has been White Nose Syndrome, a fungal disease that has afflicted the species and not human activities such as mining and road construction.
The bipartisan letter comes in the wake of reports that construction will be delayed in Traverse City in order to protect the bat, despite the fact a ruling on the species’ status has not been issued yet.
