Plan to help endangered fish released for public comment

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) – A plan to help recover the dwindling population of an endangered fish in Tennessee and Kentucky has been released for public comment.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported Monday the plan released last week by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service outlines action needed to keep the Cumberland darter from becoming extinct. The plan is estimated to cost more than $35 million with an expected recovery date in 2047.

The fish was listed as endangered in 2011. The listing under the federal register says the biggest threats to it have been road construction, mining, agriculture and other development.

Ben Cunningham, spokesman for the grassroots political group Tennessee Tax Revolt Inc., says the question of spending $36 million on anything is crazy amid a deficit this year that will be close to a trillion dollars.

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Information from: Chattanooga Times Free Press, http://www.timesfreepress.com