Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005

Floor Speech

THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES RECOVERY ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - September 29, 2005)

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Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Chairman, there is an old saying ``The South will rise again!'' Well, the bill before us today is proof the ``Era of Big Government has come again!'' Let no mistake be made, those who support this bill cannot claim to be dedicated to fiscal responsibility and smaller government. This bill blows another hole in the Federal deficit.

I oppose this sham overhaul of the Endangered Species Act. Enacted in 1973, this landmark legislation has been hugely successful in saving many species from becoming extinct and has been an important conservation tool. The Endangered Species Act must be strengthened not decimated.

Of the more than 1,800 plants and animals protected by the act, only 9 percent have been declared extinct. Those species that have survived continue to grow and flourish. Newly named, the Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act ignores this success and carves out loopholes in the Act that will allow developers and others to avoid the law's protections. This legislation eliminates extremely critical habitat designations, giving many species no opportunity to survive.

It is a travesty that the leadership in this House, is yet again giving business the upper hand over sensible and effective environmental protection law. Private landowners will now have no incentive to protect their land. In fact, the Federal Government will now pay landowners for merely abiding the law!

Mr. Chairman, this Act does not "modernize'' or "reform'' the Endangered Species Act, it guts it and should be called the landowner and developer welfare act.

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