On the recordJuly 26, 2011
The amendment before us today corrects a terrible flaw in the underlying bill, a provision that prohibits the endangered species from being listed as endangered. This provision is so bad that it would be funny but for the dangerous effect it would have on imperiled species on the brink of extinction and struggling to survive. The previous speaker was eloquent in his discussion about the bald eagle. Let's think about what would have happened had this measure been law 44 years ago. The American bald eagle, our national bird and symbol, would be gone. In the 1960s, there were less than 450 nesting pairs of bald eagles. But thanks to the Endangered Species Act, this national symbol was removed from the endangered species list in 2007. And now there are nearly 10,000 nesting pair of bald eagles. Maybe some of my colleagues side with those who wanted our national bird to be a turkey. But I think I speak for most Americans when I say that I am proud that we saved this national treasure, the American bald eagle, from extinction. Had this rider been the law of the land in 1979, the American alligator would most likely be gone. But because of the ESA protections, the American alligator population has grown to more than 2 million and continues to thrive, helping local economies throughout the southeast. The Aleutian goose is another example of the success of the Endangered Species Act. Back in 1967, there were no more than a few hundred of these birds.…
