On the recordJune 19, 1996
Mr. Chairman, yes, it is true that this debate really is not about the Endangered Species Act. I wish we were debating the Endangered Species Act on this floor today, but we are not. We are debating about whether or not we should protect the private property rights of these few people. What it really comes down to is that, yes, the gentleman from Washington [Mr. Dicks] is correct about one thing. When your property is designated as critical habitat, and it is private property, it is not immediately affected under the law, unless you want to use it. If you want to use it for anything, you have to go to the Federal Government to get permission to use it.
Source
govinfo.gov
