Political Quotes

“Nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history, and more than 1 million species are currently threatened with extinction, many within decades. This amendment seeks to legislate species status, rather than providing species with a protection they are afforded under the Endangered Species Act, our principle conservation law, and would potentially increase litigation regarding the government's responsibility to implement the statutory requirements of the Endangered Species Act. Once again, my Republican colleagues are disregarding the law. The best available scientific and commercial information, not politics, should determine whether a species is listed as threatened or endangered. This amendment circumvents the rigorous process that is in place to make those determinations as well as the role of public input. The primary factor influencing the viability of the Texas kangaroo rat is habitat loss and conversion, largely related to historic land use changes. Human activities that threaten and diminish animal habitats, pollute nature, and accelerate global warming are driving species' extinction and creating unhealthy ecosystems. When we lose a species, impacts reverberate throughout ecosystems, and we all suffer because our economy, health, livelihoods, food security, and quality of life all depend on healthy ecosystems.…”