John Dingell: “The goal Congress set then was unparalleled in all of history. Our country resolved to put an end to the…”

“The goal Congress set then was unparalleled in all of history. Our country resolved to put an end to the decades--indeed, centuries--of neglect that had resulted in the extinction of the passenger pigeon and the Carolina parakeet, and the near extinction of the bison and many other species with which we share this great land. If it were possible to avoid causing the extinction of another species, we resolved to do exactly that . . . When Congress passed the Endangered Species Act, it set a clear public policy that we would not be indifferent to the destruction of nature's bounty.”