Pete Domenici: “Secretary Babbitt's testimony could open the door to some changes in the Endangered Species Act and may permit all…”

“Secretary Babbitt's testimony could open the door to some changes in the Endangered Species Act and may permit all parties to work together. The Secretary's remarks are very significant because they acknowledge that this law, however well intentioned, is not working as it should. I hope we can begin serious work on improving the Endangered Species Act, certainly as it applies to dry States where water is very much in demand and where we have an imposition on those waters by the Endangered Species Act as it is currently being implemented. Just last month I indicated that people and people's needs should come before the minnow, which is an endangered species in this particular Rio Grande river valley. I wrote a letter to editors of papers in our State, which appeared in multiple newspapers around New Mexico, saying it is now time to face the devastating impacts of laws such as the Endangered Species Act on people in a desert State like New Mexico, particularly in the area of water.”