Political Quotes

“the amendment proposed by the Senator from Texas is, I think, constructive and vitally important to people in many parts of the United States. With each passing month we learn more about the distortions in the lives of our people caused by the application of the present Endangered Species Act. A mere finding of threatened or endangered status for any species subject to listing automatically results in restrictions on the use of property, restrictions in economic activity, and in cultural, social, and community disruptions. This amendment will give both the country and the Congress breathing space for a period of approximately 6 months during which the Endangered Species Act itself can be examined, as it will be, by a subcommittee headed by the present Presiding Officer presiding over this body. I know he and I and the Senator from Texas all believe the Endangered Species Act should be continued, as it represents a real value held by all Americans, but that it must be changed so factors and values other than the species itself must be considered. Human values, people's jobs, their communities, their society, their culture must be weighed as we come up with balanced solutions to Endangered Species Act findings. That is not possible today under the act. The breathing space which will be imposed by the amendment of the Senator from Texas will allow that careful consideration to take place in this body. It will restore a degree of balance which is presently lost.”