[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 125 (Monday, July 31, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H7996]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             WE MUST LEARN FROM PAST ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY

  (Mrs. SCHROEDER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased when this House last 
week passed the very important Stokes-Boehlert amendment, which did not 
undo all of the environmental regulations.
  There is a reason for environmental regulations. I am sending to 
every Member a copy of the August Discover magazine. It is about the 
last days of Easter Island. I totally believe that if we do not learn 
from history, we are condemned to repeat it. Scientists now, by taking 
core samples from Easter Island, have been able to document what 
happened there. As they pointed out, in just a few centuries they can 
tell that the people of Easter Island wiped out their forest, drove 
their plants and animals to extinction, and saw their complex society 
break down into chaos and cannibalism.
  It is a very important lesson for all of us on Planet Earth that we 
do not become an Easter Island ``wannabe.'' If we do not learn from 
history we are condemned to repeat it. I hope all of my colleagues will 
have time to look at this over the break, and that we certainly do not 
undo the progress we made last week by realizing how important some of 
these environmental gains can be.

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