[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 139 (Wednesday, October 8, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H8691]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                REAUTHORIZING THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT

  (Mr. DINGELL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks and include extraneous 
material.)
  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my good friend and 
colleague from New Jersey, Mr. Saxton for his leadership in the effort 
to renew the Endangered Species Act.
  The authorization of this precious piece of legislation expired 5 
years ago, leaving one of our most important conservation laws 
vulnerable to attacks and lacking proper congressional oversight. 
Several years of ideological fighting and Beltway politics have kept 
interest groups busy while precious species of animals and plants 
decline and disappear. In the meantime, public and private land 
conflicts continue to hamper recovery efforts.
  The administration has implemented needed reforms. The other body is 
building a consensus with the administration for improving the act. 
Sponsors of that effort are aware that their bill is not perfect but it 
is a product of good consensus and such efforts is never perfect.
  The gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Saxton] and I have been engaged 
for several months in discussions, hoping to lead to the enactment of 
an improved Endangered Species Act. The chairman of the committee, the 
gentleman from Alaska [Mr. Young], is participating, as are the 
gentleman from California [Mr. Pombo] and the gentleman from Louisiana 
[Mr. Tauzin], as well as the gentleman from California [Mr. Miller], 
the ranking member, who has introduced a bill containing many common 
sense reforms. It is our hope that these talks will lead to enactment 
by this body of a bill which protects endangered species of wildlife 
for the future.

    Saxton, Dingell Urge House to Reauthorize Endangered Species Act

       One week after a Senate Committee markup of changes to the 
     federal Endangered Species Act, U.S. Rep. Jim Saxton (R-NJ) 
     and U.S. Rep. John D. Dingell (D-MI) asked House colleagues 
     for support to reauthorize the nation's most significant 
     conservation law during the 105th Congress.
       Saxton, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Fisheries, 
     Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans, and Dingell, who authored 
     the 1973 law, emphasized that reauthorization is five years 
     overdue and further delay only places endangered species and 
     other at-risk species in further danger of extinction.
       Dingell and Saxton have participated for several months in 
     bipartisan discussions to determine how the ESA should be 
     improved. While not endorsing the Kempthorne-Chafee-Baucus-
     Reid compromise, both representatives expressed hope that 
     adoption of a Senate bill would lead to accelerated efforts 
     by the House to pass a bill the President can sign. A copy of 
     their floor statements follows:


         statement of the honorable jim saxton, october 8, 1997

       Mr. Speaker, I come before this body to discuss the need to 
     reauthorize the Endangered Species Act.
       I believe the time is now to reauthorize the grand daddy of 
     all environmental laws. It is vital that any piece of 
     legislation that is developed is done so in a bipartisan way. 
     I congratulate the Senate in their effort to craft such a 
     bill. Now, it is our turn in the House to find common ground 
     that Democrats and Republicans alike can agree upon.
       This process must recognize that people who are impacted by 
     the ESA have legitimate concerns regarding the way it works. 
     On the other hand our lack of progress in reauthorizing the 
     act has seen the further decline of many species and the 
     biological extinction of others. Now is the time to act.
       I want to recognize Chairman Young and the ranking member 
     on the Resources Committee, Congressman George Miller, for 
     their recent efforts to craft a bipartisan bill in the House. 
     The process has been supported by the involvement of Mr. 
     Dingell, Mr. Tauzin and Mr. Pombo. We must set politics aside 
     and do what's right for the people of this country and for 
     the species in which this legislation protects.


       statement of the honorable john d. dingell october 8, 1997

       Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my friend from New Jersey, 
     Mr. Saxton, for talking about the need to renew the 
     Endangered Species Act.
       The authorization for the Endangered Species Act expired 
     five years ago, leaving our most important conservation law 
     vulnerable to piecemeal attacks and a lack of proper 
     Congressional oversight. For several years, ideological 
     fighting and beltway politics have kept interest groups busy 
     while animals and plants decline and disappear. In the 
     meantime, private and public land conflicts continue to 
     hamper recovery efforts.
       The Clinton Administration has implemented some needed 
     reforms. And the other body is building a consensus with the 
     Administration for improving the Act. Sponsors of that effort 
     readily admit their bill is not perfect, but the product of 
     good consensus is rarely perfect.
       The gentleman from New Jersey and I have been engaged for 
     several months in discussions about improving the Endangered 
     Species Act. Chairman Young is participating as are Mr. 
     Tauzin and Mr. Pombo; and so is Ranking Member Miller, who 
     introduced a bill containing many common-sense reforms. It is 
     our hope that these talks might give this House has a chance 
     to pass a bill which makes a good law work better for species 
     and landowners.

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