[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 209 (Tuesday, December 19, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S6059]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 516--COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
             PASSAGE OF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT OF 1973

  Mr. BOOKER submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Environment and Public Works:

                              S. Res. 516

       Whereas Congress passed the Endangered Species Act of 1973 
     (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) (referred to in this preamble as the 
     ``Endangered Species Act'') in December of 1973 by a vote of 
     92-0 in the Senate and 355-4 in the House of Representatives;
       Whereas President Richard Nixon, upon signing the 
     Endangered Species Act into law, stated, ``Nothing is more 
     priceless and more worthy of preservation than the rich array 
     of animal life with which our country has been blessed. It is 
     a many-faceted treasure, of value to scholars, scientists, 
     and nature lovers alike, and it forms a vital part of the 
     heritage we all share as Americans [and] which we hold in 
     trust to countless future generations of our fellow 
     citizens.'';
       Whereas decades of polling have shown strong bipartisan 
     support for the Endangered Species Act, with more than 4 out 
     of 5 citizens of the United States in favor of it;
       Whereas the Endangered Species Act is one of the most 
     successful conservation laws ever enacted by any country, and 
     99 percent of species protected under the Act have been saved 
     from extinction, including the humpback whale, grizzly bear, 
     and bald eagle;
       Whereas thanks to the Endangered Species Act, gray whales 
     still swim our coasts, peregrine falcons still soar our 
     skies, and polar bears still roam the Arctic tundra;
       Whereas the Endangered Species Act is currently helping 
     protect and recover more than 2,000 species of plants and 
     animals that are threatened or endangered;
       Whereas the Endangered Species Act provides added benefits 
     to people by maintaining healthy natural systems that provide 
     us with clean air and water, food, medicines, and other 
     benefits that we all need to live healthy lives;
       Whereas the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on 
     Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services published a study in 2019 
     that estimated that 25 percent of assessed taxa of plants and 
     animals and 10 percent of insects, which account for 75 
     percent of all species, could be threatened with extinction;
       Whereas, globally, 1,000,000 animal and plant species face 
     extinction within the coming decades, and millions more are 
     declining as habitat loss, climate change, wildlife 
     exploitation, pollution, and other human activities continue 
     to threaten their survival;
       Whereas North America alone has lost nearly 3,000,000,000 
     birds since 1970, which means more than 1 in 4 birds that 
     have disappeared from the landscape in a mere half a century, 
     and in that same time frame, global wildlife populations have 
     declined by an average of 69 percent;
       Whereas, in the United States, nearly half of all 
     ecosystems are at risk of range-wide collapse;
       Whereas, as of October 2023, a total of 2,363 species of 
     animals and plants were listed as either endangered or 
     threatened, and 1,668 of all listed species occur in the 
     United States and its territories, and the remainder (695 
     species) occur solely in other countries;
       Whereas the unraveling of the natural world remains a 
     fundamental threat to the well-being of all humanity, which 
     depends on millions of species and the countless services 
     that the web of life provides, and each extinction brings 
     closer the collapse of these planetary life-support systems, 
     including carbon sequestration, pollination, water 
     purification, oxygen production, and disease regulation;
       Whereas the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found 
     that climate change has caused local species losses, 
     increases in disease, and mass mortality events of plants and 
     animals, resulting in the first climate-driven extinctions, 
     ecosystem restructuring, increases in areas burned by 
     wildfire, and declines in key ecosystem services;
       Whereas the planet is experiencing a biodiversity crisis, 
     which many scientists conclude is the sixth mass extinction 
     event, with plant and wildlife species across the globe 
     facing heightened risk of extinction that is largely driven 
     by human activity;
       Whereas the United States has prioritized the conservation 
     of imperiled species by enacting the Endangered Species Act 
     and other landmark conservation statutes; and
       Whereas the recovery of species under the Endangered 
     Species Act is a remarkable success that should be 
     celebrated: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate commemorates the 50th anniversary 
     of the passage of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 
     U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

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