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STRAIGHT TALK
WITH SAM (Sam Graves – Missouri Congressman)
Common Sense and the Endangered Species Act
If you are looking for a little common sense, you best not visit
Washington D.C. Like many of you, I am just shocked on how common sense gets
lost in the bureaucracy of Washington. Unfortunately, this lack of
common sense has ramifications that extend all the way to Missouri. This month,
I am going to be chairing a hearing in the Sixth District about the
Endangered Species Act.
The Endangered Species Act was created with the purpose of
recovering species threatened by extinction. When the Endangered Species Act
became law 30 years ago, a little more than 100 species were added to a list of
species as threatened by extinction. Now, 30 years later, nearly 1,300 species
are endangered or threatened. Like most government programs, this program
continues to grow while showing a terrible track record.
The government has bullied private landowners to protect ferns, snails,
and beetles. In Missouri's case, the pallid sturgeon and least tern are causing
landowners a lot of trouble. Instead of working with private landowners, the
government feels that pushing people around is the best way to achieve its goal
of recovering species. So let's look at the government's record of "success."
Out of the nearly 1300 species ever listed, only 15 have ever been
recovered. That is about a one percent success rate. I don't ever remember
taking a test in school where getting a 1 percent was considered passing.
The Endangered Species Act is failing because its resources are stretched too
thin. The best way to get species off this list is not by adding more species to
the list. Like all of us, the government needs to prioritize and focus its
resources on achieving its goal. The Endangered Species Act also needs to be
reformed to protect the rights of landowners. We must place the concerns of
people over the concerns of animals. We can achieve a healthy environment
without resorting to bullying tactics. It's time we bring some common sense to
Washington.
Sincerely,
Sam Graves
Member of Congress
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