Dear Sarah:

Thank you for writing me about the importance of protecting endangered species. This Congress, I have returned to the Environment and Public Works Committee, and am now a member of the Subcommittee on
Fisheries, Wildlife, and Water, which has jurisdiction over the Endangered Species Act (ESA.)

I believe it is our duty as stewards of this planet to protect other species. I have 10 grandchildren, and I want them to enjoy all of the wildlife that I have enjoyed over the years. It is our responsibility to future generations to leave the planet in as good a condition, if not a better one, as the condition we found it. It is our duty to the future generations who will live on the planet we leave them. For this
reason I fully support the Endangered Species Act and oppose any egislation that would weaken its provisions.

Since the ESA was enacted in 1973 (during a Republican administration), many species of American wildlife have been saved from extinction. Some of these, like the majestic bald eagle, have not been officially removed from the endangered list, but the ESA has kept us from losing them forever. It’s more common to see a bald eagle today than it was a few decades ago. The bald eagle is one the 17 animals on the endangered species list that are found in New Jersey. Others include the piping
plover, the bog turtle, and the gray wolf.

The three purposes of the Endangered Species Act are to identify species at risk of extinction, protect the remaining individuals of these species and their habitats, and aid the recovery of these species.

The Act has been successful in all three cases. But that doesn’t mean it is perfect. Since its original pssage, Congress has revisited the Endangered Species Act several times. I recently requested, with Senator Crapo (R-Idaho) and others, a Government Accountability Office
(GAO) report to determine whether the ESA can operate more efficiently. The goal is to improve and strengthen the Act, not weaken it as the Administration would hope to do.

We can undoubtedly find ways to implement this Act more efficiently. But the main problem with the ESA today is that the Bush administration is not following the spirit of the law. The administration is turning its back on science – just as it has done in ignoring global warming and allowing unsafe levels of mercury to be released into the air we
breathe.

Thank you again for your letter. Congress can’t make a tree or an eagle – but we can uphold the legacy of protecting those species that share the Earth with us.

Frank Lautenber