mr. chairman , i rise today as a cosponsor of h.r. 3824 , the threatened and endangered species recovery act . 
alabama ranks in the top five states in the number of listed species , and passage of this legislation will move us closer to achieving the goal of protecting and recovering the nation 's threatened and endangered species by adding a layer of common sense . 
the endangered species act , esa , although enacted with honorable intentions , has strayed from its original purpose of conserving plants and wildlife . 
currently , there are nearly 1 , 300 domestic species listed as threatened or endangered . 
since the enactment of the esa , only 10 species , less than 1 percent of those listed as endangered , have been recovered . 
this is just one of the numerous reasons why this legislation needs updating . 
most importantly , the manager 's amendment includes a significant provision that requires the fish and wildlife service to consider the economic and national security impact of listing a species . 
this impact analysis is an important tool that provides vital information to congress , federal agencies , states , and landowners about the potential effects of the esa within those geographic areas deemed to be essential for the species ' survival and recovery . 
private property owners ought to have this information at the time a species is proposed for listing . 
such timely notice serves to let everyone know whether they should be interested in the listing process and , ideally , brings them to the table to participate . 
i would like to thank chairman pombo for all his hard work on crafting this important piece of legislation , and i am very appreciative of his efforts to include this provision in his manager 's amendment . 
by enhancing the rights of private property owners and improving the impact analysis of the listing process , the esa will actually work to protect endangered species . 
i urge all of my colleagues to support this measure . 
