mr. chairman , we must protect what we can never get back . 
we are not only protecting wildlife , but we are defending our citizens as well . 
the stringent regulations in the endangered species act have benefited many species in our great country . 
our national symbol , the bald eagle , is one of the most profound stories of recovery in progress . 
the american alligator , the peregrine falcon , and the california condor are but a few examples of species that have benefited by the provisions in the bill . 
according to the united states fish and wildlife service , nearly half of the species that had been on the list more than 7 years were stable or improving , and those are the facts . 
mr. chairman , h.r. 3824 is full of giveaways to large development companies and other special interests . 
the pombo legislation includes provisions that require the government to use taxpayer dollars to pay developers and other special interests not to violate the endangered species act , instead of creating commonsense incentive programs that would foster greater involvement in conservation efforts . 
congress should choose to send a national message regarding the mindful stewardship of our country . 
if not , further abuses will occur as evidenced by governor schwarzenegger in my own home state of california . 
tuesday , the governor fired all six members of the state reclamation board , an agency that oversees flood control . 
the board had recently become aggressive about slowing development on the flood plains . 
is the governor 's protection of developers and big landowners worth the devastation that oversight can avoid ? 
congress would be wise to take notice , in light of the no-bid contracts , pleas to exempt all environmental regulations in the gulf states after katrina , and the same old companies slurping up federal funds in egregious excess . 
mr. chairman , the gentleman from california 's bill is not the legislation we need . 
it would also allow the unlimited use of dangerous pesticides at the expense of the people , plants , and wildlife . 
this bill would repeal all endangered species act provisions that regulate the use of pesticides like ddt , which nearly resulted in the extinction of the american bald eagle in the mid-20th century and decimated the california brown pelican population in my own state . 
we must protect what we can never get back . 
mr. chairman , i strongly urge my colleagues to defeat this bill . 
