mr. chairman , i thank the chairman for yielding me this time to speak on an issue that is very important to me and my constituents .  the endangered species act plays a prominent role in my state of missouri with over 25 endangered and threatened species located within the borders and nine in my district .  mr. chairman , the esa is broken and needs to be fixed .  over the last 30 years , less than 1 percent of all listed species have been removed , and most of them have been removed because of poor data .  i thought the intent of the esa was to recover species and not leave them on the list indefinitely .  also , landowners seem to be getting cheated when species are identified on their property resulting in lower property values , less production and limited use .  these unintended adverse impacts have resulted in a law that is hurting landowners while not recovering any species .  this is why i introduced h.r. 3300 , the endangered species recovery act .  i want to thank the chairman and staff for working with me to develop and incorporate this bill into the overall esa bill .  the language in section 10 of the bill creates `` species recovery agreements. '' basically , it is an all-inclusive incentive program that will compensate landowners for their conservation efforts .  it is my hope that this provision will foster a better working relationship with landowners and the federal government resulting in recovery of more species .  my underlying goal is to protect landowners while keeping intact the spirit of the esa .  as part of the farming community , i have heard stories of farmers afraid to report an endangered species on their land because of the implication it would have on their property and their farming operation .  `` shoot , shovel , and shut up '' was often the case when a species was identified on their property .  my point is that the esa was more of a burden on landowners , and without the cooperation of landowners , species recovery , i do not think , will ever be successful .  another reason why i chose to get involved in this debate is because of the implication this act has on the management of the missouri river .  the missouri river is a vital waterway for midwest farmers , providing cheaper and more efficient transportation for their grain .  the flood control act of 1944 authorized the army corps of engineers to maintain flood control and navigation along the river .  then came the endangered species act and this all changed .  the esa seems to supersede the flood control act , and now transportation along the river is unreliable .  ultimately , i would like to see the provisions in this bill fix the situation so navigation becomes more reliable .  again , i commend the chairman on his efforts and look forward to working with him on this bill and getting it passed this afternoon .  