mr. chairman , i appreciate the approach that the committee is taking in trying to revamp and revise the endangered species act .  this has been a vitally important and successful act throughout recent decades .  and while there is wide agreement here on the house floor that it should be amended and tweaked and improved on in light of past experience and modern times , we need to do it responsibly ; and i believe that responsible approach is better reflected in the substitute that is being offered here today .  unlike some in this chamber who believe that the endangered species act has been an unmitigated failure , there are countless success stories around the country .  in my home state of wisconsin , an example of how well it has worked , working with local officials and the stakeholders involved , the higgins eye mussel has come back in the mississippi river , which acts as a great filtration system in the river basin .  the karner blue butterfly , on the verge of extinction in wisconsin , due to the endangered species act and the recovery plan that was in place , is making a healthy comeback .  the whooping crane is making a strong comeback in the necedah wildlife refuge , as has the granddaddy of them all , which has been referenced here today , the american bald eagle .  if members would like to see some bald eagles , come to western wisconsin along the mississippi during the spring and fall ice flows , and you will see literally thousands of them .  there are new nests that are going up in habitat where they had never been found before .  they are on the verge of being delisted because of their success story .  epa identified the adverse effects of ddt , congress took action , and the bald eagle is resurging today .  and the grizzly bear that is about to be delisted in yellowstone and portions of montana from the threatened species list , i can personally attest to the strength of their comeback , having just been in glacier park in august and coming within 20 yards of a big grizzly bear and her two cubs .  fortunately , i was able to retreat , or i would have been a threatened or endangered species during that time .  the act has worked , and the point is there is a responsible approach that recognizes the bureaucratic red tape that we streamline , working with private property owners and also putting in place a strong recovery plan for species that makes more sense .  that is the substitute .  i encourage my colleagues to support the substitute .  