mr. chairman , i thank my good friend from california ( mr. george miller )  for yielding me the time , and i join him in offering this substitute , because the bill we are considering today , h.r. 3824 , will make it less likely that threatened and endangered species will recover ; but today we can support this bipartisan substitute which will update and improve the endangered species act .  i reject the notion , mr. chairman , that we can not preserve both our natural environment for future generations while supporting strong economic growth .  our substitute gives private property owners the opportunity to protect species on our own land while ensuring they will not face additional regulatory burden .  importantly , this substitute actually discourages the use of private land for public purposes .  the substitute says if we can protect a species on public land , we should .  in some cases , private property owners will be asked to mitigate for the effects of preserving threatened and endangered species .  however , we can and should provide incentives for private property owners who are complying with the law , and the substitute does just that .  the substitute strikes a careful balance between the rights of private property owners and the preservation of our natural resources .  i encourage my colleagues to join me and a bipartisan group of members in supporting this reasonable , better substitute and opposing h.r. 3824 .  