The Endangered Species Act, adopted in the United States in 1973, is generally considered to be the strongest national environmental law in the world. The legislation currently protects more than 1,000 threatened or endangered species in the United States and holds developers, politicians, industrialists and citizens accountable for actions and decisions that affect living organisms and ecosystems.
Conservationists say the list of threatened or endangered species is far too short.
Many blame the Clinton administration for failing to enforce the Endangered Species Act and contend that more than 3,000 species need federal protection. The endangered whooping crane feeds in open marshes and rivers, as they migrate between Canada and the Gulf of Mexico. With the help of the League of Conservation Voters, ENN has compiled a summary of the presidential candidates' views on the Endangered Species Act. Thirty-five percent of those polled say the law should remain the same and 49 percent believe it should be strengthened. Only 16 percent think the act should be weakened or repealed.