Date: 1987-11-17
Speaker: DE LA GARZA (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the requisite number of words and I rise in support of the amendment. Mr. Chairman. let me first give a little bit of my credentials. I doubt that anyone in this body heard of the ridley turtle until the debate on this issue began. I began with the program to save the ridley turtle. Carol Allen from Houston. I worked with them. I went to the highest levels of the Mexican Government to allow us to come and get the eggs off the Mexican coast. to bring them to Texas. I worked to get funds because the Government is not funding. We are operating the program but not funding it. I adhere to the saying of long ago about endangered species. When the last of a single creature is gone. until this world ends and another begins. there will not be another one that walks upon the land. That is my motto. that is my creed. So do not talk to me about doing damage to the Endangered Species Act. I was there. I have been there. I am still there. The problem is we have here two endangered species. One is a turtle and one is the shrimper. a human being who needs the job. who needs to feed his family and house his family and provide for the community wherein he lives. Hl11634 Those are the credentials. Why inland and not in the gulf? Where is the equity. where is the fairness? Why the difference? Everybody has his own figures. I have heard someone say I have different figures from you. I say everybody is entitled to have his own figures. every researcher is entitled to write his own paper. That is the study. Put them off to the side. The fact is what is it doing right there on the field. The biggest problem in the gulf is plastics and ocean dumping. The commissioner of the land office. in Texas that has jurisdiction over the coast has been instrumental in getting people to be .apprised of that. Gary Morrow. he has been up here. Your committee passed the MARPOL amendments. the Senate has done the MARPOL amendments. My daughter is in charge under him in the Clean Up the Beach Program andI have seen the dead turtles and I have seen the dead dolphins and I have seen the devastation in the gulf. It has not been from the shrimpers. it has been from what they are dumping into the gulf. the plastics and all of the trash and all of the matters that are dumped into the gulf. We are trying to clean them up. we are trying to do what we can. But here anyone who says we are trying to destroy the Endangered Species Act is not correct. We are not. We are not changing one word. You are trying to delist. We are not. We are not delisting any one. All we are saying is equity. You are going to do it inland. do it out in the gulf. Give us a little time. give us. a little time. The shrimpers. as my colleague. the gentleman from Texas . mentions. they are not the most educated people. They are good. decent. hardworking people. But the fact is that we have got problems in our area. First they got cut off from the Mexican waters. Then we have all of the other environmental problems and the insurance is very difficult. Imports of shrimp from other countries have no protection. I was there when we were protecting the whales. I was there when we were protecting the baby seals. I was there when we were protecting the alligators. We are overrun by alligators now and we have protected them too well. So do not question credentials. The issue is very simple: equity and Justice. You are going to do it for one. you have to do it for the other. Two. we are not asking to change the legislation. All we are asking is a little delay. further study so the economics can come down. That is what we are asking for. In the end. I think all of us will benefit. all of us will benefit. Studies by this university and that university. they are all good and well. but each one can come up with his own end result. The fact is what is happening right there on the ground. what will happen to the shrimper. what will happen to the hundreds of women who work in the processing plants. what -will happen to the people who build the boats. What will be the economic impact?