Washington, DC – Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) made the following remarks upon received the Defenders of Wildlife Legacy Award for his continuing conservation work. Below are the Congressman’s prepared remarks.
“Some of my most treasured memories are of walking the shores of the Detroit River or spending time out West with my Dad.
“Also treasured is the time I spent doing the same things with my own children. And I know that I have passed my love, and Pop’s love, of nature on to them.
“Working on conservation legislation is probably the most selfish thing I do. And over the years I have had the pleasure of authoring or playing a role in some of our cornerstone environmental laws: The Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Clean Water Act.
“Here we are, years later – and as any parent of grown child can tell you, the work doesn’t stop when the child leaves the home.
“In that same vein, I have always believed that work on legislation doesn’t end with the President’s signature.
“A bill’s author should make sure their work is implemented appropriately and executed properly. It is important to watch over these laws to see that the government is carrying its duties and to protect them from mischief.
“That is why I still fight when I see these laws being misinterpreted or circumvented – this is the case with the Clean Water Act and the Federal Airborne Hunting Act. It will take an act of Congress to correct the harm that has been done to these two laws.
“I thank you for this award – but most importantly, I thank you for all the work you all do everyday.
“I would like to end with a story of a great leader, Winston Churchill. Churchill, as you know, enjoyed the occasional drink. One day he was meeting with a group of women who were offended by his consumption of alcohol. They said “Mr. Churchill, if you lined the walls of your office with the alcohol you have consumed, it would be up to here.” Churchill looked up, thought for a moment, looked at the ladies and said, ‘So much to do, so little time.’”
Defenders of Wildlife is one of the country's leaders in science-based, results-oriented wildlife conservation.
