ESA bill passes in the House

A scene in the the documentary takes a look at a July 2004 anti-ESA demonstration in Klamath Falls, OR where proponents of this bill held a hearing and demonstration.

The bill to "revise" the Endangered Species Act passes the House, 229 to 193. The bill's main sponsor is Richard Pombo, (CA-R), from the central valley town of Tracy, a booming bedroom community over the Oakland Hills from the Bay Area. More on the bill from the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/30/politics/30species.html?pagewanted=print

The legislation won't get through the Senate in its current form, but the negotiations (and probable weakening) of the ESA have begun. Count how many times the phrase "best available science" is used by proponents of this bill in the coming months. That's code for "gut the ESA."