![]() | Listed Subjects: Endangered species -- United States; Nature conservation -- Government policy -- United States -- History; Wildlife conservation -- Government policy -- United States -- History; Environmental protection -- Economic aspects -- United States; Environmental; The first listed species to make headlines after the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973 was the snail darter, a three-inch fish that stood in the way of a massive dam on the Little Tennessee River. When the Supreme Court sided with the darter, Congress changed the rules. The dam was built, the river stopped flowing, and the snail darter went extinct on the Little Tennessee, though it survived in other waterways. A young Al Gore voted for the dam; freshman congressman Newt Gingrich voted for the fish. Roman Joe : Joe Roman is a researcher at the University of Vermont, the author of Whale, and senior editor of the journal Solutions. |
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