An endangered species of law

Property rights activists are lobbying a receptive Congress hard to overturn the 1973 Endangered Species Act. That body in summer 1995 wrangled over the law's habitat protection provisions, which property owners say are costing them millions. The law survived its first major test in June, when the Supreme Court reaffirmed rules that prohibit the destruction of habitat on private land. Next up is Slade Gorton's reauthorization bill, which would reverse that decision.