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32 REFLECTIONS ON THE ACT regulations by means of which the act would be executed. A new body of regulatory direction had to be developed, a chore that took many months and through which the real strength of the act was revealed. Gradually it became evident that the ordinary course of federal business would never be the same as the inten- tions of the act and the reality of the regulations were felt on a day-to-day basis. The real strength of the act, however, did not become evident until the tiny snail darter illuminated the issue. The Tellico Dam project was well under way when a citizens' group filed a law- suit to require the TVA to comply with the Endangered Species Act in order to protect the snail darter. Ultimately the suit resulted in a U.S. Supreme Court determination which declared that if a project jeopardized a properly listed species, the project must give way to the organism in jeopardy. Only a new law could change that. A modification of the ESA was sought immediately, stimulating a rash of proposals and modifications of the statute. During rounds of congressional hearings, many legislators came forward to say they did not know this new act would protect everything; they thought they were voting for legislation to protect eagles, bears, and whoop- ing cranes. They professed not to understand at the time of passage that this law might raise questions about irrigation projects, timber harvests, the dredging of ports, or the genera- tion of electricity. In short, the gap between ideology and actual behavior began to widen. As the debate raged on, a few recommendations began to emerge. It was finally concluded that the act should be changed to provide for a special review of conflicts like the Tellico Dam issue. An amendment providing for the appointment of a special review committee was passed (including an important proviso that key members could not delegate their responsibilities as reviewers). Such a committee was convened to study the Tellico situation. After examining information related to the snail dar- ter controversy, the committee found the Tellico Dam project without convincing merit and determined that it could not be allowed to eliminate the snail darter. This decision was followed almost immediately, however, by a skillful application of parlia- mentary procedures in Congress. As a result, the Tellico Dam project was exempted from all provisions of the act.