Senator Risch Introduces Senate Companion Bill to Recovering America’s Wildlife Act
On July 17th a bipartisan Senate companion bill to Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (H.R.4647) was introduced by Senator Risch. As mentioned in a previous article, IWF has spearheaded this effort in Idaho, including several visits to Washington DC, and Senator Risch’s support is the culmination of this work. In early June, Rep. Mike Simpson decided to co-sponsor the House version.
The Senate bill (S.3223) is identical to the House bill except in one fundamental way- the funding will be subject to annual appropriations. While IWF is supportive of movement forward we are working on an amendment to the Senate bill to make funding automatic year after year. Over 1,000 conservation groups, sporting groups and businesses across the nation support dedicated funding in the House bill.
Looking to the future, the success of this bill will not only lead to improved wildlife populations and habitat, but it will also unite interests, hunters and anglers included, that support the shared values of America’s wildlife and habitat. Read below for facts on the two bills, and our press release.
About the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act
The bill would fund proactive, collaborative efforts at the state level to recover wildlife species at risk.
The House bill (H.R. 4647), introduced by Representatives Fortenberry (R-Nebraska) and Dingell (D-Michigan), and has 79 bipartisan cosponsors including Mike Simpson (37 Republicans and 42 Democrats currently).
The revenues require no new taxes, but are dedicated from existing energy and mineral revenues, as recommended by the Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining America’s Diverse Fish and Wildlife Resources led by Bass Pro Shops founder John L. Morris and former Wyoming governor Dave Freudenthal.
The House bill includes $1.3 billion in automatic dedicated annual funding. The Senate bill uses the same funding mechanism but requires annual approval by Congress.
About the wildlife crisis
The National Wildlife Federation, the American Fisheries Society and The Wildlife Society recently released a report, Reversing America’s Wildlife Crisis: Securing the Future of Our Fish and Wildlife, which found that one-third of America’s wildlife species are at increased risk of extinction. Additionally, more than 150 U.S. species already have gone extinct and nearly 500 additional species have not been seen in recent decades and are regarded as possibly extinct.
The state agencies have identified 12,000 species of wildlife and plants in need of conservation assistance in their State Wildlife Action Plans. These plans are developed collaboratively by state fish and wildlife agencies in consultation with landowners, conservation groups, businesses, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
View Idaho Wildlife Federation’s press release below.
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