Some Bills Include Bipartisan Co-sponsorship
Washington, D.C.—Today, the House Natural Resource Committee voted in favor of protecting wildlife, nature, and America’s legacy for future generations.
We are in the sixth mass extinction event—the first caused by humans. One million species could be threatened with extinction due to habitat loss, pollution, invasive species and climate change, according to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. This report indicates that we have time to stem the crisis, but not without immediate action to protect wildlife and plants, especially imperiled species. The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, led by Chairman Grijalva (D-NM), passed several bills today that will help us take immediate action to protect America’s web of life.
One bill overturns new rules issued by the Trump Administration that severely weaken the Endangered Species Act. H.R. 4348, Protect America’s Wildlife and Fish In Need of Conservation (PAW and FIN) Act of 2019, will terminate those new rules and restore the primacy of science, not politics, in wildlife decision-making.
In addition, two important pieces of legislation will help safeguard wildlife (and in many cases people) via the creation and support of wildlife corridors. H.R. 2795,“Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act,” will establish National Wildlife Corridors to provide for the protection of habitats and migration routes of native fish, wildlife, and plant species on federal public land. H.R. 5179, “Tribal Wildlife and Corridors Act” support wildlife corridors on tribal lands.
Other bills that advance responsible stewardship of our natural resources address extreme weather and climate change on wildlife, plants and fisheries; protect habitat by establishing a new wildlife refuge in California; and address nutria, a very harmful invasive species.
“This is a great day for wildlife and for all Americans who wish to be free to experience our country’s natural heritage. Millions of Americans have asked Congress to address the biodiversity crisis, and today Members of Congress took a significant step forward. The bills passed in the US House Natural Resource Committee can help restore and create protections for threatened and endangered species across the country. We applaud the committee members and will continue to work to ensure these bills are soon passed by Congress,” stated Leda Huta, Executive Director of the Endangered Species Coalition.
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Contact: Leda Huta, [email protected], (202) 320-6467
3 comments on “Positive Steps for Wildlife as House Natural Resource Committee Passes Protection Bills”
We must do everything possible to safeguard and protect wildlife, whether it be animals, birds or plants. This is the only planet we have and destroying it will come at a very high price. We can already see what can happen; floods, fires, more severe storms, oceans rising, to name a few. Please, pass this legislation that protects this precious place we call home.
Sorely needed here in Oregon where commercial logging and habitat destruction have brought species to the edge of extinction. Northwest forests store carbon more efficiently than any other ecosystem, yet our public land managers trivialize the effects of climate change and continue to push for more resource extraction, while US Fish and Wildlife recovery plans for spotted owls and other species fail to reverse population declines.
This is a huge positive step forward! This is a good beginning but there is still much we need to do to protect animals from abuse, hunting and loss of habitat. There are so many animals at risk.