Should Congress set aside $1.3 billion for wildlife conservation?
The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act would provide funding for the conservation and restoration of wildlife and plant species with the most need and for conservation education. The Bill would establish a subaccount for wildlife conservation, where the Secretary of the Treasury would transfer $1.3 billion every fiscal year. The Department of the Interior would be required to pay at least some of the cost. The money would fund grants and the implementation and education of conservation strategies in states, D.C., tribal land, or territories.
Sponsor: Representative Debbie Dingell (Democrat, Michigan, District 12)
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Opponents say
• "Given the extinction crisis our planet now faces, Congress must enact legislation that would guarantee critical funding to combat extinction and conserve imperiled species. While the ‘Recovering America’s Wildlife Act’ includes some new funding for imperiled wildlife and habitat conservation, the bill does not designate sufficient resources on the most imperiled species, those listed under the Endangered Species Act. It would be a significant lost opportunity if Congress were to create a new funding stream for wildlife that doesn’t strongly respond to the existential threat facing the more than 1,600 species listed as threatened or endangered in the United States." Source: President and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife, Jaime Rappaport Clark
Proponents say
• "We are in the midst of an unprecedented biodiversity crisis and we need action now. The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is landmark legislation that addresses this crisis by using innovative, on-the-ground collaboration, which will protect our nation’s environmental heritage for years to come.” Source: Representative Debbie Dingel (Democrat, Michigan, District 12)
• "Protecting habitats and wildlife is not only important to states like Missouri – with some of the best hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation in the country – it’s important to communities all across the nation. By encouraging states, territories, and Tribes to make significant contributions to voluntary conservation efforts, we can preserve our nation’s wildlife for future generations."
Source: Senator Roy Blunt (Republican, Missouri)
• "Protecting America’s fish and wildlife habitat means conserving the creatures we love before they ever become imperiled. After all, our children deserve to inherit the full breadth of American wildlife, from bumble bees to bison, that we know today. This legislation will make that possible."
Source: Senator Martin Heinrich (Democrat, New Mexico)
- Recovering America’s Wildlife Act: A 21st Century Model of Wildlife Conservation Funding (The Wildlife Society)
- Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (The Congressional Budget Office)
- Understanding Conservation (The National Wildlife Foundation)
- Blunt, Heinrich's Recovering America's Wildlife Act Passes out of Senate Committee (Press Release)
