One of the quiddities of the U.S. Congress is that it’s slow
by design. Bills have to make it through both the House and the Senate, via
committee process and floor action in both chambers. That’s why more than
10,000 bills are introduced in a two-year congressional session, and only 4 to
5 percent actually become law.
There were several important wildlife
protection measures that passed the House during the 110th
Congress, but then stalled in the Senate. Those bills were reintroduced
at the very start of the 111th Congress for quick action, and
two of them—the Captive
Primate Safety Act and the Shark
Conservation Act—passed the House again earlier this year. The House is
scheduled to vote on two more bills today that are considered unfinished business
from last time around—a pair of important bipartisan policies that would help
protect rare species of mammals and birds around the world.
H.R. 411, the
Great Cats and Rare Canids Act—introduced by Reps. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), John
Tanner (D-Tenn.), Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), and Ed Royce (R-Calif.)—will provide
financial resources for conservation programs to protect rare dog and cat
species outside North America. A Senate version of the bill, S. 529, was
introduced by Sens. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Sam Brownback (R-Kan.).
Species such as jaguars, clouded leopards, and African wild dogs are declining
drastically due to habitat loss, poaching, disease, and human-wildlife
conflict. This conservation funding will be a critical lifeline for rare dogs
and cats ranging from the Ethiopian wolf to the Iberian lynx.
H.R. 388,
the Crane Conservation Act—introduced by Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Ginny
Brown-Waite (R-Fla.)—will do the same for imperiled crane populations both
here at home and across the globe. A Senate version of the bill, S. 197,
was introduced by Sens. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho). Cranes
are the most endangered family of birds in the world, victims of pesticide,
power lines, human encroachment, and even wars. Eleven of 15 species are at
risk of extinction, and the North American whooping crane is the rarest of all
cranes.
As Congresswoman Baldwin said, “Wisconsin has been a world
leader in protecting this endangered family of birds. With federal support, the
work done at the International
Crane Foundation in Baraboo can inspire and instruct conservationists at
home and abroad in their efforts to protect this magnificent species.”
The Multinational Species Conservation Fund already includes
grant programs to help imperiled species—including Asian and African elephants,
great apes, marine turtles, rhinoceroses, tigers, and neotropical migratory
birds. Now, two separate accounts would be added to the fund specifically to
assist cranes and rare dogs and cats.
Some reforms are so evident that there really is not a
debate in society about the right course of action. Who could possibly think
that Cape hunting dogs or black crowned cranes do not deserve a place on our
planet, or jaguars or snow leopards for that matter? We hope today that the
House approves these measures, and that Senate action follows
swiftly. These are major advances in the waiting, and I extend our thanks to
Natural Resources Committee Chairman Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), and Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife Subcommittee Chairwoman Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam)
and Ranking Member Henry Brown (R-S.C.), who have made passage of these
measures a priority when the species need our help the most.
