Rep. Don Young continues crusade to undo protections for wildlife on our most cherished federal lands
WASHINGTON (September 8, 2017)—The U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment by a vote of 215 to 196 to block a 2015 rule issued by the National Park Service to protect grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, coyotes, and caribou on public lands in Alaska from egregious and unsustainable killing practices. Earlier this year, the House and Senate voted narrowly to unwind similar protections for wildlife on national wildlife refuges, using the Congressional Review Act as a mechanism.
By undermining the NPS, Congress has provided trophy hunters with the privilege to:
- kill entire wolf packs during denning season
- use artificial lights to kill hibernating black bear mothers and their cubs
- kill grizzly bear families over fetid baits
- chase black bears with packs of trailing hounds
Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States and executive vice president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund, issued the following statement:
"This is an assault on wildlife, but also on the mission and purposes of the National Park Service. The Park Service manages the crown jewels of our system of parks and preserves, and opening up these lands to baiting of grizzly bears and killing wolves in their dens is shocking and without conscience. These preserves generate millions of dollars in economic activity for rural communities through wildlife watching. Turning these places into killing fields for the most charismatic species is wrong as a matter of ethics and wrong as a matter of economics."
The NPS rule is not subject to the Congressional Review Act, because it was made final in 2015. The HSUS and HSLF will oppose the inclusion of the Young amendment in any final spending package for the Interior Department and related agencies.
Five of 186 Democrats voting on the amendment voted for Rep. Young’s amendment, while 15 of 225 Republicans voted against it.
Media contact:
Thaisi Da Silva: 202-578-6767, tdasilva@humanesociety.org
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The Humane Society Legislative Fund is a social welfare organization incorporated under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code and formed in 2004 as a separate lobbying affiliate of The Humane Society of the United States. The HSLF works to pass animal protection laws at the state and federal level, to educate the public about animal protection issues, and to support humane candidates for office. Visit us on all our channels: on the web at hslf.org, on our blog at animalsandpolitics.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/humanelegislation and on Twitter at twitter.com/HSLegFund.
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