The monarch butterfly is one of thousands of species protected by flag states, but with limited resources.
Matt Slocum / AP
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Matt Slocum / AP
The monarch butterfly is one of thousands of species protected by flag states, but with limited resources.
Matt Slocum / AP
Endangered Species Conservation Bill – from red-taped woodpecker arrive boy snuffbox – was passed by the US House of Representatives in a vote of 231 to 190 on Tuesday.
The Restoring the US Wildlife Act will create an annual fund of more than $1.3 billion, given to states, territories, and tribal nations to conserve terrestrial wildlife. Although threatened species have been identified and protected under the Endangered Species Act since 1973, that law does not provide robust financial resources to actively maintain their numbers.
Efforts come as scientists and International organizations The alarm sound of the species decline is increasing.
“Too many people don’t realize … that about a third of our wildlife is at an increasing risk of extinction,” said House key donor Debbie Dingell, a Democrat from Michigan, said. recent research about climate change.
In the United States, there are more than 1,600 endangered or threatened species, according to United States Fish and Wildlife Servicebut state agencies have identified more than 7 times the number needing conservation support in wildlife action plan.
“The bottom line is, when we save wildlife, we save ourselves,” said Collin O’Mara, executive director of the National Wildlife Federation, which backed the bill. The loss of species threatens everything from insects that pollinate plants in the food chain, to marine life that helps protect coastlines from storm surge, he said.
The bill would amend a 1937 law, the Pittman-Robertson Act, that was passed in response to the decline of waterfowl and game species. That law allows states to tax hunting supplies to pay for wildlife and habitat restoration, but that amount isn’t enough to do the same for non-game species. , follow Pew Charity Foundation.
The act would also invest more in conservation than the existing program for threatened non-game species, known as the State Wildlife Grant Program, has given states total number $56 million this year.
One big hurdle remains: how to pay for this investment.
Advocates continue to shred the details, while critics like Representative Bruce Westerman (R-AR) call the current draft “unfortunately flawed” because it would create a costly program. new long-term consumption. He urged members to vote against it.
The bill would require that 15% of total conservation dollars be earmarked for the restoration of populations of federally listed endangered species.
On Monday, the White House released a statement, saying “strong support” the bill’s goals.
The companion law in the Senate has GOP .’s 16 co-sponsors.
