WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, a bipartisan House bill aimed at addressing America’s growing wildlife crisis, now has 151 cosponsors. Since the bill was introduced in July, 113 Democrats and 38 Republicans have signed on.
The bill would fund locally led, proactive efforts to help 12,000 species of concern identified by the state wildlife agencies. This figure includes the more than 1,600 U.S. species listed under the Endangered Species Act.
“More than one-third of all wildlife species in the United States are at-risk or vulnerable to extinction — and now more than one-third of the members of the House agree on a solution,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “The overwhelming support for the bipartisan Recovering America’s Wildlife Act bill shows lawmakers from across the political spectrum are serious about addressing America’s wildlife crisis and protecting our wildlife heritage for future generations. At a time when our leaders can’t seem to agree on much of anything, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is bringing together our leaders from both sides of the aisle to enact serious, bipartisan solutions that match the magnitude of the crises we face.”
About the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act:
- H.R. 3742 was introduced by Representatives Dingell (D-Mich.) and Fortenberry (R-Neb.).
- The bill will fund conservation efforts for more than 12,000 species in need of assistance by providing $1.397 billion in dedicated annual funding for proactive, on-the-ground efforts in every state and territory.
- The bill will hasten the recovery of 1,600 U.S. species already listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
- $1.3 billion of the funds will go to the state and territorial wildlife agencies. This spending will be guided by the Congressionally mandated State Wildlife Action Plans, which identify specific strategies to restore the populations of species of greatest conservation need.
- Tribal Nations would receive $97.5 million annually to fund proactive wildlife conservation efforts on tens of millions of acres of land.
- The bill complements the highly successful Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (Pittman-Robertson) and Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act (Dingell-Johnson), which have facilitated the state-led recovery of a range of large mammals, game birds, and sportfish that faced potential extinction last century.
- A 2018 report, Reversing America’s Wildlife Crisis: Securing the Future of Our Fish and Wildlife, found that one-third of America’s wildlife species are at an increased risk of extinction. More than 150 U.S. species have already gone extinct and an additional 500 species have not been seen in recent decades and are regarded as possibly extinct.
- Last session’s House bill garnered 117 cosponsors.
Source: National Wildlife Federation press release
