https://thehill.com/policy/ene...2595b-budget-package



Democrats push environmental policies in $259.5B budget package

BY REBECCA BEITSCH - 07/24/20 02:22 PM




The House added a number of environmental measures to the budget Friday, voting to block the Trump administration from drilling in the arctic or rejecting grants for projects and studies tied to climate change.

The measures were included in a $259.5 billion spending package that passed with a 224-189 vote.

Lawmakers voted on a series of amendments to the budgets for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Interior on Thursday and Friday, seeking to block funding from being used to implement a number of Trump administration rollbacks.


The language includes measures to block a new policy allowing hunting tactics that make it easier to kill bear cubs and wolf pups in Alaska.

Another measure would block the administration from implementing its changes to the National Environmental Policy Act, a bedrock environmental law that green groups have said President Trump is gutting. Trump rolled back the law last week, calling the act, which requires a thorough environmental review of major projects, the “single biggest obstacle” to construction.

The legislation passed by Democrats also blocks drilling in both the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPRA).

The Trump administration has sought to open more than 80 percent of the NPRA to drilling, while the wildlife refuge was opened for drilling through the 2017 tax cut legislation.


House Democrats have repeatedly worked to block drilling in the ANWR, passing legislation in September that was never taken up by the Senate.

The legislation includes other measures with a more bipartisan agenda, including an increase in funding to replace lead pipes and language to ensure the EPA will continue with its plans to regulate cancer-linked PFAS chemicals in drinking water.

Lawmakers also voted down a Republican effort to allow importation of elephant or lion hunting trophies taken in Tanzania, Zimbabwe or Zambia.

https://blog.humanesociety.org...al-cruelty-laws.html



Breaking news: U.S. House approves key animal reforms, including combating wildlife trafficking, preventing cruel hunting practices and enforcing animal cruelty laws

By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson
July 24, 2020
Breaking news: U.S. House approves key animal reforms, including combating wildlife trafficking, preventing cruel hunting practices and enforcing animal cruelty laws


The U.S. House today approved many key animal protection reforms, including measures designed to rein in horse soring, combat wildlife trafficking and help enforce animal cruelty laws, as part of Congress’s annual appropriations process. Members also prohibited the use of federal funds for implementing cruel hunting practices on public lands in Alaska, and rejected an attempt to ensure the import of endangered elephant and lion trophies into the United States can continue.

The reforms are part of a package of appropriations bills, called a “minibus,” and the package considered today—covering the departments of Agriculture, Interior, State, Veterans Affairs and the Environmental Protection Agency—is the first of two minibus bills the House will take up this year as it goes about its job of funding the federal government. Other animal protection reforms included in this minibus include reducing slaughterhouse kill speeds, providing more shelter options for domestic violence survivors with pets, and protecting gray wolves.

In addition, members successfully added amendments to the package that would:

Combat wildlife trafficking: At $8 to 10 billion per year, the illegal wildlife trade ranks as one of the most lucrative criminal activities internationally, and it is also one of the most significant threats for imperiled wildlife, whose rare parts and products are used for food, traditional medicines, luxury goods and as symbols of social status. This amendment, offered by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, would reinforce the importance of the State Department’s work with international partners to counter the trafficking of endangered species.

Prevent cruel hunting practices on public lands in Alaska: This amendment would prevent federal funds from being used to implement a disastrous National Park Service rule finalized in June that would allow trophy hunting practices, including killing hibernating bears and wolf pups, on Alaska’s national preserves. The measure was offered by Reps. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.

Rein in horse soring: The package approved today would earmark $750,000 for the USDA’s Office of Inspector General to complete, by July 31, 2021, an audit of the agency’s enforcement of the Horse Protection Act, which regulates horse shows to detect and penalize the soring of Tennessee walking horses and related breeds, and the Slaughter Horse Transport Program, which is supposed to ensure that horses being shipped for slaughter to foreign processing plants are transported humanely. This amendment, building on committee report language included earlier at the behest of a bipartisan group of 207 Representatives, was offered by Reps. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., Fitzpatrick, Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, Ron Estes, R-Kan., Tony Cárdenas, D-Calif., Pete King, R-N.Y., and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill.

Enforce animal cruelty laws: One of the measures approved today would transfer $1 million for the USDA Office of Inspector General to enforce anti-animal cruelty statutes including the federal animal fighting law. This amendment, also building on language the Appropriations Committee included at the request of 207 Representatives, was offered by Reps. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., Bill Posey, R-Fla., Cohen, Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., Buchanan, Fitzpatrick, Cárdenas, Estes, P. King, Ann McLane Kuster, D-N.H., and Ben McAdams, D-Utah.

Improve management of wild horses and burros: This measure would encourage the Bureau of Land Management to use $11 million of its budget to implement PZP, a humane, reversible fertility control vaccine to manage wild horses populations. For many years, the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund have advocated that BLM must revamp its management strategy to focus on proven, safe and humane fertility control vaccines to address on-the-range population growth in a humane manner. This amendment was offered by Reps. Cohen, Dina Titus, D-Nev., Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., Neguse, Fitzpatrick, David Schweikert, R-Ariz., David Price, D-N.C., P. King, Deb Haaland, D-N.M., Schakowsky, McAdams, and John Katko, R-N.Y.

Support equine-assisted therapy for veterans: This amendment would transfer $5 million to the Veterans Health Administration’s Medical Services program for use for equine-assisted therapy to support veterans’ mental health. This form of therapy has proven successful for many veterans by reducing PTSD-related anxiety, increasing confidence, and improving interpersonal skills and trust in others. Working with these large animals also hones veterans’ patience and perseverance and helps them regain physical strength. The amendment was offered by Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky.

Members rejected a bad amendment offered by Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., that would have ensured that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can continue issuing permits to import endangered elephant and lion trophies from Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania. The House reiterated its 2019 declaration that American taxpayers should not subsidize the cruel hobbies of wealthy hunters who threaten the existence of our world’s most at-risk wildlife. Reps. Buchanan, Blumenauer, P. King and Jared Huffman, D-Calif., are leading efforts to secure a the ban on these trophy import permits by prohibiting the agency from using federal funds to authorize these trophy imports.

We are grateful to all members who worked to get these issues into the bills and to ensure they remained in the package that passed the full House. Kudos also to our HSLF staff for their role in bringing these matters before members of Congress and keeping them front and center as they move toward passage. This work on the appropriations process is some of the most important we do each year, and over time it’s resulted in many terrific wins for animals.

We urge the Senate to next take up and pass these commonsense reforms without delay. We’ll be working on the other minibus bill, and to ensure it includes more victories for animals, in days to come.

Sara Amundson is president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund.

I'll be applying for a CITIES permit for lion for next year. We'll see.

quote:

Improve management of wild horses and burros: This measure would encourage the Bureau of Land Management to use $11 million of its budget to implement PZP, a humane, reversible fertility control vaccine to manage wild horses populations. For many years, the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund have advocated that BLM must revamp its management strategy to focus on proven, safe and humane fertility control vaccines to address on-the-range population growth in a humane manner. This amendment was offered by Reps. Cohen, Dina Titus, D-Nev., Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., Neguse, Fitzpatrick, David Schweikert, R-Ariz., David Price, D-N.C., P. King, Deb Haaland, D-N.M., Schakowsky, McAdams, and John Katko, R-N.Y.

Depending on how November goes, this is only the beginning of the madness...

Makes me want to vote Dem in November-NOT!!

Yes, show this to the idiots on the Political Forum

Alfredo C,

I'm certain those fools would somehow rationalize it.

The USA is full of anti American asses. If you disbelieve that, simply look at all the democrats holding offices in the country.

quote:

Originally posted by Kathi:
This amendment would prevent federal funds from being used to implement a disastrous National Park Service rule finalized in June that would allow trophy hunting practices, including killing hibernating bears and wolf pups, on Alaska’s national preserves.

Trophy hunting for hibernating bears and wolf pups?

Must have missed that offering from Blair's latest marketing email.

But seriously, WTF?

Common practice of indigenous peoples. Less so now days.

Libs are scourge of the earth

quote:

Originally posted by tomahawker:
Common practice of indigenous peoples. Less so now days.

Thanks for the info. I would still have to call it disingenuous and misleading to refer to such practices as trophy hunting, at least as that term is commonly understood. And sadly, it is typical of legislators and the press to do such things.