The U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday voted to pass the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, a bill to prevent wildlife extinctions by funding locally-led conservation efforts.
If it becomes law, Illinois will receive about $24.5 million to help 419 species of concern, including the Blanding’s turtle, Illinois chorus frog, Rusty patched bumble bee, Monarch butterfly and others.
“This is the most important piece of wildlife legislation in the past 50 years,” said Ryan Grosso, Water Resources Associate with Prairie Rivers Network, Illinois Affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation.
“Wildlife in Illinois and across the country are in crisis and this bold, bipartisan bill will tackle the problem at scale without new taxes or regulations<” Grosso said. “The aye votes from representatives Brad Schneider, Lauren Underwood and Adam Kinzinger will be a proud part of their legacy.”
Funding from the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act will be used to implement the Congressionally-mandated state wildlife action plans, which identify more than 12,000 wildlife and plants that need conservation assistance nationwide.
“The bipartisan passage of the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act affirms that there is consensus across the political spectrum that we can, and we must, prevent extinctions from our backyards to the backcountry,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “Inaction is the ally of extinction, and the time to act is now.”
The bill will also dedicate $97.5 million annually to fund proactive wildlife conservation efforts led by Native American Tribes. The nation’s 574 federally recognized Tribes manage tens of millions of acres of land nationwide with limited federal funding for conservation efforts.
The bill has strong bipartisan support in the Senate, with 35 cosponsors including Senator Tammy Duckworth. The Senate bill would be paid for out of federal environmental penalties.
“I want future generations to be able to hear the song of the meadowlark and to see monarchs in their backyard and a diversity of habitat where wildlife thrive. Senators Durbin and Duckworth should do everything they can to champion this historic legislation to get it over the finish line this summer,” Grosso said.