House Passes Legislation to Restore and Strengthen Wild Horse Protections
Friday, July 17, 2009
Washington, DC – In a decisive
move, the U.S. House of Representatives today
approved a measure to restore basic protections
for America's wild horses and burros.
Led by Natural Resources Committee
Chairman Nick Rahall, Jr. (D-WV),
Representative Ed Whitfield (R-KY), and
Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and
Public Lands Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-NM) the
Restore Our American Mustang Act, or ROAM Act
(H.R. 1018), passed by a vote of 239 to
185.
"At a time when nearly as many wild
horses are in captivity as are on the range – a
situation which is unacceptable in terms of
both animal welfare and fiscal responsibility –
the Animal Welfare Institute welcomes this
action, and we are grateful to the bill's
champions and supporters," says Chris Heyde,
Deputy Director of Government and Legal Affairs
for the Animal Welfare Institute.
In
FY08, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the
agency responsible for the animals in question,
spent nearly 75 percent of its $36 million
budget warehousing horses removed from the
range. The new legislation, which must now pass
the U.S. Senate, would encourage the reopening
of certain public lands to the mustangs, thus
potentially decreasing the number in captivity.
The bill also restores a crucial protection to
keep wild horses from going to slaughter, which
was stripped away several years ago. Although
Congressional intent and public sentiment are
clearly against sending wild horses and burros
to slaughter the BLM has recently threatened to
kill more than 30,000 horses in holding areas
as a cost-saving measure.
"The BLM's
wild horse program and policies are broken. The
ROAM Act offers an opportunity for the agency
to restore its credibility when it comes to
managing America's mustangs," says Heyde.
“We urge the Senate to act swiftly before the
BLM takes further actions of detriment to the
horses.”
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For More
Information:
Chris Heyde – (202)
337-2332
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