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A Busy Autumn for Congress
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Young tigers belong in
their wild jungle homes, not in backyard cages. No one should keep
these exotic, potentially dangerous animals as pets.
CWAPC Database
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Before leaving Washington
for the winter holidays, Congress acted on a number of important bills
related to animal protection.
On December 19, President
Bush signed the Captive Wildlife Safety Act into law. This
important bill prohibits the interstate transport of exotic big cats such
as tigers, lions, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars or cougars for private
ownership as pets. Keeping these animals poses a serious risk to people,
their companion dogs and cats, and the wild animals themselves. When the
bill was approved by the House Resources Committee, its lead sponsor,
Howard “Buck” McKeon, said: “These exotic cats are wild animals,
hard-wired to hunt and kill, and they must only be handled by those
equipped with the proper education and training.”
Meanwhile, the United State
Senate passed the Marine Turtle Conservation Act, which would
enable as much as $5,000,000 to assist in the global efforts to protect
these endangered reptiles. The Senate Committee on Environment and Public
Works approved the measure on October 17, “Because marine turtles are
long-lived, late maturing, and highly migratory, they are particularly
vulnerable to human exploitation and habitat loss.” The House is
considering the bill.
Meanwhile, Congress eviscerated decades of environmental law by granting
the Department of Defense broad exemption from the Endangered Species Act
and the Marine Mammal Protection Act through “riders” tacked onto the
National Defense Authorization Bill. Prompted by a series of court
victories of opponents of the Navy’s Low Frequency Active Sonar, the
change essentially allows the military to kill marine mammals anywhere on
earth and alter endangered species habitat found on bases when they are
deemed to interfere with military deployment or training. Instead of
applying for an “incidental take” permit from the responsible government
agencies, the military now need only win approval from Secretary of
Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
Not every Representative was
snowed by the Pentagon. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) delivered a powerful rebuke
on the floor of Congress:
“Instead of addressing real threats to readiness, the administration
and Congress is [sic] taking on an easier target, the dolphins….
“The bill would take out one of the key provisions of
the ESA by requiring that only critical habitat that is deemed
necessary shall be designated. Without a definition of necessary, this
invites abuse and applies to all Federal lands, not just the Department
of Defense….
“The bill also includes the Department of Defense
proposal eliminating critical habitat designation altogether on lands
owned or controlled by the military….
“The authorization bill weakens the Marine Mammal
Protection Act, weakening the current definition of harassment of
marine mammals. It applies to all ocean users, not just the Department
of Defense.
“Finally, it allows the Department to exempt itself
from the Marine Mammal Protection Act for anything necessary for
national defense. It excludes any meaningful involvement of the
wildlife agencies, the States, Congress and the public in review of
these exemptions.
“Our military activities are the largest source of
pollution in the country. We are the wealthiest and most powerful and
most polluting country in the world. We ought to be able to figure out
how to better address this problem without compromising the
environmental survival of what we are fighting to protect.” |
AWI works toward the day
that “national defense” includes the protection of all life within our
lands and waters.
| YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE |
| Urge your Representative to cosponsor H.R.
857, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (see facing page), and
to support House passage of S. 1210, The Marine Turtle Conservation
Act. Address
Representatives as: The Honorable (full name), United States House of
Representatives, Washington, DC 20515.
Visit AWI’s web
page for information on other significant animal protection bills.
Check www.compassionindex.org for
updates and actions you can take to make your voice heard on Capitol
Hill.
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