FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ryan Grosso, Prairie Rivers Network, rgrosso@prairierivers.org, (217) 344-2371 ext. 203
‘Most Significant Wildlife Conservation Bill
in Half Century’ Passes U.S. House
Illinois would get $24.5M to help at-risk wildlife
CHAMPAIGN (June 15, 2022) — Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives 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 around $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 fifty 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. 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.
At Prairie Rivers Network (PRN), we protect water, heal land, and inspire change. Using the creative power of science, law, and collective action, we protect and restore our rivers, return healthy soils and diverse wildlife to our lands, and transform how we care for the earth and for each other. PRN is the Illinois affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation.
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