The House Natural Resources Committee is scheduled this week to mark up a contentious Republican wildlife conservation bill that critics say will weaken the Endangered Species Act.
The full committee markup will also include a slew of geothermal permitting bills that are designed to promote development of the renewable energy resource on federal lands.
But the highlight is H.R. 7408, from Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.). The “America’s Wildlife Habitat Conservation Act,” which has 22 Republican co-sponsors, has drawn a lot of flak from Democrats and Biden administration officials, including Matthew Strickler, deputy assistant Interior secretary for fish and wildlife and parks.
Strickler testified at a Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries hearing last month that the administration has concerns about the bill’s proposal to tie authorization of $300 million for state-level habitat conservation to annual congressional appropriations. He said “robust, predictable funding is essential to meet the resource needs of states and Tribes.”
