03.16.15

Sullivan Holds First Hearing as Chairman of EPW Subcommittee

Hearing Examines Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2015

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water and Wildlife, held his first hearing today, on S. 659, the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2015, a bill sponsored by Sen. Sullivan, that would protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing, and shooting through increasing access, supporting successful conservation programs, and reining in federal overreach.

“This legislation represents years of hard work by the sporting community, and I am appreciative of the efforts that have gone into crafting what is a collection of bills that have demonstrated broad bipartisan support over the years, including some that enjoy the support of the Obama Administration,” said Sen. Sullivan.  “I am hopeful that in this Congress, we will be able to take this effort across the finish line, because doing so means more opportunities for America’s sporting community and more dollars for wildlife conservation.”

(Click on photo above to watch Sen. Sullivan’s opening statement)

Specific Provisions in Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2015:

  • Codify an existing exemption that would exclude the EPA from regulating lead fishing tackle and ammunition
  • Provide the states greater ability to use Pittman-Robertson funding for shooting ranges on public lands
  • Allow the Secretary of the Interior to issue permits to 41 hunters, so that they can import their legally taken polar bear trophies from Canada
  • Ensure farmers are not cited for illegal baiting when hunting birds from their farm fields
  • Allow the lawful possession of firearms at water resource development projects
  • Reauthorize the North American Wetlands Conservation Act
  • Reauthorize the five Multinational Species Conservation Funds
  • Extend Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act Interest Payments towards conservation projects

 

(Click on photo above to watch Sen. Sullivan question Jeff Crane, President of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, and Dale Hall, President/CEO of Ducks Unlimited)

Jeff Crane, President of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, testified, “This is common sense legislation with strong bipartisan support that is good for conservation and preserves our outdoor heritage. It is also good for the American economy, especially for rural communities that surround our treasure of public lands and waters. With an ever increasing population, perhaps most importantly, it provides clarity and certainty that access to our federal lands and waters will remain available for hunting, recreational shooting and fishing, and other outdoor recreational pursuits for generations to come.”

Dale Hall, CEO of Ducks Unlimited, testified, “I appreciate the opportunity to testify on behalf of Ducks Unlimited regarding the Sportsmen’s Act, including reauthorization of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), reauthorization of the interest from the Pittman-Robertson fund to NAWCA, and many other important provisions. NAWCA has been an important and highly effective program that has protected and conserved migratory bird populations for more than 25 years, and Ducks Unlimited fully supports the passage of these provisions within the bill. These programs are models of how government can and should work.”

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