Animal Welfare Institute

I don't know how I got on this emailing list, but it has provided me with information on what our detractors are doing. Contact your representative and ask them to support HB 4089. Perhaps we should send something out to our membership asking them to support it. Perhaps someone can put this on NAFEX as well.

April 13, 2012

Tell Your Representatives to Say No to Dangerous Hunting Proposals

Dear Humanitarian:

As early as next week, the U.S. House of Representatives may consider proposed legislation known as the “Sportsmen’s Heritage Act of 2012,” H.R. 4089. This bill, if enacted, will have substantial and direct adverse impacts on wildlife and the environment. Its most notable and extreme provisions would:

Amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act to permit the importation of polar bear hunting trophies from Canada for bears killed before May 15, 2008 — the date when polar bears were designated as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act;
Require that the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Department of the Interior open nearly all public lands to recreational hunting, and provide that they may do so without following the environmental review processes required under the National Environmental Policy Act; and
Eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to protect wildlife, habitat, and people from lead and other toxic substances released by ammunition waste under the Toxic Substances Control Act, thereby undermining the Agency's obligation to protect public health and the environment.
It is particularly alarming that this bill that would create staggering risks to wildlife, human health, and the environment breezed through the Natural Resources Committee and likely ignored by both the Energy and Commerce and Agriculture Committees. Consequently, it will reach the House floor without adequate review. It is doubly amazing that in a time when Congress cannot seem to move even the most necessary legislation forward, the House leadership finds time to fast track a bill that features a stunningly ill-advised shift in conservation policy and a threat to human health.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
This bill is moving quickly so please act today by contacting your Representative by phone, email, or fax and tell them to oppose H.R. 4089! To find your Representative and their contact information, or to send them an email, please visit AWI’s Compassion Index.

Sample Email/Fax/Phone Message:

As one of your constituents, I urge you to help protect human health, wildlife and public lands by voting against H.R. 4089. This legislation, if passed, will undermine provisions of existing conservation statutes including the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act. It will also interfere with the exercise of authority by federal agencies responsible for managing federal lands and protecting public health. Please oppose H.R. 4089, and help to protect wildlife, habitat and the public.

Thank you,
[Your Name]

Please be sure to share our “Dear Humanitarian” eAlert with family, friends, and co-workers, and encourage them to contact their Representative, too. As always, thank you very much for your help!

Sincerely,

Chris Heyde
Deputy Director
Government and Legal Affairs

Animal Welfare Institute
900 Pennsylvania Ave., SE • Washington, DC 20003
(202) 337-2332 (main) • awi@awionline.org
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